American Bar Association

The American Bar Association (ABA) An American version of the Bar association, it is a voluntary association of lawyers which is not specific to any jurisdiction in the United States. Its most important non-controversial activities are the setting of academic standards for law schools, and the formulation of model legal codes, in particular a code of ethical standards for lawyers which has been adopted in one form or another in most state jurisdictions.

The association in recent years has drawn some criticism, mainly from the conservative side of the political spectrum, for taking positions on controversial public policy topics such as abortion, capital punishment and gun control.