When groundbreaking ceremonies were held on a cold, dreary spring day during the 1980 annual meeting in Topeka, the face of the Kansas legal profession was markedly different. There were 5,500 licensed attorneys practicing in Kansas. Membership in the Kansas Bar was just over 3,800. Continuing legal education was voluntary. Kansas Bar members were limited to eight practice-area sections. The KBA was governed by a 10-member board. Kansas lawyers practiced law without the benefit of computers, fax machines, the Internet or e-mail.

Unquestionably, times have changed. Today:

• The number of practicing licensed attorneys has grown to nearly 10,000 and KBA membership has increased to more than 6,000;

• The KBA will provide Kansas attorneys with nearly 200 CLE opportunities and 18,500 hours of CLE programming at more than 26 statewide locations and in Washington, D.C.;

• KBA members will serve on 19 committees and task forces;

• Governance structures have been enhanced to ensure statewide participation and representation on important issues confronting the Bar;

• The number of legislative bills affecting the judicial system has increased significantly.

The Kansas Law Center symbolizes the Kansas Bar’s efforts during its decades of service to the bench, the bar and the public. In 1980, it was the answer. Today, we’ve grown beyond the Center envisioned 25 years ago. To Raise the Bar, the time is now to equip the Kansas Law Center with the space, technology and flexibility to meet the needs of our growing profession. By expanding and improving the Kansas Law Center today, we lay the foundation for enhanced member services tomorrow.

Conceptual drawing of the future Kansas Law Center.

A Legacy of Innovation and Excellence

As a guardian of the integrity of the legal profession, the Kansas Bar is a recognized leader in “staying ahead of the curve” as a professional service organization and steward of professionalism. Today’s technologies are changing the way lawyers practice law. Those same technologies provide the Kansas Bar exciting opportunities to deliver quality services directly to your office at the click of a button.

As we Raise the Bar, we plan to reinvest $100,000 of campaign proceeds into technology-oriented advancements. Existing forms of communication, such as the Kansas Bar’s nationally recognized website, www.ksbar.org, and e-mail utilization will be improved.

The future holds exciting opportunities to increase service delivery areas and enhance program quality through new technologies like video conferencing. As the legal landscape changes, you can expect the Kansas Bar to continue to serve the profession and its constituencies with innovation and excellence.