Fraz Ahmed | Jacksonville Bar Association president
Our Jacksonville Bar Association started with 33 members in the charter year of 1897 to encourage collegiality and maintain the honor and dignity in the practice of law, aid in the administration of justice and foster professionalism and ethics in the legal profession.
The JBA was formally incorporated as a not-for-profit organization in July 1952. Today, we have a diverse membership of nearly 2,000 members.
Since its inception, the JBA has been a cornerstone of the Jacksonville community. That is, in large part, because of its distinct group of members, who have a wide array of interests and passions.
For decades, JBA members have been, and continue to be, involved in volunteer, civic and community organizations. You would be hard-pressed to attend a meeting of another Jacksonville organization and not find a member of the JBA involved in that group.
One of the JBA’s most significant contributions to the Jacksonville community was the creation of Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. JALA was developed in 1932, during the Great Depression, when a group of JBA attorneys decided to come together to provide free legal services to those in need.
