State Bar of Texas Archives Department

Our Archives Department, also known as the Gov. Bill and Vara Daniel Center for Legal History, serves as the official repository for the permanently valuable records of the State Bar of Texas. The Archives also manages, preserves, and provides access to the Texas legal history collections of the Texas Bar Historical Foundation.

New Materials Added to the State Bar of Texas Digital Archives

Prior to the establishment of the State Bar of Texas in 1939, the Texas Bar Association, or TBA, was the primary professional organization for attorneys in the state of Texas. 

The complete TBA meeting minutes from 1930 to 1940 are now available in the State Bar of Texas digital archives. These minutes reflect the actions of the legal community in Texas in the early 20th century and document the dissolution of the TBA when the State Bar was created.

Digital Archives

Search the State Bar of Texas Digital Archives to learn more about the history and legacy of the Bar and the Texas legal profession. Currently, our digital archives contains:

• All State Bar of Texas Board of Directors meeting minutes since the first meeting in 1940

• All Texas Bar Association meeting minutes from 1930 to 1940 (the TBA was dissolved when the State Bar of Texas was created)

• A selection of over 700 photographs published in the Texas Bar Journal since 1938

• A complete catalog of our collections of TexasBarBooks publications, 1961-2019, and TexasBarCLE articles, 1960s – 1998. (If you need access to one of the books or articles listed in the catalog, please contact the Archives Department directly at archives@texasbar.com or 512.427.1311.)

• The complete run of SBOT Volunteer and Staff Guides dating back to 1974

Our Collections

Our holdings include, but are not limited to:

• State Bar of Texas Board of Directors meeting minutes

• State Bar member registration records

• The Texas Bar Journal

• Thanks to an alliance with William S. Hein and Co., the entire run of the Texas Bar Journal since 1938 is available and fully searchable online.

• Texas Bar Journal original photographs

• TexasBarCLE course books, prior to 1998

• Please note that TexasBarCLE course articles since 1998 are available by subscription to the TexasBarCLE Online Library.

• State Bar Section journals

• Examples of early Texas law licenses and legal instruments

• Legal reference texts and directories

• Oral histories of Texas attorneys

• Local and specialty bar association records

• Proceedings of the Texas Bar Association, 1882-1940

The Archives Department accepts research requests by phone or email, and is open to Bar members and the public for research on a case-by-case basis.

Texas Bar Historical Foundation

The State Bar of Texas Archives Department provides administrative support to the Texas Bar Historical Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the history of the bench, bar, and judicial system within the state of Texas.

Visit the Texas Bar Historical Foundation webpage to learn more about the historical foundation and its Texas Court Records Preservation Grant Program.

Read about the work of the Archives Department

• October 2014, Texas Bar Journal

• March 2012, Texas Bar Journal

Contact Us

For more information about the history of the State Bar of Texas, or to initiate a research request, please contact us. We also welcome inquiries to plan archival donations to the Texas Bar Historical Foundation.

Email
archives@texasbar.com

Phone
(512) 427-1311