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Lawrence Bar Association
P.O. Box 5121
Andover, MA 01810
The Lawrence Bar Association is dedicated to advancing the legal profession throughout Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, and North Andover in Essex County, Massachusetts.
The LBA coordinates numerous events and activities throughout the year, including:
- Law Day Speech contest in conjunction with the American Bar Association and the Lawrence District Court
- Scholarships to law students from the Greater Lawrence area
- The Lawrence Bar Association Leadership award to an attorney who best exemplifies the ideals of the legal profession
- The Liberty Bell Award to a non-attorney who has made significant contributions to the community
- Spring and Fall networking dinners and a fun summer events
- Educational Brown Bag lunches
The Lawrence Bar Association was established in 1905. There were 54 attorneys who attended the first LBA meeting on January 11th, 1905. Among those in attendance, some notables were: former Congressman William S. Knox (the LBA's first President, who was perhaps as well known for owning the first telephone exchange in Lawrence); future Superior Court and Supreme Judicial Court Justice Louis S. Cox; former State Senator Daniel Saunders; future Judges Frederic N. Chandler, Charles A. DeCourcy, Harry R. Dow, and Newton P. Frye.
The association has grown over the years. At its founding, fifty-four Essex County attorneys signed on as incorporators. Historic membership records are scant, but as of 1924 the association had 90 members; in 1983 the rolls stood at 221 attorneys; and 297attorneys belonged in our centennial year of 2005. Most members know each other personally, or at least by face and by reputation. Such intimacy undoubtedly promotes the professional courtesy that our bar expects and enjoys.
The LBA began with a purpose of “preserving the intellectual and moral standard and otherwise promoting the interests of the members of the Lawrence Bar." This purpose still holds true.
Historical References
The below link is a copy of The Evening Tribune for the date of January 12th, 1905 announcing the inception of the Lawrence Bar Association.
The LBA was mentioned in "The History of Lawrence, Massachusetts with War Records" by Maurice Dorgan, published in 1924.