About the Kansas Bar Foundation
In 1957, a special committee of the Kansas Bar Association recommended the establishment of the Kansas Bar Foundation to the KBA Board of Governors. They foresaw an organization whose supporters would generously give time, effort, and contributions throughout the years to provide legal services for the disadvantaged, educate the public about the law, and foster the
well being of the profession. The Foundation has now grown to become an organization of more than 600 Fellows and associate members with numerous programs that serve the public. Activities of the KBF
The Bar Foundation forges partnerships between the bar, the courts, and the legal aid organizations in Kansas to improve our system of justice and to help low-income and disadvantaged members in our community by ensuring that they have meaningful access to the justice system to protect their rights. The Foundation places special emphasis on issues affecting children and families, and also supports exceptional educational programs for youth. In providing more than four million dollars for public services, the Foundation has been instrumental in the following projects:
• providing legal advice and representation for senior citizens, the poor, and victims of domestic violence;
• providing mediation services for the poor in discrimination cases;
• administering the KBA’s reduced fee and pro bono programs;
• developing law-related education programs for youth including the Supreme Court in Review program, the statewide mock trial competition for high school students, conflict resolution programs to reduce in-school violence, legal rights and responsibilities booklets for teens, and a clearinghouse of law-related resources for educators. Membership
Membership categories in the Foundation include the following:
Sustaining Member: Any person admitted to practice law under the rules of the Kansas Supreme Court or who is admitted in any other state who pays to the Kansas Bar Foundation annual dues of at least $50. Associate Member: Any other non-lawyer, or designee of any firm, association or corporation making a financial contribution to the Foundation. Fellow: Any person who has contributed an aggregate total of $1,000 to the Foundation, or has pledged in writing to contribute at least $1,000 in ten or fewer consecutive annual installments, has made the first installment, and is current on such pledge. The Bar Foundation’s Fellows program accords special recognition to those who contribute a total of $1,000 or more to the Foundation, whether given at one time or over a period of time. Those added to the published roll of Fellows and those who reach new contribution levels in the Fellows program are honored at the annual Fellows Dinner.
