The American Bar Association (ABA) was founded in 1878 and, now, it has about 410,000 members. It is formed by lawyers in Memphis and law students in the United States. Its main goals are the accreditation of law schools in the US, and continuously upholding the standards of law education. It formulates and spreads ethical codes to aid Memphis lawyers in their career. They also assist students in their journey towards the profession.

Other than accreditation of schools, ABA greatly affects the law system in a specific jurisdiction. Usually, in the US, graduating from an ABA-accredited school is required to take the bar examinations. Even if some states recognize law schools, which are unaccredited by ABA, they will not accept their graduates for bar exams.

Professional excellence, respect for the law and the promotion of justice are the goals, in summary, of the association. They also work for better public knowledge and understanding of the rule of law. One of their missions is to promote a diversified law system—unbiased towards any status, class or gender.

Students of law schools can apply for membership to the ABA. They can enjoy benefits like low membership rates. Students from non accredited schools can also apply to ABA, but only as associates.