Student Bar Association

WEBSITE: law.ubalt.edu/sba/

The Student Bar Association (SBA) is the student government and service organization of the Law School. Every law student is automatically a member of the SBA. Each spring the student body at large elects the executive officers of the SBA, an American Bar Association Law Student Division (ABA/LSD) representative, and 14 class representatives. With the advice of the general council, appointments to student and faculty committees are made by the president of the SBA. At least one student member is appointed to most Law School faculty committees. Incoming first year students elect their representatives in a first-year representative election held in October.

The SBA has or shares responsibility for the following activities, among others:

• the Honor Code, which establishes and oversees professional ethical standards expected of law students;
• the coordination of approximately 45 peer advisors for the Orientation program for incoming law students;
• a speakers series;
• an intramural basketball league and a softball team in a 13-team law firm league;
• recommendations of funding for all other student organizations;
• advocacy for student issues on a local and state level;
• locker registration;
• sponsoring sports events to benefit worthy causes such as hunger and homelessness; and
• numerous social activities, including a fall orientation reception and the Barristers Ball.

Officers of the SBA must be in good academic standing (GPA of 2.0 or higher) at the time of their election. The SBA, founded in 1970, is a member of the Student Government Association of the University of Baltimore, the National Association of Student Governments, the National Association of Student Bar Associations, and the third circuit of the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association. That division is comprised of law schools in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.