We belong to a self-regulated profession. We treasure that state of affairs and would be loath to be regulated by others. Being a self-regulated bar is a privilege, but it also has certain responsibilities the most important of which is to protect the public from attorney malfeasance.
Some states have mandatory bars where an attorney who is admitted must be a member of the state’s bar association. There is a slow-moving trend in those states to require attorneys in private practice to carry professional malpractice insurance coverage. That makes sense because having such coverage protects the public from what can be devastating and life-altering consequences of not having such insurance.
