The Association is established to maintain the honor and dignity of the profession of law, to facilitate and promote the administration of justice, to encourage continuing legal education, to assist in the delivery of legal services to the public, and to cultivate social and professional interrelationships among its members.
Established in 1858, the Kane County Bar Association (KCBA) is a professional legal organization for those in the legal community.
The Kane County Bar Association, a professional legal organization, was established in 1858, twenty-two years after the county was formed and named for Elias Kent Kane, an attorney who helped draft the Illinois Constitution. It is the oldest bar association in Illinois.
The early “old school” lawyers included W.R.S. Hunter of Elburn; Captain Brown of Geneva; Judge Montony of Aurora; and T.E. Ryan of St. Charles who “lived like men and practiced like lawyers,” upholding the dignity and honor of their profession. The early history of the Bar Association is lost, but there were 32 lawyers practicing in the county in 1858. By 1908 that number had quadrupled. In June of 1998, the attorney’s registration list for Kane County totaled more than 1,350.
Twenty-two years later, the Kane County Bar Association continues to thrive within our community. Our membership includes over 1100 attorneys, judges, paralegals and students.
Kane County Courthouse, 1844
Kane County Bar Association, 1906
Jury, 1895
Courtroom, 1920s