Do you love the FBA? Not in comparison, say, to your spouse, partner, children, or pets – but in a…

• Philia (affectionate love for friends/colleagues),

• Storge (familiar love for your professional “home”), or even

• Philautia (self-love for constantly improving and prioritizing your professional development)

… kind of way?

February 14th is the second-largest card-giving day of the year behind Christmas, and there’s an easy way this Valentine’s Day to “Show Your Love” for the FBA: through investing in our Centennial Fund and the variety of objectives and initiatives the fund will support as we kick off our next 100 years.

One such objective is increased Diversity and Inclusion efforts in our services and programming. Here are some ways your giving supports these efforts:

1. The Foundation is creating a brand-new scholarship to promote diversity in the legal profession: encouraging racial and ethnic minority students to pursue a legal education and complete law school.

2. The FBA is creating a standing committee on diversity and inclusion, which will be responsible for coordinating and advancing the Association’s diversity and inclusion initiatives in implementation of policies or action plans adopted by the Board of Directors.

Goals for these initiatives include:

1. Engaging in ongoing and effective communication with diverse legal communities about what the FBA does (its mission, activities, programs, and opportunities) and why it is important (the value proposition).

2. Increasing the diversity of the FBA’s membership.

3. Increasing the diversity of the FBA’s leadership.

4. Integrating our commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout the infrastructure of the FBA.

5. Leveraging and building external partnerships to advance diversity and inclusion in the FBA.

We can’t celebrate 100 years of the Federal Bar Association without acknowledging the legacy that has been left by the tens of thousands of members who have participated in supporting the FBA over the past 100 years; the ways they’ve invested have made the association what it is today.

Make your mark and leave a “love note” to future generations; if you haven’t yet invested in the Centennial Fund, do so today.

What happened around this time in FBA’s history? See below for some pretty cool tidbits.

• Jan. 15, 1962: Two days before dedicating the Federal Bar Building, the FBA first dedicates the National Lawyers Club on the second floor. With a lounge, bar, dining room, outdoor terrace, and private meeting rooms, the club is intended to serve as “the rendezvous for lawyers in and out of government service, with facilities for their mutual attraction and benefit and with accommodations for fun and fellowship,” then–FBA President Thomas G. Meeker wrote in Federal Bar News in July 1960. About 800 people attend the dedication, with a hundred of them crowding into the lounge for the ceremony and another 700 watching on closed-circuit TV in the bar, dining room, and on the third floor. Former FBA President Earl W. Kintner, now president of both the National Lawyers Club and the Federal Bar Building Corporation — and the driving force behind the building — presides over the ceremony, while U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice and former FBA President Tom C. Clark is the principal speaker. Oil paintings of both men are unveiled to hang in the club. The audience is stacked with luminaries from the federal bench and bar, including Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren and Associate Justices Charles Whittaker, William Brennan, and Stanley Reed.

• Jan. 17, 1962: The FBA dedicates the Federal Bar Building, its new 12-story, $3-million headquarters — and first permanent home. In addition to the National Lawyers Club, the building includes office space for FBA staff and a law library. Held outside on a frigid Wednesday afternoon, the program is overseen by Earl W. Kintner and attended by about 700 people. Speakers include U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and Chief Justice Warren, who notes: “This building, including its library, its Lawyers Club, and its social rooms, should help your association to serve as a source of cross-fertilization among your membership, permitting them to increase their knowledge, improve their skills, and widen their service.”

• Jan. 20, 1940: The FBA celebrates its 20th anniversary during its annual dinner at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Harlan Fiske Stone is the guest of honor, while newly appointed Attorney General Robert H. Jackson is the featured speaker, telling the audience of 600 members and guests: “No place in our profession offers greater opportunity and urge to grow than the legal service of the government…. The volume of experience, the intensity of it, the sheer pressure to explore special problems can hardly fail to make faithful government counsel, however humble his beginnings, outstanding among the competent men of his time.”

• Jan. 25, 1955: The FBA holds the first meeting of its Toastmasters club, which has been formed “to aid the members in mastering the art of public speaking, to teach them to appear effectively before any audience, and to train them for chairmanship and effective participation in conferences.”

• January 1995: The Federal Bar News & Journal is retired — and replaced with The Federal Lawyer, a sleek magazine that will be published 10 times a year. The first issue is devoted to the FBA’s 75th anniversary, with in-depth articles about the organization’s history, profiles of distinguished members, and more. FBA President Alan C. Harnisch promises that the new publication will “keep the best of the Federal Bar News & Journal” while being “more diverse, and more readable as well.”

• January 1992: This month’s issue of the Federal Bar News & Journal is devoted entirely to the groundbreaking Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA), which was signed into law on July 26, 1990, with enforcement of many employment provisions going into effect on July 26, 1992. Thirteen different articles explore how the ADA will affect attorneys practicing in the federal sector.

It’s official – the Federal Bar Association is 100 years old! 100 years ago today, on January 5th, 1920, a group of federal lawyers met at the US Department of the Interior in Washington, D.C. and elected James W. Witten as the first president of the newly formed Federal Bar Association. The association had 438 founding members, and annual dues were $2.

Can you imagine if they could see us now? 20,000 members strong, nearly 100 geographical chapters around the US states and territories, sections and divisions dedicated to almost every relevant topic, advocacy efforts that have defined the industry…

We want to take advantage of the opportunity to celebrate with you this momentous occasion! Here’s how: FIRST, we have a gift for you: a brand new Federal Bar Association website with improved navigation and an enhanced user experience. Check it out and let us know what you think!

SECOND, do you have a gift for the FBA? If so, we’re accepting birthday gifts throughout the year from both individuals and businesses. Help us reach our goal of $100,000 to support the future of the bar and the bench.

THIRD, gather with your friends and colleagues! Join us in Washington, D.C. in March for our Grand Gala, or if you can’t make it – host a celebration in your own backyard. Download our toolkit for tips on creating a successful event.

LASTLY, celebrate today by sharing this great news with your network through social media and/or a champagne toast at your local joint. Don’t miss the opportunity to celebrate today – after all, our Centennial only comes once a century.

We’re so thankful for the members, leaders, volunteers, supporters, and advocates who have helped the FBA get where we are today. Today we celebrate YOU. We can’t wait to see what the next 100 years holds!