Dear Applicant:
We welcome your application to become a member of the First Amendment Lawyers Association (FALA). Our Bylaws provide for five classes of members: Regular, Provisional, Student, Honorary, and Legacy, as follows below. These are the criteria by which your application will be evaluated by our Board.
Regular Members
Each FALA Regular Member shall be a licensed attorney, an accredited law school graduate not previously disbarred in any jurisdiction, or a law professor currently employed and teaching at an accredited law school who, in any case, has a personal and professional commitment to combating censorship and to the preservation of the freedoms guaranteed by the Speech, Press, and Assembly/Petition Clauses of the First Amendment. Only attorneys who are in good standing with a state bar association, or those attorneys who are in good standing and are licensed to practice law within states where membership in the bar association is not mandatory, shall be eligible to become Regular Members of FALA. To be eligible, attorneys must demonstrate a history or desire to engage in legal work protecting from government infringement the aforementioned First Amendment rights. No Regular Member shall represent any branch, unit, or agency of government where that representation includes, or is reasonably likely to include, asserting positions which are restrictive of the aforementioned First Amendment rights.
Provisional Members
A person who otherwise qualifies as a Regular Member but who has not yet demonstrated a history of engaging in legal work protecting from government infringement the freedoms guaranteed by the Speech, Press, and Assembly/Petition Clauses of the First Amendment may be admitted as a Provisional Member for a period not exceeding two years. Among other things, a Provisional Member may demonstrate a qualifying commitment to engage in the aforementioned legal work by earning at least thirty hours of First Amendment related continuing legal education credits while a Provisional Member. Upon attaining the full qualifications specified in Subsection 2.2.1, a Provisional Member may apply to become a Regular Member.
Student Members
Each Student Member, if any, shall be enrolled as a student at an accredited law school. If after graduating from law school, a Student Member applies to become a Regular Member, then FALA shall presume that the applicant has demonstrated a desire to engage in legal work protecting from government infringement the freedoms guaranteed by the Speech. Press, and Assembly/Petition Clauses of the First Amendment.
Honorary Members
Each Honorary Member, if any, shall be a professor, expert witness, or other professional whose work relates to protecting the freedoms guaranteed by the Speech, Press, and Assembly/Petition Clauses of the First Amendment.
Legacy Members
Each Legacy Member, if any, shall have been a long-standing Regular Member who has retired from the active practice of law or whose practice no longer generates meaningful income but who, in either case, remains devoted to combating censorship and to the preservation of the freedoms guaranteed by the Speech, Press, and Assembly/Petition Clauses of the First Amendment.
Thank you.
FALA Membership Committee