Sam Cary Bar Association
About Sam Cary Bar Association
The Sam Cary Bar Association (SCBA) was formed in September of 1971, in order to create a self-help group to instill professionalism and serve as a vehicle for the exchange of ideas among African-American lawyers. Probably the first controversial task undertaken by the new group was choosing “Sam Cary” as the name. It was deemed by several African-American attorneys to be inappropriate to have a bar association named after an attorney disbarred from practice. However, an examination conducted by the organization into the life and law practice of Sam Cary, revealed that Sam Cary was indeed an appropriate person after whom to name the organization.
When the SCBA was formed in 1971, there were less than 15 African-American attorneys practicing law in Colorado. The initial membership meetings were held in members’ homes and in their law offices. Presently, there are over 300 African-American attorneys in Colorado.