First organized in 1886 as a voluntary association, the State Bar of New Mexico was initiated as a mandatory organization to operate as an agency of the New Mexico Supreme Court by state stature in 1925. In 1978 the bar was incorporated as a professional membership organization of New Mexico licensed lawyers. The purpose of the State Bar of New Mexico is to represent and promote the needs of all of its members, to improve the administration of justice, to encourage pro bono legal services, provide continuing legal education, improve the relationship between the public and the legal profession, and to set a high standard in the profession for integrity, performance, and ethics.