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The IEEE for example, which is a professional electrical engineer's organization, is highly professional in nature. Although they do have monthly meetings, occasional dinners and cookouts, one of their prime purposes is to research and write standards for many aspects of electronics and communications. Members can participate in those committees.
Do bar associations perform similar professional services and do they interact with government to improve the system of justice?
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LOL, the discussion triggered my curiosity - what the hell does "bar" mean? For us dummies.....
Bar (legal) - Wikipedia
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The origin of the term bar is from the barring furniture dividing a medieval European courtroom, similar to the origin of the term bank for the bench-like location of financial transactions in medieval Europe.[citation needed] In the USA, Europe and many other countries referring to the law traditions of Europe, the area in front of the barrage is restricted to participants in the trial: the judge or judges, other court officials, the jury (if any), the lawyers for each party, the parties to the case, and witnesses giving testimony. The area behind the bar is open to the public. This restriction is enforced in nearly all courts. In most courts, the bar is represented by a physical partition: a railing or barrier that serves as a bar.
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License and certification
The bar may also refer to the qualifying procedure by which a lawyer is licensed to practice law in a given jurisdiction.
Thanks for helping us learn....
From your description of Texas' system and those described for other states (from other posts herein), I can see why confusion exists in us non-legal folks over the term "the Bar". I assume in states where the Association does not execute discipline, the courts perform that duty directly, whereas in Texas that duty is delegated. And, I can understand why your State Bar President position is quite powerful and revered.
It's good too, to know that attorneys are required to do CLE and I'm sure it's a constant challenge to keep track of changes in laws and regulations, especially in a complex state like Texas.
Three other questions if would, and then I will quit bugging you:
1. If you need to defend a case in another state, do you have to pass the Bar in that state?
2. Approximately how many hours do you typically spend in CLE each year?
3. How does a judge in a Texas court know that any attorney before him is a valid Bar member?
Thanks again for helping with our Democratic Underground amateur CLE.......
It sounds like your credentials are quite transportable, depending on states involved. That was interesting regarding your bar number, which I assume would remain with you for life.
We all are very saddened by the recent tragedy Texas has suffered. It will be interesting to see the results of the Governor's claim that a commission is set up and that it will somehow bring an end this type of event.
Have a good weekend.......
Sounds like it does typically carry good professional prestige and represents active participation in the legal community. We appreciate you and others of that community sharing your knowledge here because it helps correct some of the misinformation that floats around about our system of justice.
Good also to hear from someone familiar with the good work of our IEEE. Most folks don't know they set standards for products and processes they use every day!
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In New York, where Schlossberg practices, your explanation is correct, as I set forth in excessive detail here. New York has what the Wikipedia article on "Bar association" calls a voluntary bar association, so Schlossberg needn't be a member to practice.
According to that article, however:
In some states, like Wisconsin, the mandatory membership requirement is implemented through an order of the state supreme court, which can be revoked or canceled at any time at the court's discretion. In others, like Oregon, the state legislature passed a law and created a government agency. California went farther than any other state and wrote the State Bar of California into its constitution.
The first state to have an integrated bar association was North Dakota in 1921.[5]
So now you have a list of states not to move to.
This creature remains a member in good standing in California:
I mean... California? The requirement is obviously not doing them any good.
We just love people like him in the south. 
Bless your heart.
There's a gofundme page soliciting contributions to hire a Mariachi band to play outside that building and hire a taco truck to park there, too.
playing La Cucaracha on their horns at at 118 decibels!
Then invite the populace to come by to throw rotten fruit at him, point fingers, and sneer.
Like they did back in the day. 
If it doesn't work, send him back for more.
By the way - I'm not joking. IMHO, bringing back the old stocks and rotten vegetables (properly administered and regulated to avoid serious physical injury) would be a good idea for certain social offenses which do not rise to the level of crimes.
For each count of "aggravated assholery", as determined by a jury of community representatives of some kind, the offender is taken to a place like, say, a park or school playground, and put into the stocks.
The community sets up a stand where one can purchase, at a price and numerical limit set by the jury, one or more over-ripe tomatoes. These may be donated from community merchants for a tax write-off.
The money raised goes toward programs to promote good manners and decent behavior.
A clock is set to measure how often persons are throwing tomatoes. When the rate goes below 1 tomato in the span of five minutes, then the community is deemed to have gotten it out of their system, and the offender is released from the stock.
Thereafter, anyone who commits an offense against the offender is themselves sent to the stock, to make it clear that "we deal with this as a community using the stock, and not freelance efforts".
I mean, sure, we can quibble over the exact implementation details, but as a general concept, I can't see why we couldn't just give it a try.
I hear that's the place where criminal attorneys find new careers. 
Response to oberliner (Original post)
Money was raised to hire a mariachi band to follow him singing "La Cucaracha."
little black heart.
