The first meeting of lawyers from across Kentucky was held in 1871 during which a voluntary association was created. In 1934, the Kentucky General Assembly passed an act creating an all inclusive bar association which authorized the Court of Appeals (now Supreme Court) to adopt and promulgate rules and regulations defining the practice of law and to establish a code of professional responsibility to govern the discipline of members of the Bar. Since then, the Kentucky Bar Association has been the mandatory bar association of the Commonwealth of Kentucky.