The Association of Legal Administrators (ALA) was formed to provide support to professionals involved in the management of law firms, corporate legal departments and government legal agencies. The founders, Bradford W. Hildebrandt, Robert I. Weil and Mary Ann Altman incorporated in Pennsylvania in 1971.

      The first Annual Educational Conference and Exposition was held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in 1972. These educational conferences have become an annual forum for administrators to learn and to view products and technology on the cutting edge. Retired General Colin L. Powell and guru Bill Gates have been keynote speakers at ALA conferences.

      ALA has developed a Code of Professional Ethics for legal Administrators, provides members with a monthly publication, Legal Management, created a national job bank program, conducts an annual compensation survey, and has recently created a Learning on Demand Program allowing members to take educational courses 24 hours a day, seven days a week via the World Wide Web. ALA also encourages its members to become involved in the Community Challenge Weekend to underscore the importance of volunteerism and the difference that ALA members can make in the lives of people in their own communities.

      In 1997 The Certified Legal Manager (CLM) was instituted to provide an educational program to allow a qualified legal administrator to demonstrate, through an examination process, a mastery of core areas of knowledge identified as essential to the effective performance of a principal administrator.

     Currently ALA has 10,000 members worldwide, representing more than 20 countries.