The 70s were an interesting time, the Viet Nam war was ending, the Watergate scandal had brought down the presidency of Richard Nixon – and ALA was founded by Bradford W. Hildebrandt, Robert I. Weil and Mary Ann Altman to provide support to professionals in the management of law firms, corporate legal departments and government legal agencies..

Incorporated in Pennsylvania, the first officers and staff of ALA were:

Bradford W. Hildebrandt, President
Marvin G. Winter, First Vice President
Madge D. Stone, Vice President
Charles G. Aff, Vice President
Harry J. Rome, Vice President
Mary Ann Altman, Editor

Take a look at ALA’s very first newsletter and you will see how ALA was formed and the plans that were in the works for the future. Other highlights from this timeframe include the very first ALA Annual Conference held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida in March, 1972, drawing 151 administrators and 10 exhibitors. In 1972 ALA’s first chapters were formed. We also conducted our first compensation survey, reporting that the mean total compensation of managers in private law firms was $17,450 per year!

The 70’s was also a time of technological revolution with a power-typing seminar at the 1973 Annual Conference, a special exhibit of the latest power-typing equipment and the introduction of the brand-new IBM Magcard II Typewriter. 

Additional key 70's highlights include:

• 1975 — ALA membership tops the 1,000 member mark.
• 1976 — The Breeden Company takes over management responsibility for the association.
• 1979 — Our 50th chapter was formed and membership surpassed 2,000.
   

The 1980s saw a great deal of change and challenges: the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe, the Middle-East was in turmoil, Mt. St. Helens erupted, and the space shuttle Challenger disaster among other noteworthy events.

For ALA the 1980’s were also a time of continuous change as we adopted a new Professional Code of Ethics in 1980.  In 1981 over 750 members attended the 10th anniversary conference in Dallas, Texas, and 1982 saw the first issue of Legal Administrator which later became Legal Management.

Additional key 80's highlights include:

• 1985 — ALA hires its first Executive Director.
• 1986 — ALA membership exceeds 5,000.
• 1986 — We achieve 100 chapters.
• 1989 — ALA moves into its own headquarters.
   

The last full decade of the 20th century and the 2nd millennium ushered in a new age of communication with the Internet, saw the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Middle East was still in turmoil, the United States led an international coalition against Saddam Hussein in Gulf War I, Nelson Mandela was released from prison, the United States experienced its longest period of economic expansion and NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) is signed into law by President Bill Clinton.

For ALA, the 1990’s represented its 20th anniversary as we celebrated at the 1991 Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee with over 1,500 registrants and 165 business partners. 1992 saw a major restructuring of ALA.  Some of the changes included consolidating 11 Regions into 6, each with a Regional Director, and a new Mission Statement and Goals adopted by the ALA Board.

Additional key 90's highlights include:

• 1993 — ALA launches Management Connections^sm, a nationwide job bank program.
• 1994 — ALA goes online by introducing its electronic bulletin board on CompuServe.
• 1996 — In addition to celebrating its 25th anniversary, ALA unveils an information-based site on the Internet’s World Wide Web with information about ALA programs and services, as well as educational opportunities.
• 1996 — The Knowledge, Skills and Abilities for Legal Administrators (KSA) Study is completed.
• 1997 — The Certified Legal Manager (CLM)^sm  Program is introduced. Bill Gates is the Keynote speaker at the Annual Conference.
• 1998 — Retired General Colin Powell addresses the attendees of the 27th Annual Conference.
• 1997 — More than 900 ALA members participate in the first annual Community Challenge Weekend (CCW).
   

The new Millennium begins, and with it comes more change. The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the U.S. take place, the second Gulf War begins, the Middle East is still in turmoil, the space shuttle Columbia disaster takes place and Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans and several other gulf states. But for the membership of ALA the news is good.

In 2000, ALA debuted the Learning on Demand Program allowing members to take educational courses 24 hours a day, and the first Career Center was unveiled at the 29th Annual Conference. The next year ALA introduced the Business Skills Curriculum for Law Firm Associates.  In 2002 Erin Brockovich gave an extraordinary general session presentation at the 31st Annual Conference,  and ALA released Volumes II and III of the Management Encyclopedia. In conjunction with the AndersonBoyer Group, we also introduced a new member service – The Client Satisfaction System.

In 2003 the ALA Management Encyclopedia^sm moves online. We also introduced the Legal Management Resource Center, a powerful, Internet-based tool for searching answers to legal management questions.

2005 was a milestone year in that ALA achieved 10,000 members, and also spearheaded the creation of Professional Legal Management Week^sm (PLMW) along with sister organizations in the legal management profession. ALA celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2006 at the Annual Conference in Montreal. During the conference, Brad Hildebrandt, one of ALA’s founders, gave his insights and thoughts regarding the Association and the legal management profession.

Additional key highlights include:

• 2007 — The 1st issue of PLMW Magazine is produced.
• 2008 — The Extraordinary Law Firm Initiative is launched.
• 2008 — ALA marks the 10th anniversary of the Community Challenge Weekend (CCW).
• 2009 — ALA introduces a completely new branding strategy, logo and tagline.
• 2009 — A ceremonial check for $104,000 is presented to The Smile Train which represents donations made by chapters, members, firms and business partners as part of the fundraising campaign in honor of CCW’s 10th anniversary.
• 2009 — After 15 years, ALA Executive Director John Michalik announced his retirement effective January 2010. Larry C. Smith was named successor.