“The Mission of the Chester County Bar Foundation is to support initiatives which help Chester County citizens understand, gain access to and benefit from our legal system.”

Adopted by the Chester County Bar Foundation Board of Directors on April 25, 2001

In 1985, a group of highly committed Chester County attorneys recognized a growing gap between the legal system and the citizens it serves. In an effort to re-connect the community with our laws, those lawyers came together to form the Chester County Bar Foundation.

The Foundation's goal, then and now, is to fund initiatives which strengthen the ties between the residents of Chester County and the justice system.

In the new millennium, the Foundation's Board of Directors adopted a new mission, which highlights the role of the Foundation in reaching out to the public in many expanded ways. That mission — to help Chester County citizens understand, gain access to and benefit from our legal system — simply clarifies what has always been the role of the Bar Foundation.

With its focused mission, the Foundation took a giant leap forward in its efforts to raise funds through the Foundation Golf Classic and Art Auction. With the advent of these fundraising events, the Foundation doubled its endowment and increased funding for programs. Programs supported by the Foundation include: Legal Aid of Southeastern Pennsylvania, Law Related Education for Youth program, Elder Law Education programs, Charles E. Swope Scholarship and Matching Grant program, Domestic Violence Center of Chester County, Community Impact Legal Services, and the Crime Victims’ Center of Chester County.

Over its history, the Foundation has become a force within the community by helping people of all ages and backgrounds understand the legal process and their rights as citizens of Chester County.