The Ben F. Jones Chapter of the National Bar Association is a nonpartisan organization founded in 1966 to address the unique needs of African American lawyers and to enhance their performance and professionalism at a time when they were largely excluded by the majority bar. The Ben F. Jones Chapter was named in honor of one of its founding fathers, Ben F. Jones, who practiced law in Shelby County from 1949 until his untimely death in 1966 – the same year of the Chapter’s founding.