On May 1, 1929, the Interstate Commerce Commission (“ICC”) announced the formation of its Bar by including an addition to its Rules of Practice requiring the registration of all regular practitioners. A practitioner was any person found to be of good moral character and who was an attorney admitted to practice before the highest court of any state or territory or the District of Columbia, or any person who was not an attorney and was a citizen or resident of the United States and who proved to the ICC that he possessed the necessary legal and technical skills to enable him or her to practice before the Commission. In 1938, the Commission modified its policy of permitting nonattorneys to practice before it by requiring that nonattorneys demonstrate their technical competence by passing an examination administered by the Commission. In 1955, the nonattorney qualification was raised further by requiring a two-year minimum of college education.
As a result of the May 1, 1929 ICC announcement, a May 27 meeting was held at the Commission, attended by a large number of ICC practitioners for the purpose of founding the Association of Interstate Commerce Commission Practitioners and the drafting of a Constitution. On October 29, 1929, at a general meeting in Washington, open to all practitioners, a Constitution was adopted and the first officers of the Association were elected.
At its September, 1939 Annual Meeting, the Association’s membership authorized the establishment of local chapters, and as a result, on October 20, 1939, the Chicago District Chapter was formed, followed by the District of Columbia Chapter on December 5, 1939 and the San Francisco Region Chapter on December 15, 1939. Today, the Association has fourteen chapters.
The Association has changed its name three times since 1929. In 1940 the name was changed to Association of Interstate Commerce Commission Practitioners. In January 1984, the name was changed to Association of Transportation Practitioners, at which time the membership base was broadened to include all transportation regulatory agencies, its Canadian counterparts, and established a student membership category. In October 1994 the name was changed to Association for Transportation Law, Logistics and Policy.