The International Honors Legal Fraternity of Phi Delta Phi, the oldest United States legal organization in continuous existence, was established in 1869, nine years before the American Bar Association, to promote a higher standard of professional ethics. Phi Delta Phi has one hundred thirty-one active chapters throughout North America and Europe . Unlike other law fraternities, Phi Delta Phi does not initiate undergraduate or pre-law students and is a true professional association of lawyers and law students.