ABA

California and North Carolina representation in ABA House of Delegates is being reviewed

In the aftermath of California’s and North Carolina’s mandatory state bars relinquishing their seats in the ABA’s House of Delegates, the House has formed a working group to study issues surrounding state bar participation in the policymaking body.

Feb 13, 2020 11:53 AM CST

The 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting kicks off in Texas

The 2020 ABA Midyear Meeting opens in the Lone Star State this week, providing ABA members the opportunity to attend hundreds of legal programs and events; hear from recognized law experts; and meet with colleagues in their sections, divisions, committees and councils.

Feb 12, 2020 1:04 PM CST

Another law school seeks acquisition, after parent university announces closure plan

Concordia University School of Law, a Boise, Idaho, institution with new ABA accreditation, had a 100% bar passage rate for its class of 2016, but its future as of Monday is unknown, following the announcement that its parent school, the Concordia University campus in Portland, Oregon, is closing.

Feb 11, 2020 3:34 PM CST

Justice Ginsburg calls for renewed effort to pass Equal Rights Amendment

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg celebrated Monday evening the centennial of the 19th Amendment that gives women the right to vote as a “miracle” and a “first step towards equal citizenship stature for women.” But she still holds out hope for another goal of the suffragist movement—the adoption of the Equal Rights Amendment.

Feb 11, 2020 10:43 AM CST

ABA and SoFi offer student loan debt relief through new contest

Three ABA members could see a portion of their student loan debt paid off through a new partnership between the ABA and SoFi.

Feb 10, 2020 10:18 AM CST

We must not squander the future of legal services

“Access to justice is a fundamental tenet of the rule of law. Without it, people cannot fully protect their rights, liberty and property; and the public’s confidence in our justice system is put at risk,” writes ABA President Judy Perry Martinez.

Feb 1, 2020 1:35 AM CST

Lawyer launches café that employs individuals with disabilities

In December 2018, Vinson & Elkins counsel Noelle Alix teamed up with longtime friend Kim Morrison to open BeanZ & Co. and provide jobs to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Avon, Connecticut.

Feb 1, 2020 12:35 AM CST

ABA groups are working to promote and increase medical-legal partnerships

William Waddell Jr. was getting out of his car at Mid-Delta Health Systems in Clarendon, Arkansas, when a doctor walked up to him and said he was needed inside immediately. A patient, who had complained of frequent headaches, admitted after an MRI scan that her husband had been beating her,…

Feb 1, 2020 12:30 AM CST

Meet the 2020 Spirit of Excellence Award honorees

The ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession presents the annual awards to lawyers who excel professionally; personify excellence at the national, state or local level; and demonstrate a commitment to diversity in the law.

Feb 1, 2020 12:25 AM CST

The status of the First Step Act one year later

U.S. House and Senate Judiciary Committee leaders have assured advocates that additional reforms are on the way, but they have held off to first focus on oversight of FSA implementation.

Feb 1, 2020 12:20 AM CST

ABA Notices

RESULTS OF THE UNCONTESTED 2020 STATE DELEGATE ELECTIONS In December, the Board of Elections certified the results of the 2020 State Delegate Elections. For a complete list of the State Delegates elected for the 2020-2023 term, go to ambar.org/2020resultsstateelection. GOAL III MEMBERS-AT-LARGE ON THE NOMINATING COMMITTEE The ABA President will…

Feb 1, 2020 12:17 AM CST

ABA president calls for creation of independent immigration courts, criticizes ‘remain in Mexico’ policy

ABA President Judy Perry Martinez told a House subcommittee Wednesday that she has firsthand experience with the problems facing immigration courts and the people who appear there.

Jan 30, 2020 10:32 AM CST

Asylum-seekers have a right to federal court review of expedited removal orders, ABA amicus brief says

The ABA filed an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday in support of a Sri Lankan who faced political persecution and is challenging a policy that says asylum-seekers are not entitled to federal court review of expedited removal orders.

Jan 23, 2020 12:40 PM CST

May federal judges be members of the ABA or the Federalist Society? Draft ethics opinion says yes and no

A draft ethics opinion advises that federal judges should not be members of the conservative Federalist Society and the liberal American Constitution Society because the affiliation raises questions about their impartiality.

Jan 22, 2020 2:22 PM CST

Assistant public defender: ‘I just personally like to give back’

LaToya Bell, an assistant public defender in Houston County in Georgia, a member of the ABA’s Young Lawyers Division and Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division, and a member of the State Bar of Georgia’s Young Lawyers Division, handles as many as 200 to 250 cases at any time involving misdemeanors and traffic offenses in state court. She has earned her own reputation for being hopeful for her clients—hopeful not only that justice is served, but that she can in some way improve their lives.

Jan 22, 2020 1:27 PM CST