ABA

Employees of some nonprofits get notified they don’t qualify for student loan forgiveness program

Some nonprofit employees counting on the federal government’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program recently received word that they don’t qualify, for reasons that remain unclear. The change might be related to an employer’s tax status. Part of the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, the PSLF program includes…

Jun 2, 2016 10:12 AM CDT

Equal Justice for All: The time is now; the rule of law also applies to the poor

“The opposite of poverty is not wealth. In too many places, the opposite of poverty is justice.” This quote from Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and National Law Day chair, is especially relevant today. Across the country, the poor are denied access to justice and equal protections…

Jun 1, 2016 3:30 AM CDT

Veterans Village of San Diego provides holistic services, including homeless court and legal aid

Shellie Bowman still remembers how clearing a lengthy criminal record affected one client at the Veterans Village of San Diego, a comprehensive homeless services agency.

Jun 1, 2016 1:10 AM CDT

Proposals to amend law school accreditation standards would require more focus on grads’ bar passage

Law schools could be at greater risk of losing their good standing under a pair of proposed changes in the ABA’s accreditation standards that are now being circulated for public feedback.

Jun 1, 2016 1:00 AM CDT

ABA says the reauthorized Older Americans Act will give nation’s seniors a stronger safety net

A bipartisan effort paid off this spring when Congress reauthorized the Older Americans Act of 1965. The action means that the act will more effectively respond to the needs of a population of seniors that is both growing in numbers and becoming increasingly independent.

Jun 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

NOTICE BY THE SECRETARY OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION REGARDING MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP This is to notify members of the American Bar Association that the meeting of the membership will be held in conjunction with the Coffee with the Candidate Forum, Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. in…

Jun 1, 2016 12:40 AM CDT

Take the ABA’s weekly ‘know it all’ news quiz

Do you fancy yourself the legal news guru around the office? Do you enjoy trivia? Are you interested in companywide bragging rights? If you answered yes to any of these questions, test your mettle and participate in Think You Know it All?—the ABA’s weekly news quiz. Each Monday, the ABA…

May 31, 2016 1:30 PM CDT

Think you know it all? Take this news quiz to prove it

Do you fancy yourself the legal news guru around the office? Do you enjoy trivia? Are you interested in company-wide bragging rights? If you answered yes to any of these questions, test your mettle and participate in Think You Know it All? – the ABA’s weekly news quiz. Each Monday,…

May 26, 2016 9:40 AM CDT

Former ABA president Hubbard to receive new Burton Award for ‘Leadership in Law’

The Burton Awards for Legal Achievement were launched 17 years ago primarily to recognize good legal writing. But over the years, the awards have expanded, with a variety of categories recognizing excellence also in teaching, journalism, public service in government, public interest work and efforts by general counsel. This year…

May 19, 2016 1:05 PM CDT

Clemency Project 2014 has submitted more than 1,000 petitions to the White House

Clemency Project 2014 has submitted more than 1,000 petitions for sentence commutations to the federal government, the project announced today. The ABA-backed project is using nearly 4,000 volunteer attorneys to prepare and submit petitions for clemency from federal prisoners serving time for nonviolent drug crimes. The project arose out of…

May 16, 2016 12:46 PM CDT

ABA Silver Gavel award winners include ‘Making a Murderer’ and book about same-sex marriage trial

Winners this year of the American Bar Association’s annual Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts include the popular Netflix television series Making a Murderer and a book about the groundbreaking federal lawsuit against Proposition 8, which sought to reverse a California Supreme Court decision that found a state…

May 11, 2016 1:00 PM CDT

LSAC won’t eject law school that plans to accept GRE, at least for now

The Law School Admission Council says it is waiting for more information on the reliability of the Graduate Record Exam before deciding whether to oust a law school that is accepting the test from applicants. The LSAC posted a letter (PDF) this weekend saying its request for more information from…

May 10, 2016 10:21 AM CDT

ABA expresses concerns about some proposed changes to the military justice system

Legislative proposals for sweeping changes to the Uniform Code of Military Justice, while many agree are much needed, contain some elements that prompted the American Bar Association to ask Congress to carefully consider some possible consequences, as detailed in letters sent today to leaders of the committees on Armed Services…

May 5, 2016 5:05 PM CDT

Proposed revision of ABA model ethics rule to ban broad range of discrimination sparks controversy

A proposed revision (PDF) to one of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct would expressly bar lawyers from bias in practice-related matters. The types of discrimination barred by the proposed rule cover more classes of people than some state laws currently protect. While some members of the profession welcome…

May 5, 2016 8:45 AM CDT

On 50th anniversary of landmark Miranda decision, is it more than mere words?

All of us have heard these words, even if we have never been arrested. The Miranda warning is ingrained in our consciousness through decades of popular culture references. From Dragnet to Law & Order to How to Get Away with Murder, it has been repeated so often that most Americans…

May 1, 2016 3:40 AM CDT