ABA

ABA House urges extending protections to all in fight against sexual violence

Addressing the hot-button issue of sexual violence, the ABA’s House of Delegates passed three resolutions sponsored by the Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence during the ABA Annual Meeting in August. Resolution 109A urges colleges and universities to recognize a right to an education free of domestic and sexual violence,…

Oct 1, 2015 7:00 AM CDT

Get rid of UPL, Avvo founder tells House during TED Talk-like speeches

With a mission to present issues “intended to be provocative,” the House of Delegates’ Committee on Issues of Concern to the Profession did just that with five short speeches. Perhaps the most provocative of the group was Avvo founder and CEO Mark Britton, who urged the audience to start “looking…

Oct 1, 2015 6:55 AM CDT

John Paul Stevens praises Chief Justice Roberts’ style

In 2014, retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens published Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution. And in a short but punchy speech at a luncheon during the 2015 annual meeting, Stevens praised the current justices for taking positive steps in the direction of implementing…

Oct 1, 2015 6:50 AM CDT

‘Justice is our calling,’ outgoing ABA President Hubbard tells audience

William Hubbard opened his last presidential speech to the ABA House of Delegates by contrasting the association’s Magna Carta festivities on June 15 with the tragedy in Charleston, South Carolina, days later, in which an avowed white supremacist killed nine people meeting for Bible study at an African-American church. The…

Oct 1, 2015 6:45 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

2016 REGULAR STATE DELEGATE ELECTION The following jurisdictions will elect a State Delegate for a three-year term beginning at the adjournment of the 2016 Annual Meeting: Alabama Alaska California Florida Hawaii Kansas Kentucky Massachusetts Missouri New Mexico North Carolina North Dakota Pennsylvania Tennessee Vermont Virginia Wisconsin PETITIONS Nominating petitions for…

Oct 1, 2015 6:40 AM CDT

ABA to offer wide range of insurance to members and their families

The ABA plans to introduce a new member benefit beginning next year—a menu of up to 20 different insurance products. The plan is to offer, though an insurance broker, the most popular types of insurance used and requested by lawyers, according to a press release. The insurance products will include…

Sep 28, 2015 12:15 PM CDT

Got cyber liability insurance? Few lawyers say they have it, despite security breaches

Only 11 percent of lawyers responding to a technology survey said their firms had cyber liability insurance, though significant numbers reported their firms had fallen victim to computer viruses or hacking. Many of the 880 lawyers responding to questions about tech security, however, didn’t know whether their firms had cyber…

Sep 28, 2015 5:45 AM CDT

Will dropping bar passage rates create too few lawyers for available jobs? Experts assess the stats

Should the ABA create its own bar exam? Or should the exam be dropped altogether for top law graduates? Those are some of the ideas suggested by experts weighing in on the continued drop in scores for law graduates taking the multistate portion of the bar exam. Writing at the…

Sep 24, 2015 11:20 AM CDT

ABA committee for third time proposes eliminating ban on academic credit for paid externships

For the third time in less than two years, an ABA committee has proposed lifting the ban in the law school accreditation standards on students receiving academic credit for paid externships. But the Standards Review Committee, which met Friday and Saturday in Atlanta, also agreed to forward such a proposal…

Sep 22, 2015 1:55 PM CDT

ABA honors 3 lawyers with Stonewall Awards for their work in the LGBT community

Three attorneys, including Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry, have been selected to receive the American Bar Association’s third annual Stonewall Award. The accolade is sponsored by the ABA Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity. “The American Bar Association is pleased to recognize these three…

Sep 18, 2015 5:30 PM CDT

ABA letter says tort reform bill could actually increase litigation

The ABA today urged members of Congress to oppose a bill that seeks to reduce frivolous lawsuits—but which, the ABA Governmental Affairs Office says would actually increase litigation. The letter (PDF), signed by ABA governmental affairs director Thomas Susman, opposes H.R. 758, named the Lawsuit Abuse Reduction Act, which would…

Sep 17, 2015 1:41 PM CDT

ABA brief urges appointment of counsel in Alaska custody case where opponent has private lawyer

The Alaska Constitution requires the appointment of counsel for an indigent parent in a child custody case when the opposing party is represented by a private lawyer, the American Bar Association asserts in an amicus brief. The Alaska Supreme Court invited the ABA to submit the brief (PDF), according to…

Sep 11, 2015 2:47 PM CDT

ABA brief supports cause of action for constructive denial of counsel due to PD underfunding

Criminal defendants shouldn’t have to wait until after trial to assert claims for ineffective assistance of counsel when underfunding makes public defenders unable to deliver competent and diligent representation, according to an ABA amicus brief. The brief (PDF), filed with the Pennsylvania Supreme Court on Thursday, supports a cause of…

Sep 11, 2015 10:15 AM CDT

Reauthorization bill seeks to update a key juvenile justice law after more than 10 years

A bipartisan effort is underway in Congress to reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, a 1974 law that provides crucial support for programs aimed at preventing juvenile delinquency. In the view of the ABA, it's time for an update, which hasn't occurred in more than a decade.

Sep 1, 2015 7:00 AM CDT

Paulette Brown brings passion for inclusion as the first woman of color to lead the ABA

Paulette Brown lets you know what she thinks, her friends say. And if she supports you on something, they add, you can count on having a smart, strategic, loyal and fearless advocate.

Brown, the ABA's new president, is the first black woman and the first woman of color to lead the organization.

Sep 1, 2015 6:30 AM CDT