ABA

New database created by ABA Criminal Justice Section charts state-by-state conviction restrictions

Got a client who is wondering what career repercussions and other restrictions will result from a criminal conviction? A free database developed by the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section under the Court Security Improvement Act now provides the answer to that question, the ABA announced Tuesday. Paid for by…

Dec 16, 2014 10:15 AM CST

ABA voices concerns about the impact of over-criminalization of US laws

In a rare example of bipartisan cooperation during the 113th Congress, the Task Force on Over-Criminalization completed a year and a half of hearings this summer on the state of the nation's criminal justice system and how it can be improved.

The House Judiciary Committee established the task force in May 2013 for an initial six months in response to the increasing number of federal crimes that provide for prison sentences, which have driven up incarceration rates.

Dec 1, 2014 5:20 AM CST

ABA commission marks 20 years fighting against domestic and sexual violence

Three events made 1994 a watershed year for raising public awareness about the widespread but largely unacknowledged problem of domestic violence. One of the events ignited a firestorm of media coverage. In June, O.J. Simpson was arrested in the murder of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald…

Dec 1, 2014 1:00 AM CST

ABA initiatives raise public awareness about the Magna Carta’s significance

The ABA is using the impending 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta to raise awareness of why a document that was used to settle some disputes between England’s King John and his barons in 1215 still matters eight centuries later. It’s a teaching opportunity about democratic principles if there ever…

Dec 1, 2014 12:50 AM CST

ABA Announcements

2015 REGULAR STATE DELEGATE ELECTION The following jurisdictions will elect a State Delegate for a three year term beginning at the adjournment of the 2015 Annual Meeting: Arkansas Colorado Delaware Georgia Idaho Indiana Louisiana Maryland Minnesota Nevada New Hampshire New York Ohio Oregon Rhode Island Utah West Virginia PETITIONS Nominating…

Dec 1, 2014 12:30 AM CST

ABA president asks Texas governor for stay to consider inmate’s competence for execution

ABA President William C. Hubbard is asking the governor of Texas to stay the execution of a death row inmate to allow for a court evaluation of the prisoner’s mental health. “The American Bar Association is greatly concerned that Texas is poised to execute Scott Panetti, a man who has…

Nov 13, 2014 6:15 AM CST

It’s unethical for prosecutors to lend out letterhead to debt collectors, ABA opinion says

District attorneys should not contract out their letterhead to private debt collection companies, who then use that official letterhead to scare consumers into paying debts. ABA Formal Ethics Opinion 469 (PDF) explains that this practice violates ABA Model Rules against lawyer conduct involving dishonesty or misrepresentation and aiding or assisting…

Nov 12, 2014 7:02 AM CST

Federal appeals court blasts attorney for forwarding chief judge’s congratulatory email

After receiving a congratulatory email earlier this year from the sitting chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, a prominent patent lawyer did what the email expressly suggested and forwarded the praise to others. Edward Reines sent the email to more than 70 current or…

Nov 5, 2014 4:18 PM CST

Florida law restricting doctors’ gun discussions should be overturned, ABA says in amicus brief

The ABA has filed an amicus brief urging the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to grant en banc review in a challenge to a Florida law that restricts doctors’ gun discussions with patients. The 11th Circuit accepted the brief (PDF) for filing on Tuesday, according to an ABA…

Nov 5, 2014 6:15 AM CST

Lawyers struggle to reconcile new technology with traditional ethics rules

One of the biggest hurdles for lawyers seeking to adapt to—and adopt—technology affecting their practices is to sort through questions about how that technology relates to traditional ethics rules that have been in effect long before things like the Internet, the cloud and social media came into existence.

Nov 1, 2014 5:55 AM CDT

Cities get mired in civil rights disputes in trying to deal with growing homeless populations

Mark Ryavec lives in a beautifully restored duplex in Venice Beach, the artsy beachfront neighborhood of Los Angeles.

He's about half a mile from the shore and even closer to Abbot Kinney Boulevard, a trendy artery filled with pricey restaurants and boutiques. Depending on which real estate website you consult, his improvements and recent gentrification in the area have pushed the property's value to roughly three or four times what he paid for it in 1989.

Across the street, one of his sometime neighbors lives in a van.

Nov 1, 2014 5:00 AM CDT

Supporting Our Veterans: We can help those who serve our country in many ways

This month, with Veterans Day, we honor those who have worn the military uniform, sacrificing their personal freedoms to ensure our own. We are also indebted to the family members and caregivers of veterans for all they endure to support those who defend our country. The American Bar Association has…

Nov 1, 2014 4:20 AM CDT

ABA's Grit Project aims to help women advance in the profession

Alarmed by persistent evidence that women still are failing to enter the leadership ranks of the nation’s largest law firms in adequate numbers, the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession has launched a project to teach female lawyers about some things they surely never studied in law school—grit and…

Nov 1, 2014 1:55 AM CDT

Opponents of requiring accrual method of accounting for law firms gain support

Opposition to a tax proposal in Congress that the ABA warns would impose new financial burdens on many law firms by fundamentally changing the manner in which they must pay their taxes appears to be picking up steam. The proposed legislation would require all law firms and other personal service…

Nov 1, 2014 1:45 AM CDT

ABA ethics opinion offers guidance to managers and supervisors in prosecutors' offices

Prosecutors have special duties under the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. They must not prosecute a charge they know is not supported by probable cause. They must make reasonable efforts to assure that the accused has been advised of his or her right to representation, and of how to…

Nov 1, 2014 1:40 AM CDT