ABA

Massive volunteer effort will help with Obama clemency proposal

The criminal defense bar is mobilizing volunteers to help prisoners serving long drug sentences petition for clemency in huge numbers. In a move the New York Times described as unprecedented, the Justice Department announced in January that the president was inviting petitions for clemency—sentence commutations or pardons—from federal prisoners serving…

May 30, 2014 8:45 PM CDT

LSAC to pay $7.73M, change LSAT policies in settlement of ADA suit

In a settlement with the U.S. Department of Justice over Law School Admission Test policies concerning the disabled, the Law School Admission Council has agreed to pay $7.73 million and stop flagging test scores of those who were given extra time, among other policy revisions. The LSAC did not admit…

May 20, 2014 10:30 PM CDT

Former Detroit mayor will lead new ABA task force on legal-ed financing

Former Detroit Mayor Dennis Archer has been named chairman of a new ABA Task Force on the Financing of Legal Education. The task force will look at the cost of legal education for students, the financing of law schools, student loans and educational debt, according to a press release. It…

May 6, 2014 3:13 PM CDT

Defunct law firm isn’t entitled to profits from hourly-fee cases taken to new firms, ABA brief says

The unfinished business rule doesn’t entitle a dissolved law firm to profits in hourly fee matters that are earned by new firms handling the cases, the ABA asserts in an amicus brief. The dissolved law firm’s interest in such cases should be limited to the work it has already performed,…

May 5, 2014 10:45 AM CDT

Law Day voting-rights theme highlights importance of ballot-box access, ABA president says

This year’s Law Day focuses on voting rights, with events ranging from high school oratory and grade-school poster contests to panel discussions and free CLE programs. The events are based on the theme, “American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters.” ABA President James R. Silkenat says…

May 1, 2014 6:25 PM CDT

Republican Governors Association doubles down on negative ad campaign against lawyer

Unbowed by persistent criticism over its negative ad campaign focusing on a gubernatorial candidate’s past as a trial attorney—which has generated outrage from many political commentators, lawyers, and bar associations, including the ABA—the Republican Governors Association doubled down on Tuesday. According to an article in The State, the RGA has…

May 1, 2014 3:55 PM CDT

Law Day 2014 emphasizes the importance of the right to vote

Working to establish and protect every citizen’s right to vote has been a central theme of American legal and civic history. The right to vote is the foundation of government by the people. When voters participate in free and fair elections, they reinforce the legitimacy of the rule of law.…

May 1, 2014 10:00 AM CDT

Gun control advocates search for policies which pass 2nd Amendment muster

More than a year after a single armed assailant killed 20 children and six adults at a school in Newtown, Conn., Congress has yet to pass any major legislation to reduce gun violence in the United States. To ABA President James R. Silkenat, that failure to act can be summed…

May 1, 2014 7:40 AM CDT

Paulette Brown will be the first woman of color to serve as ABA president

In a speech to the ABA House of Delegates in February during the association’s 2014 midyear meeting, Paulette Brown acknowledged the significance of her nomination to become the first woman of color to serve as ABA president. “I know I have a unique responsibility,” said Brown, a partner at Edwards…

May 1, 2014 7:30 AM CDT

ABA steps up calls for increased Legal Service Corp. funding

The number of low-income Americans eligible for federally funded legal assistance is at an all-time high, a fact that gives extra urgency to the ABA’s current push to secure increased funding from Congress for the Legal Services Corp. The LSC, established by Congress with the ABA’s support 40 years ago…

May 1, 2014 7:20 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

NOTICE BY THE SECRETARY REGARDING ELECTION OF DELEGATES-AT-LARGE Pursuant to § 6.5 of the ABA Constitution, six Delegates-at-Large to the House of Delegates will be elected at the 2014 Annual Meeting for three-year terms beginning with the adjournment of that meeting and ending with the adjournment of the 2017 Annual…

May 1, 2014 7:10 AM CDT

ABA committee reaffirms proposal to remove ban on academic credit for paid externships

An ABA committee has wrapped up its comprehensive review of the law school accreditation standards after deciding not to make any changes in the last of its pending proposals to amend the standards. The Section of Legal Education and Admission to the Bar’s standards review committee, which met Friday in…

Apr 28, 2014 10:08 PM CDT

Lawyernomics attendees learn about SEO, effective Web marketing

Small firm and solo practice lawyers don’t need to break the bank to maximize their Internet presence: The good news is that there are already plenty of online tools at their disposal if they wish to promote themselves and their brands. On the final day of Avvo’s Lawyernomics conference in…

Apr 28, 2014 11:00 AM CDT

Branding and storytelling help lawyers find and keep clients

Peter Shankman. Photo by Jacob Kepler. Lawyers can use personal branding, storytelling and even romance (in a metaphorical sense) to create a base of loyal clients that will help bring in additional clients and work. On Thursday, the second day of Avvo’s Lawyernomics conference in Las Vegas focused on how…

Apr 25, 2014 1:16 PM CDT

Job outlook for newly minted lawyers still bleak, data shows

The job outlook for newly minted lawyers remains bleak, new figures show. Fifty-seven percent of all 2013 law school graduates were employed in full-time, long-term legal jobs requiring bar passage as of Feb. 15, according to data released Wednesday by the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the…

Apr 9, 2014 2:45 PM CDT