ABA

Hillary Clinton, Justice Kennedy among high-profile speakers at ABA Annual Meeting

Justice Anthony M. Kennedy is among the high-profile speakers slated to appear at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco that begins this Thursday. Kennedy will be the featured speaker at the ABA Opening Assembly on Saturday, according to a press release. Other high-profile speakers include former Secretary of State…

Aug 7, 2013 10:40 AM CDT

Law school financing system in need of ‘serious re-engineering,’ task force says

The current system for financing a law school education, which drives up tuition costs and student debt, is “deeply flawed” and in need of a “serious re-engineering,” an ABA task force says. And the law school accreditation standards, which impose more standardization of legal education than may be necessary, should…

Aug 1, 2013 8:20 PM CDT

ABA letter warns of ‘marked imbalance’ caused by sequestration cuts to public defender offices

The ABA warns in a letter to a U.S. senator that budget cuts to public defender offices imposed by sequestration are “creating a marked imbalance in our justice system.” The letter (PDF) is intended to supplement the record of a July 23 hearing on the impact of sequestration on federal…

Aug 1, 2013 2:42 PM CDT

ABA members, staff and lawyers in general worked to give voice to the voiceless

What a year it has been. In the past 12 months, we have watched unsettling events, including the constitutional crisis that pushed Egypt into turmoil, the civil war that continues to destroy families in Syria, and terrible bloodshed in Connecticut, Boston and elsewhere. At the same time, we have seen…

Aug 1, 2013 9:20 AM CDT

‘Indispensable’ late Jeanne Gray built a legacy of vital contributions to the field of legal ethics

In 1980, the legal ethics field was on the verge of dramatic changes. With the Watergate scandal still fresh in the public’s mind, both law schools and practicing lawyers were seeking ways to reinforce the profession’s commitment to its ethical principles. At the same time, market forces were starting to…

Aug 1, 2013 7:50 AM CDT

Incoming ABA President James Silkenat puts a job corps for new lawyers at the top of his agenda

It didn’t take long for James R. Silkenat to recognize that serving as ABA president is a life-changing experience. And even though he won’t start his one-year term until the close of the 2013 ABA Annual Meeting in mid-August, Silkenat has been experiencing the turmoil of the presidential experience since…

Aug 1, 2013 6:30 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

NOTICE BY THE BOARD OF ELECTIONS Pursuant to § 6.3 (e) of the ABA’s Constitution, the state of West Virginia will elect a State Delegate to fill a vacancy due to the nomination of G. Nicholas Casey, Jr. as Treasurer-Elect of the American Bar Association. The term commences immediately upon…

Aug 1, 2013 6:20 AM CDT

Why are female lawyers leaving BigLaw? ‘Maternal wall bias,’ lack of transparency cited

The percentage of female equity partners at America’s top 200 law firms “remains stalled at an unacceptable 15 percent, with little progress over the past 10 years,” according to ABA President Laurel Bellows. Those female equity partners earn 89 percent of the compensation of their male counterparts, Bellows says, even…

Jul 31, 2013 1:24 PM CDT

Should inmate with prince of God delusion be executed? ABA seeks clarification of standard

The ABA has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to clarify the competency standard for execution in the case of a death-row inmate who has asserted that he is the “prince of God.” In an amicus brief (PDF), the ABA supports the cert petition filed on behalf of John Ferguson, who…

Jul 30, 2013 11:15 AM CDT

Florida Bar supports undocumented law grad’s effort to win admission

Responding to an unusual attorney petition to the Florida Supreme Court seeking to amend state bar rules to allow the admission of undocumented immigrants, governors of the Florida Bar last week expressed support for the proposal. Organized by Talbot “Sandy” D’Alemberte, a former ABA president and former president of Florida…

Jul 29, 2013 10:20 PM CDT

ABA supports right to hearing when courts freeze assets needed to pay counsel

The ABA is supporting the right to a pretrial hearing to challenge court orders freezing assets that a defendant needs to retain counsel. The ABA filed an amicus brief in the Supreme Court case of pharmaceutical sales representative Kerri Kaley and her husband, Brian Kaley, who were accused of conspiring…

Jul 23, 2013 7:24 PM CDT

Looking to close the gender pay gap? Negotiation is key, free guide says

Even firms with written compensation policies often have a host of informal criteria when it comes to deciding how much partners are compensated. And because there is so much uncertainty when it comes to pay decisions and subjective requirements, the ABA has published a free downloadable guide— What You Need…

Jul 17, 2013 5:37 PM CDT

Keep job protections for law school faculty, ABA committee recommends

An ABA committee has voted to recommend that the law school accreditation standards be amended to require that law schools provide some form of security of position short of tenure to all full-time faculty members. But the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar’s standards review committee, which…

Jul 15, 2013 6:35 PM CDT

Clinical law profs solicit ABA legal ed council to require 15 credit hours in practice-based courses

The governing council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has been asked to amend the law school accreditation standards to require students to receive at least 15 credit hours of practical skills training. A petition (PDF) to that effect was formally submitted to the…

Jul 2, 2013 8:56 PM CDT

Judicial emergencies worsen as partisanship stalls nominations in the Senate

You are under consideration for a seat on the federal bench. Your family is supportive, even though your income will be much reduced. Your firm partners are anxious to prevent the loss of client relationships and are initiating an immediate succession plan a year or more before the earliest chance…

Jul 1, 2013 9:40 AM CDT