ABA

Bolstering rights of women is key to rule of law in Arab Spring countries, former senator says

The overthrow of several regimes in the Middle East over the past two years hasn’t produced much progress toward achieving equality for women, former U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison told lawyers gathering for the ABA’s 2013 Midyear Meeting in Dallas. And if women and girls in the region do not…

Feb 8, 2013 2:47 AM CST

New bar passage rate requirement for accreditation prompts law school to sue Calif. bar officials

A California law school is suing state bar officials over a new bar passage rate requirement that it says could cost the school its accreditation. The Southern California Institute of Law, which has campuses in Santa Barbara and Ventura, claims the new rules, which took effect Jan. 1, violate its…

Feb 7, 2013 8:25 PM CST

Stand your ground laws, human trafficking and legal education on tap at ABA Midyear

Criminal justice issues are on the agenda as the ABA Midyear Meeting kicks off this week in Dallas. Up for discussion are stand your ground laws, the treatment of human trafficking victims, cybersecurity threats and indigent defense improvements. Stand your ground laws are getting increased scrutiny since lawyers for George…

Feb 7, 2013 3:14 PM CST

Historically discriminatory areas should need preapproval for election change, says ABA amicus brief

The American Bar Association filed an amicus brief (PDF) Friday in Shelby County v. Holder, urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. The case was brought by Shelby County, Ala., which seeks to invalidate Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act. It requires…

Feb 4, 2013 3:04 PM CST

Law school ‘resurgence’ isn’t over, even as applicants drop

Educators aren’t giving up plans to open up a handful of new law schools, despite a nationwide drop in applicants and declining job prospects for graduates. Among the colleges planning to open law schools are Indiana Tech in Fort Wayne and the University of North Texas in Dallas, the Wall…

Feb 4, 2013 11:30 AM CST

Shattering the glass ceiling: Initiatives under way to end gender inequity in the legal profession

Time and time again, I have asked myself and others the same questions: Why are female lawyers still grossly underrepresented in positions of real power, influence and leadership? Why is there still such a disparity in pay between female equity partners and their male colleagues performing exactly the same work?…

Feb 1, 2013 10:40 AM CST

Threat of cyberattacks must be recognized and responded to, ABA president urges lawyers

When Hurricane Sandy swept across the northeast United States at the end of October, it left more than 8 million homes without electricity across 17 states. Some homeowners, as well as businesses, waited more than two weeks for power to be restored. But compared to what could happen in a…

Feb 1, 2013 7:50 AM CST

The Stonewall legacy: ABA commission creates an award commemorating a key moment for LGBT rights

Until the late hours of June 27, 1969, the Stonewall Inn had tried to keep a low profile as a gathering spot for gays in Greenwich Village. Still, like other clubs and businesses that catered to the gay community at a time when New York City law prohibited homosexuality in…

Feb 1, 2013 7:40 AM CST

Legal ed section takes steps to speed up review of accreditation standards

A committee of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar continues to make slow but steady progress in what has become an epic quest to overhaul the standards that govern accreditation of U.S. law schools. But the project, which originally was expected to take about two…

Feb 1, 2013 7:30 AM CST

ABA produces guidebook on lobbying for state and local bar associations

The ABA Governmental Affairs Office, which spearheads the association’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, also maintains a strong relationship with state and local bar leaders who are engaged in their own lobbying efforts. It is a long-standing relationship, as well. Nearly 30 years ago, the GAO supported the creation of…

Feb 1, 2013 7:20 AM CST

ABA Announcements

2013 UNCONTESTED STATE DELEGATE ELECTIONS The Association’s Constitution at §6.3(a) provides that if only one valid nominating petition is filed in a State Delegate election, the Board of Elections shall certify to the House of Delegates that the sole nominee is elected. Accordingly, on December 11, 2012 the Board of…

Feb 1, 2013 7:10 AM CST

Lawyers giving back

Know someone in the legal field who gets a charge out of helping others? Snap a photo at their next event and please submit them to Julie Brown c/o Lawyers Giving Back. We welcome your “action” photographs of lawyers—whether ABA members or not—giving back to their communities. Send jpeg files…

Feb 1, 2013 7:00 AM CST

Quoting Scalia, ABA president says Second Amendment rights have limits

In congressional testimony submitted Wednesday, ABA President Laurel Bellows said the ABA has a long history of supporting efforts to reduce gun violence. The association’s first call for more careful regulation of firearms sales: after the assassination of President Kennedy. Since then, the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates has approved…

Jan 30, 2013 9:06 PM CST

Privilege protects lawyer conversations with their firm’s in-house counsel, ABA brief says

Lawyers who seek confidential advice from their firm’s in-house counsel about a potential malpractice claim should not have their communications disclosed absent a compelling reason, the ABA says in an amicus brief. Attorney-client privilege and the work-product doctrine should protect the communications “unless there is a compelling cause for a…

Jan 28, 2013 7:57 PM CST

ABA supports assault weapons bill introduced by Sen. Dianne Feinstein

ABA President Laurel Bellows says the association is endorsing a bill that would regulate military assault-type weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced the legislation in the Senate today, USA Today and CNN report. At a news conference, Feinstein displayed weapons that could not be sold under the…

Jan 24, 2013 7:23 PM CST