Annual Meeting

New ABA President Bass touts lawyers’ role in protecting democracy

The American Bar Association’s new president, Hilarie Bass, related her experiences in the organization and touted its ability to enhance public confidence in the justice system.

Oct 1, 2017 1:50 AM CDT

A Thurgood Marshall trial comes into focus through Connecticut lawyer's screenplay

Ludwig van Beethoven composed an ode to joy. Percy Bysshe Shelley wrote an ode to the west wind. Connecticut attorney Michael Koskoff wrote an ode to the jury trial—and it became the movie Marshall, starring Chadwick Boseman as a young Thurgood Marshall.

Oct 1, 2017 1:40 AM CDT

ABA Medal winner John Feerick voiced his support for Legal Services Corp., volunteering

John D. Feerick, winner of the 2017 ABA Medal, called on lawyers to help close the justice gap by volunteering to help those in need and by supporting the Legal Services Corp.

Oct 1, 2017 1:30 AM CDT

What Trump can--and cannot--do to clamp down on the press

What damage might Donald Trump do to the press, and what legal options do journalists have available to defend their speech? And how might the administration fight the leaks to the media that appear daily?

Oct 1, 2017 1:20 AM CDT

How one Mississippi city reformed its bail and court fees policy

“If Biloxi, Mississippi, can figure out a way not to jail people for fines and fees, and to have a fair bail system, do you really think that other cities in America can’t?”

Oct 1, 2017 1:10 AM CDT

How can general counsels be a force for change?

Despite decades of lip service to the importance of diversity in the legal community, the upper ranks of most law firms fail to reflect the gender and ethnic makeup of practitioners or the population at large.

Oct 1, 2017 12:50 AM CDT

Tempered Justice: House supports bail reform, other criminal law measures

The ABA House of Delegates approved several criminal justice resolutions calling for changes that would affect poor and homeless people, juveniles and those denied the right to effective counsel.

Oct 1, 2017 12:40 AM CDT

ABA president's goals focus on young people and the future

ABA President Hilarie Bass has chosen homeless youth as the pro bono project for her presidency. She says resolving their common legal needs makes a real difference in their lives.

Sep 1, 2017 1:15 AM CDT

Is diversity all talk? (podcast)

Diversity at law firms, especially at the higher levels of partnership, continues to be a hot topic of discussion. But is that all that it is, a discussion item?

Aug 25, 2017 12:26 PM CDT

Courthouses should not be used for routine immigration arrests, ABA House says in resolution

Corrected: On Tuesday, the ABA House of Delegates voted to urge U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection to treat courthouses as sensitive locations and to only conduct such arrests there “upon a showing of exigent circumstances and with prior approval of a designated supervisory official.”…

Aug 15, 2017 2:47 PM CDT

President-elect Robert Carlson calls for more cooperation between ABA and state and local bars

Robert M. Carlson of Corette Black Carlson & Mickelson of Butte, Montana, has assumed the role of president-elect of the American Bar Association and is scheduled to become president for the 2018-2019 term.

Aug 15, 2017 12:19 PM CDT

Judges should receive anti-bias training, ABA House says

The issue of implicit bias has been a hot topic for the legal community, and combating it has previously been the subject of ABA efforts. New ABA President Hilarie Bass, who began her term at the close of the 2017 ABA Annual Meeting Tuesday, even created a task force to…

Aug 15, 2017 11:52 AM CDT

New ABA President Hilarie Bass touts lawyers’ role in protecting democracy

Updated: The American Bar Association’s new president, Hilarie Bass, appeared to be speaking partly to nonmembers on Monday when she talked about her own experiences in the organization and its ability to make changes that enhance public confidence in the justice system. The ABA is a powerful organization that can…

Aug 15, 2017 10:39 AM CDT

ABA House backs ban on mandatory minimums

The ABA House of Delegates on Tuesday approved a late-offered resolution backing a ban on mandatory minimum sentences, while sponsors withdrew another late sentencing resolution after hearing from the U.S. Justice Department.

Aug 15, 2017 10:15 AM CDT

Gun violence restraining orders backed by House of Delegates

Updated: A measure addressing gun violence won approval from the ABA House of Delegates on Tuesday, despite some opposition by those who raised due process issues.

Aug 15, 2017 9:25 AM CDT