Annual Meeting

21st century cybersecurity: People are the first step

FBI Special Agent Jamil Hassani specializes in fighting cybercrime, and he told a gathering of lawyers and judges at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco that because of their profession, stature and potential to poke back, he skipped something he often does just before such an appearance. He typically…

Aug 5, 2016 10:46 PM CDT

Who gets the blame when driverless cars crash? Everybody.

You’re unlikely to be able to buy your own completely automated driverless car in the next few years, ABA members learned Friday afternoon. But participants at “Driverless Cars in the Fast Lane: Liability Ahead” did learn more about how autonomous vehicles could change the technological, safety, legal and insurance landscapes…

Aug 5, 2016 10:13 PM CDT

Implicit bias is a challenge even for judges

Judges are tasked with being the most impartial members of the legal profession. On Friday afternoon, more than 50 of them discussed how this isn’t so easy to do—and perhaps even impossible when it comes to implicit bias. But working to overcome biases we don’t recognize is a job that…

Aug 5, 2016 9:58 PM CDT

FBI director: Fix clashes between privacy, public safety with ‘robust conversation,’ not litigation

The FBI is collecting data on how the widespread use of encryption technology is “impacting our world,” and is looking for examples to share with the American people for an informed debate over the collision of two of our most basic values: privacy and public safety, FBI Director James Comey…

Aug 5, 2016 9:14 PM CDT

Despite recent changes, frequent-flier programs can benefit well-traveled lawyers

If Dayan Hochman and Anthony M. Ciolli represent their clients with the same gusto that they bring to advocating participation in frequent-flier and other travel rewards programs, they’re going to win a lot of cases during their legal careers. Hochman and Ciolli were the presenters at a program Friday morning…

Aug 5, 2016 8:11 PM CDT

Jokes and insults need to hit above the belt to not violate ethics

More than 100 lawyers and judges turned out Friday morning to listen to insults. They had some laughs; got some lessons; and learned some Shakespeare. The program’s title indicated it would be entertaining: “Thou Poisonous Bunch-Back’d Toad: Ethics of Insults Through the Centuries,” and it did not disappoint. The Litigation…

Aug 5, 2016 5:03 PM CDT

Justice reform advocates offer a roadmap for reforming pretrial release

Alec Karakatsanis was working on debtors’ prison issues when financial bail grabbed his attention. Karakatsanis, a co-founder of the small nonprofit Equal Justice Under Law, was observing court proceedings in downtown St. Louis when he saw a woman appear on drug-related charges. She had been arrested after riding in a…

Aug 5, 2016 4:02 PM CDT

Should ABA take on a greater role in fighting international sports corruption?

The 2016 Olympic Games open Friday in Rio de Janeiro amid concerns about the Zika virus, pollution along the city’s famous beaches, and the city’s readiness to accommodate hordes of visitors. But the deeper problem in international sports goes beyond the immediate issues facing the Rio Games. Widespread corruption threatens…

Aug 5, 2016 11:04 AM CDT

What lessons can Americans draw in 2016 from the WWII-era internment of Japanese-Americans?

When Dale Minami was in law school, Fred Korematsu was a name on a casebook, a lesson about the power and the limits of the courts. In the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1944 case Korematsu v. United States, the court ruled that Executive Order 9066, President Franklin Roosevelt’s order to round…

Aug 5, 2016 9:00 AM CDT

What privacy threats do consumers face by using internet-connected devices?

Every panelist at the ABA Annual Meeting’s “Knock Knock. Who’s There? The Internet of Things” had a favorite internet-connected device that made their lives a bit easier. Those favorites included wearable step counters, home security devices and “smart cars” that permit them to lock their car remotely or check their…

Aug 4, 2016 4:10 PM CDT

ABA House to consider issues of public access and sex harassment

This year’s agenda for the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates is not a particularly lengthy one, and there don’t appear to be any real bombshells among the resolutions. But as often happens when the House meets, there could be a few surprises. One of the more notable measures that will…

Aug 3, 2016 8:30 AM CDT

For two days, all roads at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco will lead to the expo

The ABA Expo will be open a total of only 10 hours during the association’s six-day annual meeting that opens Thursday in San Francisco. But during that time—four hours on Friday and six more on Saturday—the expo will be the place where annual meeting attendees want to be. Like most…

Aug 3, 2016 8:29 AM CDT

ABA President Paulette Brown addresses breaking events while maintaining focus on key initiatives

Outgoing President Paulette Brown has addressed breaking events while maintaining her focus on key initiatives.

Aug 1, 2016 1:20 AM CDT

FBI director to headline new session at ABA annual meeting

Annual meeting in San Francisco features a trimmed CLE lineup, tiered pricing and a high-profile keynote speaker.

Aug 1, 2016 1:10 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

NOTICE BY THE ABA SECRETARY: MEETING OF THE MEMBERSHIP This is to notify members of the American Bar Association that the meeting of the membership will be held in conjunction with the Coffee with the Candidate Forum, Sunday, August 7, 2016 at 9:00 a.m. in Yerba Buena Salon 9, Lower…

Jul 1, 2016 12:50 AM CDT