Continuing Legal Education

Back to the Future: As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, old methods of training lawyers are back in style

To mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the ABA Journal traced the purpose and pedagogy of legal education throughout our nation’s history to gain insight on where we are now and where we might head. Can the future of best practices to educate lawyers and admit them to the bar be found in a close look at the past? Could early American educational methods offer a preview of what’s to come—and what to avoid—in legal education? And how can debates about the proper balance between academics and working with the practicing bar to provide quality legal education inform today’s and tomorrow’s standards?

Jul 1, 2026 1:50 AM CDT

Judge admonishes former personal injury partners known as ‘Avocados at Law’

A Texas judge has reprimanded two former personal injury partners who are involved in an ongoing legal feud and who attained billboard fame as the “Avocados at Law.”

Jun 30, 2026 2:27 PM CDT

ABA project is supporting Afghan legal professionals 4 years after fall of Kabul

In the months following the fall of Kabul to the Taliban on Aug. 15, 2021, the ABA began working to help judges and lawyers from Afghanistan resettle, obtain immigration benefits and secure jobs using their legal skills.

Aug 20, 2025 11:38 AM CDT

Focusing on ‘people law,’ state chief justices encourage ‘innovative pathways’ to law license, new report says

Changing the requirements for a law license and supporting financial help for public-interest lawyering are among the ways that state supreme courts can help address “staggering” unmet legal needs, according to a study by a group of state chief justices and court administrators released Wednesday.

Aug 1, 2025 10:19 AM CDT

Do CLE requirements affect bar size? New working paper explores

When a state requires lawyers to take continuing legal education classes, is access to justice affected? A new paper claims that the number of lawyers with active licenses declines in states with CLE requirements.

Jun 24, 2025 12:04 PM CDT

What skills do new lawyers need? Lawyers asked to provide answers in new survey

What kind of lawyering skills will be needed as artificial intelligence and new technologies change the profession?

Jun 12, 2025 12:39 PM CDT

How will you celebrate Well-Being Week in Law?

The first week of May is an opportunity for a highly stressed profession to take a step back and consider some self-care by celebrating the Well-Being Week in Law.

May 7, 2025 4:30 PM CDT

2025 ABA Midyear Meeting brings members to Phoenix

ABA members will come together in Phoenix this week to discuss and debate the latest issues and trends impacting the legal profession.

Jan 28, 2025 8:51 AM CST

Bar associations could be targeted, Trump DEI order says, spurring response from 2 of them

Bar associations could be targeted for investigation under President Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to end “illegal preferences and discrimination” in government and the private sector.

Jan 23, 2025 10:55 AM CST

Florida Bar drops diversity and inclusion language from its internal policy

The Florida Bar’s board of governors on Friday eliminated diversity, equity and inclusion language from its organizational policy, a move that follows the Florida Supreme Court’s February mandate for the bar to stop funding diversity and inclusion initiatives.

Dec 16, 2024 10:07 AM CST

Overturning 45-year precedent, New Jersey gives disbarred lawyers second chance

Former New Jersey lawyers who are disbarred will in most cases be allowed to apply for reinstatement after five years, the New Jersey Supreme Court has decided.

Oct 16, 2024 11:55 AM CDT

Judge who displayed Confederate-flag statue should be removed, judicial conduct commission says

A New York town justice who denigrated political candidates on Facebook and displayed a Confederate-flag statue should be removed from office, according to the New York State Commission on Judicial Conduct.

Aug 27, 2024 8:45 AM CDT

Wanted: Lawyers to help with this year’s election

The Task Force for American Democracy, formed by immediate-past ABA President Mary Smith last year, is on the front lines. In recent months, its members conducted a cross-country listening tour to discuss improving public trust in the electoral process. It also released an analysis outlining current threats to elections and ways lawyers and state and local bar associations can help protect the system.

Aug 26, 2024 10:52 AM CDT

ABA’s artificial intelligence task force releases law school survey

Law schools are overwhelmingly integrating emerging artificial intelligence technology into their curriculums, but they’re still not sure about specific AI policies.

Jun 25, 2024 12:34 PM CDT

Supreme Court won’t hear lawyer’s challenge to anti-bias ethics rule

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a challenge to a Pennsylvania ethics rule that bars lawyers from knowingly engaging in conduct that constitutes discrimination and harassment in the practice of law.

Apr 24, 2024 10:16 AM CDT