Midyear Meeting

ABA 'will not shrink from the things we believe in,' President Bill Bay says

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Bill Bay

"The ABA believes in excellence," ABA President Bill Bay said. "And excellence demands diversity." (Photos by ABA Media Relations)

While 2025 will bring changes to the organization and challenges to the rule of law, the American Bar Association will continue to do its work “safeguarding the fundamental American values of due process and access to justice,” ABA President Bill Bay says.

“There is one message I want to emphasize,” Bay said Monday in a speech to the ABA House of Delegates at the midyear meeting in Phoenix. “The American Bar Association will not shrink from the things we believe in.”

Bay said that the ABA will face the challenges that will come in the next year by planning strategically and forging partnerships.

“We will stand tomorrow for what we stand for today and what we stood for yesterday: the rule of law, the importance of our judicial system, the essential role of lawyers, an inclusive profession,” he said. “These are our north stars. We will hold fast to our core principles in the face of shifting winds.”

Bay closed out his speech to a standing ovation, saying, “I believe this will be our finest hour.”

Bay’s speech comes in the wake of Trump administration efforts to dismantle diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives throughout the federal administration. On Friday afternoon, more than two dozen DOJ prosecutors who assisted in Jan. 6 prosecutions were fired. And in the wake of firings at the top levels of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI personnel have been told to disclose any involvement they had with investigations into the Jan. 6, 2021 riots at the U.S. Capitol.

Bay said that the firings and threats to fire lawyers and law enforcement officials for just doing their jobs “appears to be about vengeance,” and threatens the judicial system.

“These are not ordinary times,” Bay said. “The rule of law itself is at stake.”

Follow along with the ABA Journal’s coverage of the 2025 ABA Midyear Meeting here.

Bay also addressed the targeting of DEI efforts.

“The ABA believes in excellence. And excellence demands diversity,” Bay said, to loud applause from the delegates.

“Our goal calls for the elimination of bias and enhancing diversity in our profession and the justice system,” Bay said. “The bottom line is we will not retreat from our goal and objectives in this area.”

Bay also said that the ABA should “take pride” in its immigration work, protecting the legal rights of immigrants and asylum-seekers; training lawyers and judges; providing information to asylum seekers and developing pro bono programs.

“These are all efforts that streamline immigration court proceedings and enhance their efficiency,” he said.

The ABA is undergoing changes, Bay told delegates, including a new strategic plan, marketing approach and improved access to member benefits.

“We must continue to embrace change in our organizations,” Bay said.

Bay said it was time that the ABA acted as “one unified organization.”

“Our greatness is manifest when we work together for a common goal,” he said.

Bay emphasized the work the ABA does to help lawyers “achieve excellence in their practice,” producing more than 800 accredited continuing legal education programs in 2024. But, he said, the ABA does more than just help lawyers be better.

The ABA Rule of Law Initiative works in nearly 60 countries to help judges and lawyers implement the rule of law. In 2024, ABA ProBar helped provide assistance to about 40,000 immigrants seeking asylum, Bay said. And through the Young Lawyers Division’s Disaster Legal Services Program, the ABA has responded to the needs of victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires.

“A world without a vibrant growing ABA is a lesser place,” Bay said.

When it comes to facing challenges during the rest of 2025, “We are not going to speak out every day,” Bay told delegates. “Like good lawyers, we will plan. We will be strategic. We will make difficult choices sometimes.

“But you can be assured, we are going to work the problems. Actions will count. And we will act.”