President's Message
ABA Everyday program thanks members with free, daily content
Photo of ABA President Paulette Brown by Marc Hauser.
Although the Ink Spots were singing about the moon, stars, flowers and love, they were on to something. Who doesn't like getting something of value for free?
And it's all the more meaningful when that something of value can help recipients advance in their careers. That's the idea behind the presidential initiative, "ABA Everyday."
During my presidential year, we want to show our gratitude to our wonderful members by offering them a valuable membership benefit for free each day. In its first four months, the ABA Everyday initiative has received an overwhelmingly positive response from members and contributors.
As an unexpected bonus, the program has demonstrated the abundance of important and useful benefits produced by ABA sections, divisions and forums. More than 35 ABA entities submitted significant content in the inaugural months of the free daily benefits. Now we are working hard to ensure the upcoming offerings are varied and timely enough to provide something for every day of the year.
Among the offerings are free CLE programs, webinars, ebooks, scholarly journals, magazines, online discussion groups, apps, podcasts, videos, tool kits, guides, special discounts and entry to in-person events.
I urge all members to look at the calendar and see what appeals to you. I guarantee there will be something that you can use—if not today, then certainly soon. After all, the free benefits are offered every day.
This high-quality content represents work by some of America's best lawyers and showcases the association's ability to collaborate with its extensive membership to produce material that is important and relevant to attorneys across all practice areas and spanning their entire careers.
Early offerings have included free CLE courses, such as the popular "Supreme Court Preview," and "Diversity and Discrimination as Legal Ethics Issues." Podcasts have spanned topics from tips for trial preparation to help for associates on how to bill.
Webinars, podcasts and resources have addressed topics ranging from combatting discrimination against the LGBT community to planning accessible meetings, and even everything you need to know about bitcoins.
Content has included advice to help lawyers plan a career, write a book and download mobile apps to make their lives more productive.
Programs will give insights into the cutting-edge technologies that are changing the legal profession, and give good, old-fashioned advice on building long-lasting relationships with clients. Offerings will also tackle current issues such as recognizing implicit bias and dealing with domestic violence and eviction cases.
Many of these benefits will help us be better lawyers. But other benefits will help us save money, including valuable discounts on rental cars and hotel stays.
While some ABA Everyday offers are limited, other content will be available beyond the day it is first offered so you can take advantage of the benefit at your convenience.
ABA Everyday provides 365 tangible ways for the ABA to live up to the first of the association's four goals: serving members and providing benefits, programs and services to promote professional growth and quality of life. And, of course, it is also a way to thank you for your support and for helping to provide a powerful voice to the legal profession.
I can't promise ABA members the moon and the stars, like the Ink Spots did. But I can promise, through ABA Everyday, to provide you with free, high-quality content that will improve your lives and careers.
• The free offers are available through the ABA website at ambar.org/everyday, at #ABAEveryday on Twitter, and each month on the inside back cover of the ABA Journal.
This article originally appeared in the December 2015 issue of the ABA Journal with this headline: "Membership Has Benefits, Each Day! ABA Everyday program thanks members with free, daily content."
