ABA

Slate for next term announced by ABA Legal Ed council

Judge Bridget Mary McCormack, a retired Michigan Supreme Court chief justice, is slated to serve as the next council chair of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar during the next term.

May 31, 2023 2:32 PM CDT

New GRE will take about half as much time, Educational Testing Service announces

Starting in September, the time to take the Graduate Record Examinations will be less than two hours, which is about half its current length, according to a May 31 news release from the Educational Testing Service, which is responsible for the GRE and designs the exam.

May 31, 2023 2:00 PM CDT

Rights Work: UChicago constitutional law course brings together incarcerated youths, law students

The eight-week class is designed to give incarcerated youths an opportunity to consider their rights while exposing the law students to the younger students’ worldview through in-class discussions on topics that include freedom of speech, due process and reproductive freedom, along with weekly mentoring sessions.

May 31, 2023 8:12 AM CDT

Silver Gavel Awards go to works featuring Emmett Till, Roe v. Wade

This year’s recipients of the Silver Gavel Awards for Media and the Arts delve into a multitude of pressing and prominent legal issues, including abortion rights, affirmative action and modern-day slavery.

May 24, 2023 12:30 PM CDT

How can lawyers be better allies? ABA presidents share their advice

“You’re not trying to kick anybody out,” says Paulette Brown, who was the first Black woman to become ABA president. “You’re trying to have people understand that everyone has not been given the same basic tools that others have been given.”

May 19, 2023 9:32 AM CDT

Retired state supreme court justice tapped to lead law school

North Carolina Central University has appointed Patricia Timmons-Goodson, a retired North Carolina Supreme Court justice, as the dean of its law school.

May 18, 2023 12:13 PM CDT

Policy allowing migrants to be expelled during COVID-19 emergency has ended; what will be its legacy?

A federal policy used to expel migrants expired May 11, when the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency ended. The government’s authority to invoke the public health policy had been used to expel migrants without evaluating their potential asylum claims. Legal analysts are now turning their attention to the longer-term influence of the policy and potential precedents.

May 17, 2023 2:04 PM CDT

Gender, race and finances for law school admittees examined in new report

In 2022, 70% of law school applicants received admissions offers, and men continue to be admitted at higher rates than women, according to a report released Tuesday by the AccessLex Institute, a nonprofit organization.

May 16, 2023 2:32 PM CDT

ABA Journal named Magazine of the Year by business publication editors

The ABA Journal took home the Magazine of the Year award for overall excellence in a national contest held by the American Society of Business Publication Editors.

May 15, 2023 11:00 AM CDT

Plans for cutting admissions test requirement paused by ABA Legal Ed council

After receiving letters from various law school deans with concerns about cutting the Law School Admission Test requirement, the council of the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar on Friday walked back plans to go forward with the proposal in August.

May 12, 2023 2:28 PM CDT

End of the Cold War launched new efforts to build the rule of law

When the Berlin Wall fell Nov. 9, 1989, James Silkenat was serving his term as chair of the ABA International Law Section. But he is the first to admit that he did not immediately anticipate what changes that it would spark.

May 10, 2023 8:37 AM CDT

The curious case of why lawyers are not called ‘doctor’

It never occurred to this retired lawyer and senior pastor that lawyers would use the title “Dr.” until a few years after graduating from law school, when he accepted an adjunct position at a local college while also practicing law.

May 8, 2023 8:42 AM CDT

New ABA ethics opinion warns about handling retainer and other fees

Lawyers may not generally avoid the obligation to place client funds into a trust account upon receipt, according to an ethics opinion from the ABA’s Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility released Wednesday.

May 3, 2023 10:05 AM CDT

First African American chair of ABA labor section dies on his birthday

Bernard Ashe, a labor lawyer and former member of the ABA Journal Board of Editors, died March 8 on his 87th birthday. Ashe was active in the ABA. He served on the ABA Board of Governors, the ABA House of Delegates and was chair of the ABA Section of Labor and Employment Law, according to an online obituary.

May 1, 2023 8:58 AM CDT

Protecting Polyamory: Municipalities expand rights, domestic partnerships to include nontraditional relationships

Polyamory is a slightly narrower form of consensual nonmonogamy in which people agree to have multiple, loving relationships openly and with full consent. Structure and agreements vary widely.

Apr 27, 2023 10:08 AM CDT