ABA Announcements

Sep 1, 2010 5:20 AM CDT

U Mass Welcomes 1st Law School Class

Last year, there were only only 73 students in the first-year class at Southern New England School of Law. But now that it has been donated to the University of Massachusetts, applications are snowballing. The U Mass School of Law-Dartmouth has 182 students registered to start in its inaugural class…

Aug 19, 2010 9:10 PM CDT

Should the ABA Accredit Foreign Law Schools?

As law practice becomes more globalized, it may well make sense for the American Bar Association to accredit foreign law schools, just as it already does with schools in the United States, a special American Bar Association committee has suggested. “Such an expansion would provide additional guidance for state supreme…

Aug 18, 2010 8:58 PM CDT

Georgia Lawyer Becomes Chair of ABA House of Delegates

Atlanta lawyer Linda A. Klein began her two-year term as chair of the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates at the conclusion of the House’s session on Tuesday. Klein, who is a business dispute resolution lawyer, is Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz’s managing shareholder in the firm’s Georgia offices and…

Aug 10, 2010 6:20 PM CDT

ABA Honors ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ and Atticus Finch

The ABA’s House of Delegates paused in its consideration of the legal issues of the day on Tuesday to honor To Kill a Mockingbird, the novel by Harper Lee that was published 50 years ago. The 561-member House praised “the positive role that the book has played in the lives…

Aug 10, 2010 5:40 PM CDT

ABA Backs Marriage Equality for Gays and Lesbians

Gays and lesbians should have the right to marry in civil ceremonies, the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates declared on Tuesday. The measure passed on a voice vote. A lineup of ABA leaders, both past and present, spoke in favor of the resolution. Incoming ABA President Stephen Zack asked “Why…

Aug 10, 2010 5:23 PM CDT

ABA President-Elect: Our Challenges Are Opportunities

Assuming the role as ABA President-Elect, Kentucky lawyer Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III told the ABA’s House of Delegates on Tuesday that he sees “the current challenging situation as an opportunity” to grow ABA membership and programs. Robinson is the member in charge of the Florence, Ky., office of Frost…

Aug 10, 2010 5:00 PM CDT

US Should Ratify Nuke Test Ban Treaty, ABA House Says

The United States should ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates said Tuesday. The measure passed on an voice vote; no House members spoke in opposition to Resolution 107A (PDF). Six months ago, the 561-member House rejected a similar measure after questions were raised…

Aug 10, 2010 4:15 PM CDT

ABA’s First Hispanic-American President Seeks to Preserve Justice System, Make Civics a Priority

Florida attorney Stephen N. Zack has become the first Hispanic American to head the world’s largest voluntary professional association. He is the administrative partner at Boies, Schiller & Flexner’s Miami office. His one-year term as ABA President officially begins Tuesday, at the conclusion of the annual meeting. Zack, the son…

Aug 10, 2010 12:03 AM CDT

Harvard Prof Sees Legal Profession in Turmoil

The legal profession is “seeing the acceleration of large-scale trends which were accentuated [by the recession]. They will have a profound impact on all lawyers’ practices and how we regulate, compensate and train lawyers,” Harvard Law School professor David B. Wilkins told the ABA House of Delegates on Monday. ABA…

Aug 9, 2010 10:15 PM CDT

ABA Backs Free Immigration Counsel for Indigent Defendants

Noncitizens charged with crimes should be entitled to free legal counsel on immigration matters if they cannot afford to hire their own lawyer, the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates said Monday. The measure passed by an overwhelming voice vote. Resolution 100C (PDF) calls for federal, state and local governments “to…

Aug 9, 2010 9:43 PM CDT

ABA: More DOJ Misconduct Info Should Be Public

The ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates on Monday urged the U.S. Department of Justice to more fully report on its investigations into misconduct by DOJ attorneys. The measure passed by an overwhelming voice vote; no one spoke in opposition. Resolution 100A (PDF) calls on the Justice Department to “release as…

Aug 9, 2010 9:12 PM CDT

Justice Ginsburg: Confirmations Should Be Less Contentious

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, appearing Monday before the ABA House of Delegates, called for a return to the less contentious U.S. Supreme Court confirmations that she experienced 17 years ago. “May the Senate one day return to the collegial and bipartisan spirit that Justice [Stephen G.] Breyer and I had…

Aug 9, 2010 7:41 PM CDT

ABA President: Membership Growing in Key Areas

Looking back on her year in office, ABA President Carolyn Lamm told the ABA’s House of Delegates on Monday that the ABA is neither ahead nor behind the curve, but is “setting the curve” with its members. A key effort of her term has been to expand ABA membership. The…

Aug 9, 2010 5:44 PM CDT

Women Lawyers Celebrate Inroads, Denounce Vestiges of Inequality

The same weekend Elena Kagan was sworn in as the fourth female justice ever to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, five other female lawyers were honored at the ABA’s 2010 Annual Meeting for their commitment to the equal participation of women in the profession and justice system. Sunday’s celebration…

Aug 9, 2010 1:36 AM CDT