Rite of Spring

ABA’s lobbying push on Capitol Hill focuses on access-to-justice issues

May 2, 2009 12:10 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

May 2, 2009 12:00 AM CDT

Lawyer on a Skateboard Helps Kids Celebrate Law Day

A North Dakota corporate lawyer wearing her hat backwards and using a skateboard helped some fifth-graders learn more about the role of judges as part of a Law Day demonstration earlier this week. Michelle Kommer, an in-house lawyer for Otter Tail Corp. in Fargo, played the role of a skateboarder…

May 1, 2009 11:26 AM CDT

Swine Flu Requires Look at Workplace Disaster Policies

The swine flu virus is keeping lawyer Priscilla Keith busy as she contemplates how the Indiana county that includes Indianapolis would deal with an outbreak, if one occurs there. Keith is chairman of the Public Health and Policy Interest Group of the ABA Health Law Section. She also is general…

Apr 29, 2009 7:16 PM CDT

Are Law Schools Like Automakers? Dean Says Some Educators Will Fail

The law school dean in the news earlier this year for his charge that some law schools are “exploiting” unsuccessful students is getting more press attention for his predictions about the future of legal education. This time, Dean Richard Matasar of New York Law School was responding to an audience…

Apr 29, 2009 1:03 PM CDT

ABA Poll: Two-Thirds of Americans Support Federal Legal Aid for Poor

Two-thirds of Americans polled by the ABA support federal funding to help those who need legal assistance. An ABA press release says the poll (PDF) found support for funding for the Legal Services Corp., with 88 percent of respondents strongly or somewhat supporting the idea that a nonprofit legal services…

Apr 20, 2009 2:14 PM CDT

Mobilizing to Preserve Legal Aid to the Poor

Advocacy pays off for IOLTA programs, strengthening core value of access to justice

Apr 2, 2009 2:50 AM CDT

ABA Treasurer’s Report

Fiscal Year Ending August 31, 2008

Apr 1, 2009 11:30 PM CDT

Sending In Reinforcements

A new ABA group will coordinate efforts to bolster legal services for veterans

Apr 1, 2009 11:20 PM CDT

ABA Announces Nominations

House of Delegates will confirm choices for president-elect and Board of Governors in August

Apr 1, 2009 11:10 PM CDT

Stroock Lawyers Win Legal Business Award Without Billing a Cent

Kevin J. Curnin didn’t charge a single billable hour last year. And, his clients, mostly nonprofit organizations in New York’s South Bronx, won’t pay the Stroock & Stroock & Lavan partner a penny this year, either. Curnin is the full-time Director of Stroock’s Public Service Project, which will receive the…

Apr 1, 2009 7:57 PM CDT

Too Many Law Firm Layoffs are Gender-Biased, ABA Commission Chair Says

A recent cover article in Forbes magazine recounts claims being made by Wall Street women—and their lawyers—that female employees are bearing more than their fair share of recent layoffs. But it isn’t just on Wall Street that women are disappearing from the workforce, says the chair of the ABA Commission…

Mar 18, 2009 7:53 PM CDT

ABA to Resume Early Review of Potential Judicial Nominees

Updated: President Obama has asked the American Bar Association to resume reviewing possible judicial nominees before their names are announced. ABA President H. Thomas Wells Jr. announced today in a statement that the association’s Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary will “resume its historical role in evaluating the professional qualifications…

Mar 17, 2009 4:09 PM CDT

New ABA Page Points to Career Help

For those in the profession trying to avoid a layoff or struggling to recover from one, the American Bar Association offers some help. A new Economic Recovery Resources page on the ABA’s website offers links to material about law practice management and career development. It also points users to free…

Mar 13, 2009 12:59 AM CDT

Promoting Fair and Impartial Courts

Budget cuts and other challenges undermine an independent judiciary

Mar 2, 2009 4:20 AM CST