Legal education council delays action on questionnaire guidance

As the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar awaits action on a proposal to eliminate an admissions test requirement for law schools, its council postponed decisions on new guidance for annual questionnaires, which are used for 509 Reports. Part of the Friday’s discussion, held during ABA…

Aug 3, 2018 7:14 PM CDT

This year’s Supreme Court blockbusters were politically charged: ‘We’re in a more partisan time’

During an era of increasing partisanship, the U.S. Supreme Court took on a series of blockbuster cases its last term that were largely divided along ideological lines—likely a sign of things to come, a panel of legal scholars and lawyers said.

Aug 3, 2018 7:00 PM CDT

Would Scalia have shifted on death penalty if he’d heard pope’s decree? Maybe, Chicago cardinal says

Just hours after Pope Francis declared the death penalty “inadmissible” in all cases, Cardinal Blase Cupich of Chicago urged elected officials and leaders to recognize their responsibility and vested interest “in defending the sacredness and value of every human life.”

Aug 3, 2018 4:04 PM CDT

Player protests are about labor law, not the First Amendment

In the spring of 2016, Terri Carmichael Jackson was named director of operations for the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association, the WNBA’s players union. She recalled the time as a bumpy introduction to the job during a Friday morning panel titled "The Right (or Not) to Take a Knee: Social Activism and Freedom of Speech in Sports" at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Aug 3, 2018 2:27 PM CDT

Technology forces criminal law to evolve

From algorithms to cellphones, technology’s march forward is forcing criminal law to evolve, according to a panel Thursday at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Aug 3, 2018 9:45 AM CDT

Here’s a sneak peek at what the House of Delegates may vote on during the ABA Annual Meeting

The policy-making body of the American Bar Association will meet Monday and Tuesday during the ABA Annual Meeting to vote on a wide variety of resolutions. From addressing current hot-topic legal issues like immigration to determining a future financial path for the association, more than 40 resolutions and amendments have currently been proposed for the ABA House of Delegates to consider.

Aug 3, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

Rosenstein defends zero-tolerance immigration policy and rule of law in ABA speech

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein may not be a very popular person within certain circles in Washington, D.C., but he received a rock-star welcome during the opening forum of the ABA Annual Meeting.

Aug 2, 2018 7:37 PM CDT

#MeToo brings reflection, but must lead to cultural, workplace change

The country is at an inflection point, where companies and courts are engaged in an unprecedented level of reflection on issues of gender harassment and equal treatment of women. This was the consensus of panelists at the forum, "#MeToo, Time’s Up—Sexual Harassment in the Workplace," held Thursday at the 2018 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Aug 2, 2018 6:45 PM CDT

Legal education council to discuss admission standards, reorganization

While awaiting ABA House of Delegates action on two major legal education resolutions, the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar will discuss guidance for admissions standards and reporting disclosures during the open session of its Friday meeting.

Aug 2, 2018 6:00 AM CDT

ABA Annual Meeting to kick off with appearance by Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein

Thursday marks the beginning of the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago, and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein is scheduled to deliver the opening night speech.

Aug 1, 2018 6:05 AM CDT

ABA honors 5 legal trailblazers with Margaret Brent award, named for America’s first female lawyer

Aug 1, 2018 1:35 AM CDT

Justice, mercy and redemption: Bryan Stevenson’s death row advocacy

Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, will be awarded the American Bar Association’s highest honor, the ABA Medal, given to lawyers who have “rendered conspicuous service to the cause of American jurisprudence.”

Aug 1, 2018 12:15 AM CDT

ABA will honor Bryan Stevenson, founder of Equal Justice Initiative, with ABA Medal

Bryan Stevenson has made a career out of representing “the broken people,” as he put it in his autobiography, Just Mercy. His Equal Justice Initiative, founded in 1994, focuses on representing people who may have been denied a fair trial because of their youth, race or other circumstances.

Jul 6, 2018 1:55 PM CDT

Attending the ABA Annual Meeting? Here’s a sneak peek (podcast)

This August, lawyers from around the country will come to Chicago for the ABA Annual Meeting. Wondering whether to make the trip yourself?

In this special bonus episode of Asked and Answered, we’re joined by ABA President Hilarie Bass and Marty Balogh of the ABA meetings and travel department.

Jun 11, 2018 7:00 AM CDT

ABA president-elect nominee champions a mindset of ‘continuous improvement’

“There’s a lot of very innovative thinking by staff and volunteer leaders alike going on right now with regard to how we can deliver more efficiently, effectively and competently both the services that the association delivers to its members and the services ABA members deliver to the public,” says Judy Perry Martinez, of counsel with Simon, Peragine, Smith & Redfearn in New Orleans.

May 1, 2018 12:50 AM CDT