Bar Associations

Legal community ‘bamboozled’ by woman who allegedly posed as attorney for years

A former paralegal is under investigation for the unlicensed practice of law for allegedly holding herself out as an attorney in Chatham County, Georgia, for a period of years.

May 15, 2024 3:08 PM CDT

Bar exam alternatives on docket of ABA Legal Ed council

With some states already moving toward alternative attorney licensing, the council of the ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar will consider a draft policy statement urging jurisdictions to consider a host of methods to licensure when it meets Friday.

May 13, 2024 4:35 PM CDT

Solicitors general, past and present, reflect on ups and downs of job and arguing before SCOTUS

It isn’t often that a bipartisan group of U.S. solicitors general gather in public to discuss their unique role in the legal system and even gripe a little about the U.S. Supreme Court. But that’s what happened recently in a packed hotel ballroom before the ABA 2024 Litigation Section Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

May 9, 2024 12:02 PM CDT

ABA is committed to protecting sexual assault survivors in bar admissions process, letter says

ABA President Mary Smith is asking an ABA commission to study the prevalence and impact of bar admissions questions that require survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking to disclose their involvement in legal and administrative proceedings.

May 8, 2024 11:54 AM CDT

Looking for practice advice on email discussion lists? Don’t forget client confidentiality responsibilities

Lawyers must be careful in revealing information about clients on an email discussion list group, even when seeking help in the representation, according to a new ABA ethics opinion.

May 8, 2024 10:02 AM CDT

Lowered bar pass cut scores mean better bar pass rates in 4 states

Of the five states that lowered the minimum score required for passing the bar last year, four of them had increases in their February 2024 bar passage rates, according to the latest data compiled by the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

May 7, 2024 10:23 AM CDT

BigLaw firm introduces coaching and support for lawyers who have ADHD

There are law firms in which Carrie Garber Siegrist, a senior associate in the Washington, D.C., office of Goodwin Procter, might have had to be secretive about her diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, also known as ADHD. But at Goodwin Procter, Garber Siegrist says, she feels embraced and supported.

May 6, 2024 8:55 AM CDT

Slate for 2024-2025 term announced by ABA Legal Ed Section

The ABA Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has announced its 2024-2025 council slate.

May 3, 2024 1:34 PM CDT

Data breach suit against ABA tossed by federal judge

A federal judge in New York has dismissed a proposed class action lawsuit filed against the ABA by two members who feared that their data was exposed in a March 2023 data breach.

May 1, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

ABA should consider impact of rape-disclosure questions on bar applications, 3 senators tell association

The ABA should study the prevalence of bar admissions questions that require the disclosure of campus sexual misconduct complaints and requests for orders of protection, according to a letter by three members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Apr 29, 2024 12:17 PM CDT

Supreme Court won’t hear lawyer’s challenge to anti-bias ethics rule

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday denied certiorari in a challenge to a Pennsylvania ethics rule that bars lawyers from knowingly engaging in conduct that constitutes discrimination and harassment in the practice of law.

Apr 24, 2024 10:16 AM CDT

Nearly three-quarters of Americans think US democracy is getting weaker, ABA poll finds

Seventy-four percent of U.S. residents say American democracy is weaker than five years ago, according to an ABA poll released in advance of Law Day on May 1.

Apr 23, 2024 11:35 AM CDT

Second groundbreaking ABA AI and economic justice webinar set for April 26

On April 26, the ABA, in partnership with the National Association of Consumer Advocates, will host “AI and Consumers: The Invisible Impact on Economic Justice”—the ABA’s second webinar in an ongoing series on artificial intelligence and economic justice issues.

Apr 23, 2024 8:53 AM CDT

More 2023 law school grads found full-time jobs than any class in past 10 years, new ABA data shows

More recent law school grads are employed 10 months after graduation than any class of the past decade, according to recently released data by the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar.

Apr 22, 2024 1:13 PM CDT

Budding cannabis law courses are growing—but not fast enough

An increasing number of law schools around the country are offering cannabis law courses, but some professors think that even more are needed. “We’re still playing catch-up.”

Apr 15, 2024 9:30 AM CDT