Gun violence issue surfaces at House of Delegates

Apr 1, 2013 5:50 AM CDT

Task force collects ideas on legal education reform

Apr 1, 2013 5:39 AM CDT

ABA Announcements

Apr 1, 2013 5:29 AM CDT

ABA House backs adequate funding for courts, LSC amid federal budget cuts

The ABA House of Delegates is responding to potential automatic budget cuts on the federal level. Resolution 10A approved by the ABA House of Delegates on Monday urges federal lawmakers to assure adequate funding for federal courts and the Legal Services Corp. “This resolution deals with an immediate potential crisis…

Feb 11, 2013 9:54 PM CST

Resolution seeks disclosure of secret campaign donations made through nonprofits and super PACs

A resolution passed Monday by the ABA House of Delegates calls for disclosure of secret campaign contributions made through nonprofit groups donating money to super PACs. Resolution 110B urges Congress to require groups exempt from campaign disclosure requirements, as currently interpreted, to disclose the source of funds and the amounts…

Feb 11, 2013 9:50 PM CST

Unbundle legal services, ABA House resolution urges

An ABA House of Delegates resolution encouraging lawyers, when appropriate, to consider providing unbundled legal services was approved on Monday. Resolution 108 supports unbundled services, also known as limited-scope representation, in which lawyers provide some but not all the work involved in a legal matter. According to a report accompanying…

Feb 11, 2013 9:30 PM CST

Model rule change aims to help lawyers confronting conflicts issues involving multiple jurisdictions

Lawyers are increasingly called on to handle matters for their clients that involve multiple jurisdictions both here and abroad. These lawyers face difficult choice-of-law problems when confronting ethics issues, particularly issues involving conflicts of interest. The ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20 provides a way to make the task easier, with…

Feb 11, 2013 9:21 PM CST

Model rule change guides judges considering pro hac vice admission for foreign lawyers

At least 15 states allow foreign lawyers to make limited, special appearances before U.S. courts, but until now the ABA Model Rule on Pro Hac Vice Admission did not address the situation. Now the ABA House of Delegates has expanded the model rule to include foreign lawyers. As amended by…

Feb 11, 2013 9:11 PM CST

Foreign lawyers could work in US as in-house counsel under model rule change

Foreign lawyers would have limited authority to serve as in-house counsel in the United States under a resolution approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Resolution 107A is among a series of proposed amendments to the ABA model ethics rules that acknowledge the globalization of law practice. It…

Feb 11, 2013 8:35 PM CST

ABA must nurture and guide young lawyers, president-elect nominee says

ABA President-elect Nominee William C. Hubbard of South Carolina told the ABA House of Delegates on Monday that the association must reach out to younger members of the profession. Speaking at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Hubbard told of his first ABA meeting when he felt lost in the huge…

Feb 11, 2013 8:16 PM CST

Let grand jurors decline indictment when law is too harsh, ABA House resolves

The wording in the Model Grand Jury Charge for federal courts should be changed to recognize the principle that a grand jury is not bound to indict in every case where a conviction can be obtained, according to a resolution approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates. Currently…

Feb 11, 2013 8:13 PM CST

ABA moves to press for justice and seek help for victims of human trafficking

The ABA House of Delegates on Monday approved a series of resolutions addressing human trafficking, a key issue for ABA President Laurel G. Bellows. Bellows told the ABA Journal last summer she finds it shocking that human trafficking doesn’t get more recognition as one of the country’s most serious crime…

Feb 11, 2013 8:00 PM CST

ABA President Bellows: ‘We’re about child protection gun laws’

Sometimes the ABA takes positions on controversial issues on which everyone need not agree, according to ABA President Laurel G. Bellows. The association’s stance on gun violence is one of them. Speaking on Monday to the ABA House of Delegates, Bellows said when the association sees “loopholes in the law…

Feb 11, 2013 5:28 PM CST

Resolutions address ‘national scandal’ of underfunded and overburdened public defenders

Public defenders who are dealing with excessive caseloads are getting some support from the ABA House of Delegates. Two resolutions approved on Monday deal with the issue. Resolution 104A urges Congress to create and fund an independent, federally funded Center for Indigent Defense Services to help governments carry out their…

Feb 11, 2013 5:20 PM CST

Resolution paves way for ABA amicus brief on broader issues in SCOTUS gene patenting case

A resolution approved on Monday by the ABA House of Delegates provides guidance for an ABA amicus brief in a Supreme Court case on the patenting of isolated human genes associated with increased risk of breast and ovarian cancer. The U.S. Supreme Court is considering just one issue in the…

Feb 11, 2013 4:14 PM CST