2022 ABA Annual Meeting attendees are coming back to Chicago
For the first time in more than two years, the ABA is once again bringing lawyers and other legal professionals together for an entirely in-person annual meeting in Chicago.
The 2022 ABA Annual Meeting runs from Wednesday, Aug. 3, through Tuesday, Aug. 9, at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. It features a full slate of special programs, educational sessions and governance meetings. Attendees also will find an array of social events and networking opportunities at the meeting headquarters hotel and other locations downtown. An ABA press release is here.
On Saturday, the ABA will award the ABA Medal, the association’s highest honor, to former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer during the General Assembly. Breyer, who retired in June, “has had an extraordinary career as a public servant, a defender of the rule of law, a promoter of judicial independence and a friend to the ABA,” according to the association. U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and John Cornyn, R-Texas, also will be recognized for lifetime legislative achievements. The program begins at 4:30 p.m. (All times are provided in Central Time.)
Following the General Assembly, ABA President Reginald Turner will host the President’s Reception at 6:30 p.m. and the Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice will present the Thurgood Marshall Award during a dinner and celebration at 7:30 p.m. This year’s recipient is Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel emeritus of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund. Tickets are $200 and can be purchased when registering for the annual meeting.
At 3 p.m. Sunday, the Commission on Women in the Profession will hold its Margaret Brent Awards ceremony to celebrate female lawyers for their accomplishments and support of other women in the legal profession. The five honorees are: Michele Goodwin, chancellor’s professor at the University of California, Irvine School of Law; Christina L. Martini, global head of McDermott Will & Emery’s Trademark Prosecution and Controversy Practice; Laura J. Schumacher, vice chairman, external affairs and chief legal officer at AbbVie; Myra C. Selby, partner at Ice Miller; and Wendy Shiba, principal with the Red Bee Group.
Other events at the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting include the Section of State and Local Government Law’s presentation of the Jefferson B. Fordham Awards to Iowa lawyer James C. Hanks; California lawyer Edward Thomas; Boston College Law School professor Thomas Mitchell; the City of Evanston Law Department; and Atlanta lawyer Anamaria Hazard. Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson will serve as the keynote speaker for the program, which begins at noon Friday at Maggiano’s Banquets. Tickets are $75 and can be purchased when registering for the annual meeting.
Follow along with the ABA Journal’s coverage of the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting here.
The Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service will present its Pro Bono Publico Awards at 5:30 p.m. Friday. SCLAID will recognize Texas attorneys Maddy Dwertman and Mark Melton and law firms Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; Stroock & Stroock & Lavan; and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati for their commitment to providing legal services to individuals who are low-income and disadvantaged.
Also on Friday, the Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division will host a 60th anniversary party at Rosebud on Randolph, a new restaurant just north of Millennium Park, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $60 and can be purchased when registering for the annual meeting.
The House of Delegates will take up more than 30 proposed resolutions and amendments during its meeting Monday and Tuesday. The association’s official policymaking body is expected to consider a variety of issues, including mass incarceration, election guidelines and cybersecurity.
The House Committee on Issues of Concern to the Legal Profession will also lead the panel discussion “Democracy in Peril—How Can We Change the Course for America?” at 11 a.m. Monday. The program examines concerns about democracy in the United States and abroad, as well as the role legal professionals can play in calling for reform.
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ABA’s annual meeting offers attendees several CLE sessions
In addition to special events and programs, the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting provides attendees with seven Continuing Legal Education sessions on timely issues.
Friday’s programs include “The End of Roe and the Rule of Law,” a panel at 9 a.m. that focuses on the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and how it could impact women, marginalized communities, individual rights and the rule of law; and “The Forgotten 40 Acres: Repairing Racial Wealth Disparity Using the Estate Tax and New Charitable Incentives,” a panel at 3:30 p.m. that reviews the roots of the racial wealth gap and a proposal to use the estate tax and other taxes on property as funding sources for reparations.
“Title IX’s 50th Anniversary: Where We’ve Been, Where We Are and Where We Need to Be” begins at 9 a.m. Saturday. During this program, panelists will discuss the progress women and girls have made since the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the landmark law that prohibits sex discrimination in educational programs and activities. They will also consider how women and girls can achieve true gender equity.
ABA members can attend all seven CLE Showcase programs and other meetings and events by paying the $495 all-access fee; that fee is $695 for nonmembers and $95 for law student.
Standard registration, which does not include the CLE Showcase, is $175 for members and $375 for nonmembers.
Attendees of the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting also can access complimentary CLE sessions and panel discussions.
At 1:30 p.m. Thursday, the Judicial Division presents “Judicial and Lawyer Ethics in a Virtual Court.” Panelists examine several ethics issues, including confidentiality of communications and sharing information, competency in courtroom technology and ensuring all participants are able to use electronic platforms.
The Young Lawyers Division will host, “Embracing Diverse Experiences: How First-Generation Law Students and Attorneys Can Add New Perspective to the Legal Profession,” at 9 a.m. Friday. The program focuses on the experiences of first-generation law students and attorneys and addresses the need for improving the diversity pipeline.
Among other notable programs on Friday, the Rule of Law Initiative will lead a panel discussion on the ABA Afghanistan Response Project, which launched in 2021 to assist with the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the country. The program begins at 1 p.m.
Additional registration information and the full event schedule can be found on the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting website.
