Members will return to Capitol Hill for in-person advocacy during ABA Day
Image from Shutterstock.
For the first time since 2019, the ABA is convening on Capitol Hill for ABA Day.
The annual advocacy event, which is scheduled for March 27-29, has historically brought together hundreds of legal professionals from across the country to advocate for issues that are important to the legal profession. It’s an opportunity for Congress members to hear directly from their constituents about the association’s legislative priorities, which are updated annually after consultation with ABA members by the Board of Governors.
This year, ABA members and their state and local bar colleagues will meet the nearly 90 new U.S. Senate and House of Representatives members. According to the ABA Governmental Affairs Office’s February Washington Letter, they will be encouraged to highlight the need for robust funding for Legal Services Corp., the largest funder of civil legal aid to low-income Americans, as part of their conversations. A full schedule of events, including receptions at the U.S. Supreme Court and the Library of Congress, can be found at ambar.org/ABADay.
“ABA Day is such a significant event because it harnesses the incredible reach and participation from lawyers around the country to access our lawmakers,” ABA President Deborah Enix-Ross said in comments provided to the ABA Journal. “Advocating for important issues, including LSC funding, improves access to justice and makes our society more just.”
ABA Day was held virtually for the past few years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
During the first ABA Day Digital in April 2020, the association connected members directly with their elected officials and provided them with prewritten emails, social media posts and talking points. In commemorating the 25th anniversary of ABA Day in 2022, the GAO reported that hundreds of participants communicated with congressional leaders and staff and thousands of others used social media to discuss important issues in 2020 and 2021.
The GAO also said the success of the virtual 2020 and 2021 ABA Days led to the Student Debt Week of Action, an additional virtual advocacy event that occurred in September. This event resulted in thousands of messages sent to Congress, more than 100,000 interactions on social media and significant improvements in the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program.
ABA members who are interested in assisting with advocacy efforts but can’t make it to Washington, D.C., will once again have the opportunity to send letters and social media messages directly to their elected officials.
For more information on how to get involved, visit the ABA Day 2023 website.
