Talking with American Bar Association president
The American Bar Association, which describes itself as "the national voice of the legal profession," has nearly 400,000 members, of whom 8,000 are expected in San Francisco beginning Thursday for the ABA's annual meeting, held here every three years.
Chicago attorney Laurel Bellows, winding up a one-year term as ABA president, provided an overview of the organization and its agenda in an interview with The Chronicle.
To provide lawyers with a place to go for their continuing legal education, where they can learn about the newest cutting-edge Supreme Court decisions and share conversations about some of the larger issues ... everything from employer and employee rights, the Supreme Court's Defense of Marriage Act decision to Syria and Egypt, national security, privacy, individual liberty, human trafficking. ...
Courts are literally closing, or in some states they choose to try only criminal cases because they're mandated, and don't try civil cases for a year.
In gender equity, our task force has published guides ... to make sure women, especially women partners (in law firms) are compensated adequately and have an opportunity to participate in significant cases.
Law students are graduating with big debts and uncertain employment prospects.
The fact that large firms are hiring fewer lawyers should not discourage people from attending law school.
When we speak on gun violence or cybersecurity or criminal sentencing or overcrowding of jails, it's unpopular to some, popular to others.
(But) people touch the legal system in traffic courts, divorce, and personal injury, where there's generally a winner and a loser, so 50 percent of the people are going to walk away unhappy. ...