The Business Law Section is committed to increasing the participation of lawyers of color in Section activities. Despite a number of outreach efforts, the Section continues to have few lawyers of color who are meaningful participants in Section activities for a number of reasons including (i) the negative perceptions of the American Bar Association stemming from its past exclusionary practices, and (ii) the cost of attending Section meetings combined with a perceived lack of opportunity to be an active participant in the substantive work of the Section.

The goal of the Program is to address these challenges by investing dollars in lawyers of color who are expected to participate actively in the substantive work of the Section and to progress into future leadership positions within the Section. The Program is designed not only to develop future leaders of the Section but also to enhance the image of the Section among members of the national bar organizations for lawyers of color in order to attract lawyers of color into Section membership.

For the Program to be successful, the Section must commit financial resources and participation opportunities to the Ambassadors. These commitments include the following:

1. The reimbursement of expenses, consistent with normal Section reimbursement policies, for attendance at the Spring and Annual Meetings of the Section as well as at any stand alone meeting of the Committee to which the Ambassador has been appointed.
2. The Chair of the Committee to which the Ambassador has been appointed will commit to provide specific tasks and speaking assignments for the Ambassador. The Chair will also assign a member of the Committee to be a "mentor" for the Ambassador in order to maximize the opportunity for participation and leadership growth.

A critical feature of the Program is a commitment by those chosen to be Business Law Ambassadors to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them to become active participants in Section activities. Their commitments include the following:

1. To attend the Spring and Annual Meetings of the Section as well as any stand alone meetings of their Committees.
2. To continue to be involved in the activities of their respective national bar organizations for lawyers of color and to identify substantive areas of common interest in which members and committees of their respective national bar organizations for lawyers of color can coordinate with, and participate in, the work of the Section.
3. To coordinate with the Section's Liaison to the ABA Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession efforts to provide broader exposure of the benefits of Section membership to the members of the various national bar organizations for lawyers of color.
4. To report to the Council of the Section and to the leadership of their respective national bar organizations for lawyers of color on an annual basis their experience as a Business Law Ambassador.
5. To act as mentors to new Business Law Ambassadors and other lawyers of color who join the Section.

The Officers of the Section will govern the process by which Business Law Ambassadors are selected. To be considered for selection as a Business Law Ambassador, a person must be an active member of a national bar organization for lawyers of color who has demonstrated a significant interest in an area of business law that coincides with the work of a substantive committee of the Section. Selection as a Business Law Ambassador is intended to be an honor which carries a prestige and distinction reflecting the substantive contributions of a business lawyer of color who has been active in a national bar organization for lawyers of color. Candidates for the Program will be determined the first year through consultation with the leadership of the various national bar organizations for lawyers of color and with the Section's Committee on Diversity.

The Program will select five Ambassadors each year and will fund their expenses for two years. Thus, in any year after the first year of the Program, there would be a total of ten Ambassadors, divided into two classes. After two years, an Ambassador may continue to be eligible for expense reimbursement under normal Section policies but would not be reappointed an Ambassador, absent extraordinary circumstances.

For Committee Leadership click here.

We are no longer accepting applications for the 2009 Ambassadors program. Please check back in Spring of 2010 for information regarding the 2010 Ambassadors program. For more information, contact Maggie Hajduk at hajdukm@staff.abanet.org or (312) 988-5698.

2009-2011 Ambassadors

2008-2010 Ambassadors

2007-2009 Ambassadors

2006-2008 Ambassadors

2005-2007 Ambassadors

2004-2006 Ambassadors

2003-2005 Ambassadors

2002-2004 Ambassadors

2001-2003 Ambassadors

2000-2002 Ambassadors