Section News

Leadership Positions Available: Committees
If you'd like to get involved with the Section, we invite you to submit an application for a leadership position on one of our 25 substantive committees. Applying has never been easier. Just go to the Online Application and be sure to select at least two committees you're interested in serving on. We'll even let you choose which position— Chair, Vice Chair, Executive Member—you'd like to be considered for!

Chair-Elect Gregg Herman will be appointing these positions, and encourages any interested parties to apply.

For more information about the committees, visit our Committees Homepage.

Application Deadline: April 16, 2007

Section Elections at Annual Meeting
The Section of Family Law will meet August 9-12, 2007, in conjunction with the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA. Section leadership elections will take place at the meeting.

The Section Nominating Committee, Chaired by Section Chair-Elect Gregg Herman, is accepting nominations for one 1-year term for an At-Large Council position. (This is to fill the remaining year (2007-2008) of the unexpired vacancy created when Mitchell Karpf was elected as Section Secretary.) If you'd like to apply, visit our website for more information.

Application Deadline: May 1, 2007

We will announce the slated nominee in early May.

Publications

The 1040 Handbook:
A Guide to Income and Asset Discovery,
Fourth Edition
Jack Zuckerman
Emily M. Reich
William F. Wolf
Peggy L. Podell
David M. Franklin


Product Code 5130118

Learn how to use the 1040 tax return to draft a detailed discovery plan for assets and income, personal as well as business. Following the return of a hypothetical couple, The 1040 Handbook provides a line-by-line analysis of the tax form, demonstrating what each line reveals about assets and income, how to identify the clues and "red flags," and how to determine that other documents exist. Designed to be used as a quick reference, it is divided into individual chapters on the most commonly used schedules and forms, providing a clearly written discussion of each along with a hypothetical sample form.

More information (including a table of contents)

To order today, call the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 and request Product Code 5130118 or order online.

Law Student Central

Write Now! 2007 Schwab Memorial Essay Contest
Whether you're on Spring Break or not, at home or in Cancun, there's still time to hone your family law essay for this year's Schwab Memorial Essay Contest. Just visit our website to begin the entry process.

Remember, if your essay wins, your dean will know, you could be published in the Section's scholarly journal, Family Law Quarterly, and/or the ABA Family Law website, and you'll be eligible to receive a one-year complimentary membership in the Section. (And don't forget about the nifty certificate, too!)

Deadline: May 1, 2007

For rules, guidelines, and the official entry form, visit the Schwab Essay Contest website.

Best of the List Serve

This month's Best of the FamLawEsq list focuses on issues in two topic areas: 1) domicile requirement; 2) waiving of child support/public policy.

Read more about this month's selected topics. (You will need to log in to the ABA website.)

Not on the list serve? All of our lawyer members are encouraged to join this popular discussion list. Read more about How to Join FamLawEsq in the Members Only section of our website.

Tech Corner

Family Lawyers on the Go
Family lawyers are going mobile! So say the results of the 2006 ABA Legal Technology Survey Report. The findings indicate that while family lawyers use mobile devices in smaller numbers than the general respondent population, their use of these devices is in fact increasing.

First, some demographic information: family lawyers responding to the survey are generally either solo practitioners (37%) or in small firms of two to nine attorneys (49%). Most have no technical support staff (58%) or only one technical support staff (19%). Our family law respondents have an average age of 53 and have been admitted to the bar an average of 22 years. They are mostly male (65%).

Most of our family lawyers are using laptops while away from the office (70%), up from 58% in the 2004-2005 survey. However, this is lower than the general response rate of 81%. Most family lawyers are using their own laptops while away from the office (61%); only 26% are using laptops from their firms. They are using their laptops primarily at home (55% regularly) rather than in the courtroom (7%), in hotels (11%), or in transit (9%).

Only 42% of family law respondents are using PDAs, smartphones or Blackberry devices, lower than the 55% total response, but slightly higher than the previous results (39%). Again, they're using their own devices (77%) rather than getting them from their firms (23%). These devices are being used most often at home (67% say they use them regularly), followed by in transit (43%) and in client offices or hotels (40% each). Or, in the words of one respondent, "In the elevator, in the hall, with a friend or in the stall, in the park or in the dark, I can use it here or there, I can use it anywhere."

The functions our family lawyers are using on their portable devices are calendaring (80% regularly), contacts (80%), telephone (33%) and e-mail synch (24%).

More and more family lawyers are finding that laptops and portable devices can increase their mobility, flexibility and responsiveness. For information on how you can integrate these devices with your family law practice, visit the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center's website at www.lawtechnology.org.
   —Laura Ikens, ABA Legal Technology Resource Center

Tell Us! Where do you fit in with the above findings? Are you more reticent about technology? Has a mobile device saved the day for you? Got a tip about how you use technology? Feel free to share it with us; we may use your quote in a future edition of the eNewsletter! Just e-mail glazerh@staff.abanet.org

CLE Calendar

Spring CLE Conference
April 25-28, 2007
Portola Plaza Hotel
Monterey, CA

With CLE sessions on everything from faith and divorce to parenting plans, you're sure to find something of interest at the Spring CLE Conference. There's still time to register, too. For more information about the CLE and Plenary sessions, area attractions, and getting to the Portola Plaza Hotel, visit the Conference Website linked below. If you're new to the Section, we encourage you to attend the meeting and stop by the Council session. Get involved with your Section this April!

Spring Conference Website

Advanced Trial Advocacy Institute
May 19-22, 2007
Houston, TX

Texas Two-Step takes on a whole different meaning when you consider the Trial Advocacy Institute as Step 1 of your trial skills education. Get down to Houston and further your trial skills with Step 2, the Advanced Trial Advocacy Institute! This intense four-day program provides you with in-depth training to keep your skills fresh and sharp. Class size is limited (10 attorneys only), so be sure to register now to secure your spot!

More information about the Advanced Trial Advocacy Institute


TeleSeminars

Want to gain CLE credit from the comfort of your own office? The teleseminar series can help! To keep abreast of future topics, visit the Section Calendar online.

Unable to attend a teleseminar? Not to worry, you can learn on your own time when you purchase the CLE materials.
See a listing of available CLE materials