As the newly elected Chair of the Lawyers Conference, I welcome you to the Lawyers Conference 2007-2008 website. We have some exciting plans for this coming year and encourage you to join us. Please take a moment to explore our site to learn more about what we are doing to improve the administration of justice, to advance confidence in the judiciary and to promote diversity in our justice system.
The Lawyers Conference will be hosting several programs in conjunction with other ABA entities such as the Young Lawyers Division and the Law Student Division. The following is a sample listing of our programs already slated for this coming bar year.
On October 5, 2007, we will partner with the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) to present Ethical Responsibilities between Judges and Lawyers in Litigation at the 2007 YLD Fall Meeting in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Lawyers Conference also has a distance learning proposal pending before the YLD on the topic Behavior before the Bench, a program that has received rave reviews from young lawyers who are often faced with dilemmas in the courtroom and/or complex situations with a judge. We are truly excited about the YLD partnership and the great opportunities this partnership will create for our members.
Plans also are being explored with the YLD to apply for a grant from the Underserved Lawyer Fund to create a distance learning program for Achieving a Diverse Judiciary: The Path to Becoming a Judge, a featured program highlighted at the 2007 Annual Meeting Program in San Francisco. This program was designed to provide minority lawyers with insight into the judicial appointment, election and nomination process at the various levels of the judiciary. The Lawyers Conference is committed to achieving diversity in the judiciary and, through its membership and programs, will be working through the year with other diversity pipelines to co-sponsor initiatives in this area.
Coming to a law school near you! This fall the Lawyers Conference will sponsor our geographical Breakfast with Experience program in which members of the Lawyers Conference will meet with law school students in their area to talk about the profession and judicial clerkship opportunities, and to assist students with career choices and goals upon graduating from law school.
If you are a new member of the Lawyers Conference, I strongly urge you to attend our programs and join the Conference committees. We welcome your input and invite you to share your ideas and expertise to help make the Lawyers Conference the best conference in the ABA.
Gloria Wilson Shelton, Chair
Watch Welcome Video
Lawyers Conference Diversity Recruitment Receptions: Join the Lawyers Conference at the 2008 Annual Meeting for a networking reception, click here for details.
CLE Teleconference: Achieving a Diverse Judiciary moderated by Lawyers Conference Chair, Gloria Wilson Shelton. Click here for more information.
2008-09 ABA Judicial Division Call for Nominations: The 2008-09 ABA Judicial Division Call for Nominations has opened. Lawyers Conference members are encouraged to apply for one of the open positions. All applications must be submitted by January 29, 2008. Please click here for further details.
2007-08 Robert B. Yegge Award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Judicial Administration. If you know someone who has demonstrated outstanding contribution in the field of judicial administration and would like to nominate them for this award, please visit the Lawyers Conference Award webpage and download a nomination form today!
Judicial Performance Evaluation Guidelines Approved: At the 2005 Midyear Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah, the ABA House of Delegates overwhelmingly approved the Black Letter Guidelines for Judicial Performance Evaluation, Report 103, without any changes. If you have questions regarding the Guidelines, please contact Hon. Cheryl Cesario at ccesario@sbcglobal.net. To learn more about the Judicial Perfomance Resources click here.
The Judicial Division Lawyers Conference is composed of lawyers, judges, court managers, legal teachers, writers and publishers, and law students. The Lawyers Conference is the only Judicial Division Conference composed of both judicial and non-judicial members.
The Lawyers Conference of the Judicial Division provides a forum for attorneys and law students to interact with members of the judiciary and the community; to improve the administration of justice; to advance confidence in the judiciary; and to promote a diverse and adequately funded justice system.
Current Chair, Gloria Wilson Shelton, speaks about mentoring minority law school students. Read about it here.
Model Code of Judicial Conduct