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National Issues Forums

Easy Guide to Holding Your Own National Issues Forum

  1. Register to access one or all three of our free issue books. (Registration implies no obligation…this just lets us know who is interested.)
  2. If available, download the files for the issue book and any questionnaires or other associated reports.
  3. Check out the Public Policy Institute Web site and contact the PPI site nearest you to invite a trained NIF moderator to moderate your forum or to arrange to attend training to become an NIF moderator.
  4. Check out the ABA Bar Services Web site for contact information to involve your state or local bar association in sponsoring or participating in your forum.
  5. Check out the National Center for State Courts Web site for contact information to involve your state court in sponsoring or participating in your forum. (Go to the listing for the state administrative office of the court, judicial branch or Supreme Court.)
  6. Contact Gilda Fairley at the ABA Coalition for Justice if you need assistance beyond the resources listed above.
  7. Assemble a committee to plan your local forum. Consider appropriate locations, dates, and times to encourage participation. Decide who will act as moderator, recorder, and reporter and what logistical arrangements will be necessary for parking, space rental/reservation, refreshments, etc.
  8. Set the date for your ABA/NIF forum and register to notify us and to request a complimentary copy of the 10-minute "starter" video to be used to get the discussion rolling at the beginning of your forum. (Allow at least 4 weeks for video delivery.)
  9. Order print copies of the appropriate issue book for all of your forum participants by calling (800) 285-2221 (free in limited quantities). You can also order print copies of the corresponding Moderator's Guide. Please allow 7-10 business days for delivery.
  10. Invite a diverse group of people to your forum—include people from across the racial, ethnic, political, religious, and economic spectrum. Don't forget to make follow-up phone calls to encourage attendance. Personal contact makes a big difference.
  11. Send a press release to the local media.
  12. Hold your forum.
  13. Distribute the questionnaires to the discussion participants.
  14. Send the completed questionnaires and Post-Forum Report to:

    Gilda Fairley
    Diversity and Outreach Manager
    Coalition for Justice
    American Bar Association
    321 N. Clark Street
    Chicago, IL 60654
    Fax: 312/988-5709
    E-mail: Gilda Fairley