One of the more controversial items coming out of the ABA is the decision of the ABA Journal late last year to declare Alberto Gonzales as its “2007 Lawyer of the Year”. Needless to say, this did not sit well with many ABA members, or (I daresay) with many potential Section members that so many of our current members are hard at work trying to recruit to the Section. One of the problems is that the choice was made by staff members on the ABA Journal, and contrary to what you might think, it is not necessarily an award that recognizes good works. The Journal has since explained that the award is simply meant to recognize the lawyer who has created the most news coverage during the year. On the chance that you are on the receiving end of any negative bounce-back about this, you may want to have this explanation ready.

The Section’s Federal Labor and Employment Attorney of the Year award, on the other hand, is meant to bestow an honor in recognition of the recipient’s superior level of work and contributions to the profession. We had two recipients last year, Vincent Blackwood of the EEOC and Harold Datz of the NLRB. The Section’s Committee on Outreach to Government Lawyers received and researched a number of high-quality nominations from a wide variety of agencies, and the awards to our two recipients are high praise indeed. The Awards were presented during the Philadelphia conference’s Plenary Session on Saturday, November 10, 2007, when EEOC General Counsel Ronald Cooper, Solicitor of Labor Jonathan Snare and NLRB General Counsel Ronald Meisburg all made presentations on federal enforcement of statutory rights.

The ABA Journal flap, juxtaposed against our own Section’s awards, brings a thought to mind. For our members and would be members, we want the Section to be the “voice” of the ABA. We speak in a collaborative way for our Section members, we put on our own annual conference and produce other great CLE, we develop consensus driven positions on issues, and our publications are marked always by our members on all sides having review responsibilities. Our goal is that potential members will see the same benefits, and will recognize the Section as an entity they want to be involved in.

I have one other thought about the Philadelphia conference. The “feel” was outstanding. What I mean by “feel” is the sense of community generated by over 1200 diverse labor and employment lawyers, neutrals, academics and law students present in one place, all focused on our type of law and our issues, new lawyers and experienced lawyers alike, with expert programming, opportunities to share common interests and ideas, and with great social functions. The 2008 Annual Conference – Denver, September 10-13 - is in good hands, led by Co-Chairs Allen Gross, Nora Macey, Rick Seymour and Howard Shapiro, and Vice Chairs Kelly Dermody, Gail Holtzman, Howard Rosen and Arlene Steinfield. I predict that we’ll experience the same “feel” in Denver.

Winter means outstanding Section committee midwinter meetings being held from January through April 2008. Our Section website, www.abanet.org/labor/committee.html, is the source of information about the committees’ coming meetings, with registration and program information.