Each year in early August, the membership of the American Bar Association assembles for its Annual Meeting. The Annual Meeting of the Law Student Division is also held at this time, providing an opportunity for Division members to meet at the national level. This meeting promises you a unique opportunity to experience a diverse selection of the finest CLE available to law professionals.

In addition to the Law Student Division’s full schedule of events for law students, you are encouraged to take advantage of the Annual Meeting by attending the educational programs sponsored by other ABA specialty Sections, Divisions and Forums which will allow you to meet and interact with law professionals from across the country. More information on these programs and opportunities will be provided as details become available.

The 2nd Annual Law Student Division Career Fair will kick off the Division’s portion of the ABA Annual Meeting. The Career Fair provides a unique opportunity for law students to meet with representatives from law firms of all sizes, government agencies, military, and public interest groups for summer and new associate positions, as well as internships and volunteer opportunities.

A panel of legal recruiters also will be on hand to critique your resume and offer you suggestions to maximize impact and improve your effectiveness to ensure a great first impression.

Law students attending the Career Fair will have the first opportunity to receive tickets to the Joining and Excelling in a Firm Luncheon sponsored by the Section of Law Practice Management.

About the Career Fair

Attending the ABA Annual Meeting will give you access to law professionals from around the country and countless meetings, educational programs and social events. You will have the opportunity to meet and network with other law students, as well as attorneys new to the practice of law, and those accomplished in a wide range of practice areas and settings.

• Law Student Division Final Program Brochure
• Law Student Division Schedule of Events
• Career Fair
• Assembly
  • Resolution Procedures
  • Assembly Agenda and Instructions
  • Assembly Resolutions
• Election of the Division Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates and the Vice Chair-SBA:
  • Slate of Candidates
  • Guide to the Code of Election Regulations
  • Code of Election Regulation
  • Delegate Certification Procedures and Proxies
• List of ABA Annual Meeting CLE

The Assembly is the policy making body of the Division, which convenes only once a year during the Division’s portion of the ABA Annual Meeting. Members of the Assembly (Assembly Delegates) debate and vote on resolutions relating to legal education and the legal profession. Assembly Delegates also elect the Division’s three delegates to the ABA House of Delegates.

The Assembly membership is comprised of two principal delegates—the primary ABA Representative and the SBA President—from each ABA-approved law school. The principal delegates must be current ABA Law Student Division members, whose ABA Law Student Division 2007-2008 dues are paid in full, in order to be certified as Assembly Delegates. A principal delegate who is not a member, but wishes to vote in the election and in the Assembly, must join the ABA and pay his/her dues in order to be certified. Otherwise, he/she may proxy his/her vote to another law student from his/her school, provided the law student is a fully paid member of the ABA Law Student Division. Proxies must present signed written authorization from the principal delegate, preferably on school letterhead, in order to be certified.

Only one SBA President and one ABA Representative from each ABA-approved law school shall be recognized as that school’s official delegate. Law schools with multiple SBA Presidents and/or ABA Representatives must determine who will serve as the primary delegates in the Assembly and during the election. Principle delegates should be reported to the ABA Law Student Division through the SBA Presidents and ABA Representatives Reporting Forms.

Voting and Elections

• Assembly
  • Resolution Procedures
  • Assembly Agenda and Instructions
  • Assembly Resolutions
• Election of the Division Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates and the Vice Chair-SBA:
  • Slate of Candidates
  • Guide to the Code of Election Regulations
  • Code of Election Regulation
  • Delegate Certification Procedures and Proxies
• SBA Presidents and ABA Representatives
  • Listing of ABA Representatives and SBA Presidents
  • SBA Presidents Reporting Form
  • ABA Representatives Reporting Form
  • List of ABA Approved Law Schools

Presidential CLE Center
Located at the New York Hilton Hotel, you will have the opportunity to participate in CLE programs covering all areas of practice. While general meeting attendees are required to pay for CLE events, law students registered for the Annual Meeting and wearing their official ABA Annual Meeting Law Student badge, generally are allowed complimentary admittance to educational events (you should be prepared to purchase a ticket for social events and meal functions).

ABA EXPO
Located at the New York Hilton Hotel, the EXPO features more than 100 providers of legal products and services. Visit exhibiting companies showcasing the latest in communications, legal publishing, computer hardware and software -- all with today's law practice in mind. The EXPO will be open from Thursday August 7 through Saturday, August 9.

ABA Source
While you are at the EXPO, make a point to stop by the ABA Source booth, your one-stop resource for making the most of your ABA membership. Helpful staff will be on hand to guide you through the ABA programs, products and services available only to ABA members.

Once you've arrived at your first ABA Annual Meeting, what do you do? Let us help you navigate the registration process:

1. Whether you have pre-registered or still need to register for the meeting, the first thing you will want to do is visit the Hilton New York Hotel (1335 Avenue of the Americas) to obtain your official registration badge, bag and master program book. Be sure that you receive a Law Student badge, so you are able to take advantage of the free admittance to educational programs available only to law students.
2. Once you have secured your ABA materials from the Hilton New York Hotel, you should proceed to the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway, to check-in with the Law Student Division. Here you will receive your Division meeting materials and your ticket to the Division's Career Development luncheon (limited attendance available on a first-come, first served basis), Big Apple Mixer and the Awards Reception (each law student registered for the Annual Meeting will receive one complimentary ticket to both the Mixer and Reception).
3. If you will be serving as a Law Student Division Delegate (SBA President or ABA Representative), or a Delegate Proxy, once you have checked-in at the Law Student Division registration desk, you should proceed to the Delegate Certification desk. If you are serving as a proxy, make sure you have your proxy letter with you (see proxy instructions).
   

• Assembly, Delegate Certification and Proxies
• Election Candidates
• Career Fair
• Annual Meeting Programs and Activities
  
• Registration, Housing and Transportation
• Check-In Process
• Funding
• Looking for a Roommate?
• Attire
• ABA Events During the Annual Meeting

• Law Student Division Final Program Brochure
• Law Student Division Schedule of Events
• Walking Instructions between the Hilton and the Marriott
  • Instructions written out
  • Map
• Annual Meeting Registration (includes admission to the Career Fair)
• Hotel Information -- New York Marriott Marquis Hotel
• Assembly
  • Resolution Procedures
  • Assembly Agenda and Instructions
  • Assembly Resolution
• Election of the Division Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates and the Vice Chair-SBA:
  • Slate of Candidates
  • Guide to the Code of Election Regulations
  • Code of Election Regulation
  • Delegate Certification Procedures and Proxies
• SBA Presidents and ABA Representatives
  • Listing of ABA Representatives and SBA Presidents
  • SBA Presidents Reporting Form
  • ABA Representatives Reporting Form
  • List of ABA Approved Law Schools
• ABA Tours and Sightseeing
• Return to Law Student Division Home
• Contact the Law Student Division

Registration: Registering for the Annual Meeting: The meeting registration fee for law students is $75. For more information and a registration form, use the link below. Advance registration for the Annual Meeting closed at 5:00 p.m. on July 9. You must now wait until you arrive in New York to register for the Annual Meeting at the ABA's main registration desk located at the Hilton New York Hotel.

• Registration and Housing Information
• ABA Tours and Sightseeing

Upon arrival in New York, all Annual Meeting attendees must first check in at the main ABA Registration Area at the Hilton New York Hotel to receive their official 2008 Annual Meeting registration badge and bag. You cannot register with the Law Student Division or attend the Career Fair until you have proof of registration (your official Annual Meeting badge) from the ABA’s main registration desk.

Career Fair Registration: Your Annual Meeting registration fee includes admittance to the Career Fair. There is not a separate registration or cost for the Career Fair. You must be registered for the Annual Meeting and you must be wearing your official ABA Annual Meeting attendee badge that you receive at the ABA main registration desk at the Hilton New York Hotel (see check-in process) in order to gain entry to the Career Fair.

Law Student Division Event Tickets: Once you have secured your ABA materials, please proceed to the Law Student Division Registration Area at the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel to check-in and receive your Division materials including your complimentary tickets to the Thursday evening mixer and the Friday Awards Reception (one each per registered law student). Guests may purchase reception tickets at the Law Student Division registration desk while they remain available.

ABA Event Tickets: To obtain tickets to ABA Special Event, you must be registered for the Annual Meeting. Tickets will be distributed or available for purchase in the main ABA Registration Area located at the Hilton New York Hotel. Capacities for some events are limited and sold on a first-come, first-served bases until capacities fill. If you did not reserve your tickets before Friday, July 6, 2007 tickets will be available for sale, to the extent that they remain available, at the ABA Registration Desk at the New York Hilton Hotel.

Hotel Reservations: Those who did not register and make hotel accommodations prior to the July 9 deadline must now wait until after July 25 to make their arrangements with an ABA-official hotel. You must contact the hotel of your choice directly to make your hotel reservations; however, rates and availability cannot be guaranteed.

Air Transportation: Airfare discounts for travel to the Annual Meeting are available from American, United and Continental Airlines. Visit the ABA Travel website for details on airline discounts. New York has three main airports through which millions of people pass each year:

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
  JFK, in Queens (at the south end of the Van Wyck Expressway), primarily handles international flights.
  Getting to and from JFK
  General Info: 718-244-4444
  Parking Info: 718-244-4168
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
  LaGuardia, also in Queens (on the Grand Central Parkway), mainly handles domestic flights. If you're flying in from anywhere in the U.S., chances are you'll come through here. Particular exceptions include Continental Airlines.
  Getting to and from LaGuardia
  General Info: 718-533-3400
  Parking Info: 718-533-3850
• Newark International Airport (EWR)
  Newark, in Newark, New Jersey, handles both domestic and international flights. It's a bit further from the city than the other two airports, but it is generally less crowded and has more modern facilities.
  Getting to and from Newark
  General Info: 973-961-6000
  Parking Info: 888-397-4636

Ground Transportation: Transportation between the airports and throughout New York City include public transit (subway, train, bus, ferry), shuttles, taxis, and limousines. Suggestions for ground transportation are available on the New York Times website or from the New York City Port Authority. If you are driving into New York City, please visit the New York City website for information and restrictions on parking.

Important Warning from the New York City Port Authority: Ignore offers of transportation from solicitors in the terminal. Go to ground transportation information counters, bus stops, and taxi dispatchers for safe and legitimate transportation. Ignore non-uniformed persons offering to assist with baggage. Seek out uniformed porters or airline employees for baggage assistance. If you have questions about travel into and/or out of New York City, contact the New York City Port Authority.

Our headquarters hotel, the New York Marriott Marquis Hotel, is also headquarters to other ABA entities so you will see and be seen by bench and bar members, even during down time. Business professional attire (courtroom attire) is recommended for the following Annual Meeting events: Career Fair, Assembly and President’s Reception. Business casual is appropriate for other Annual Meeting events. Acceptable business casual attire includes neatly pressed khakis, dress slacks, cropped pants or skirts with shirts, polos or blouses. No jeans, t-shirts, beach sandals or other casual wear.

Due to the large expense involved in travel to the meeting, planning for the Annual Meeting must begin early. SBA Presidents and ABA Representatives should contact their deans and local bar associations early in order to ensure proper funding for the meeting.

Law Student Division members seeking a roommate to share expenses during the ABA Annual Meeting in New York City may complete and submit the following request form. Contacting perspective roommates and agreeing upon arrangements will be your own responsibility. The ABA Law Student Division does not assume any responsibility for making such arrangements. Tell me more