Dear SBA Presidents:

A letter was forwarded to law school deans from the ABA President and Law Student Division Chair in an effort to help make the case to your law school administration to support your attendance at the ABA Annual Meeting. Please feel free to use this letter to make your case to your law school dean.

The Law Student Division’s policy-making body, the Assembly, convenes once a year at the ABA Annual Meeting to review and vote on policy issues affecting law students, legal education and the legal profession. Each ABA-approved law school has two official voting delegates in the Assembly – the SBA President and the ABA Law Student Division Representative, or their proxies.

In addition to representing your school in the Assembly, the SBA Presidents and ABA Law Student Division Representatives may attend training and leadership workshops designed to meet your needs and develop your skills as well as numerous opportunities to exchange best practices with other law school leaders.
For example, the SBA and Representative training programs will include sessions on how to communicate effectively and to build relationships with administration, faculty and other students, how to work within the community, and how to plan and develop programs and activities for your law school student body.

Similarly, ABA Law Student Division Representatives will meet with representatives from the ABA Membership Department, as well as nationally recognized companies that serve as the member benefit providers to the ABA Law Student Division. These providers include BARBRI, Kaplan PMBR and United Healthcare Student Resources Health Insurance, to name a few. The ABA Law Student Division Representatives will also convene with their SBA counterparts to develop partnership opportunities.

In addition, you will be able to attend programs that address topics such as professionalism, ethics, technology, business, litigation, alternative dispute resolution, solo and small firm management, as well as a variety of career development programs. The ABA Annual Meeting also offers the opportunity to meet and network with attorneys new to the practice of law, as well as those accomplished in a wide range of practice areas and settings.

We look forward to seeing you in Chicago.

Wells Griffith
Vice Chair – SBA
Mississippi College School of Law

• Making Your Case to Your Dean
• Annual Meeting Details

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• Election/Appointment Reporting Form
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• 200 Innovative Ideas for America's Law Schools
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Wells Griffith, Vice Chair-SBA
Mississippi College School of Law
Jackson, MS

 

 

Welcome 2009-2010 SBA Presidents!

Congratulations to each of you on your election as SBA President!  You are now part of an elite group of law school leaders across this country who have the unique ability to impact and lead your student body like no one else.  This coming year will no doubt be a busy one for you.  As a former SBA President myself, I know the challenges and great opportunity that each of you will be facing come the fall.  

Check out the List of Resources that will help you as an SBA President. Many of these resources will be discussed in details and distributed during the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.   There you will find information on:

• How to reach America's Law School Presidents through the SBA Listserve.
• Online Resources for SBA Presidents.
• Why you should attend the Annual Meeting
• Why you should attend your Circuit's Fall Leadership Summit and Spring Meeting
• How to get involved with law school leaders in your state and region.
• Law Student Advocacy/Lobbying Efforts.
• How to Join the ABA Law Student Division.

As a law school Student Bar Association President, you have the ability to make an impact on your student body in a profound way.  I encourage you to get involved in the ABA and network with other SBA Presidents from across the country.  As the new school year approaches, we will be distributing more information and resources that will help you be a successful SBA President and give you the tools to make your year as President truly remarkable and memorable.

If there is anything the ABA Law Student Division can do to assist you or your SBA, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Grant Program
The ABA Law Student Division Grant Program provides financial and program support each year to student organizations of ABA-approved law schools to establish programs/activities which emphasize diversity, ethics, professionalism training and public interest/service activities.

Representatives and Membership Funds
A limited amount of funding is available to ABA Representatives through the ABA Law Student Division Representative Fund and Membership Fund.

• The Accreditation Process
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• Question about your ABA Membership (800/285-2221)
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