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Originally published in Student
Lawyer magazine, November 2005 (Vol. 34, No. 3). All rights
reserved.
ABA Annual Meeting
Law Student Assembly Votes on Policies and Hears From ABA Leaders
by Karen Taylor
Law student attendees at the 2005 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago
put their policymaking skills to the test at the Law Student Division
Assembly. The Assembly brought together ABA representatives and
SBA presidents from ABA-approved law schools to debate and vote
on five resolutions.
Law Student Division chair Vicki Goodman believes the Assembly
is the most important part of the Annual Meeting.
“The Law Student Division Assembly is the only national
forum for law students,” she says. “Law students are
the future of the legal profession. It is important for every law
school to send their two representatives to ensure that their students
have a voice on the issues that face law students.”
The Assembly opened with a State of the Division report by outgoing
Law Student Division chair Chris Jeter. Jeter outlined the progress
the Division made during the past year, citing new-member growth
for the 10th year in a row. He also lauded the Division’s
efforts in making loan forgiveness for public interest lawyers a
top lobbying priority for the ABA.
After Jeter’s speech, the floor was opened for business
on the following resolutions and other matters:
Independent judiciary. The Assembly voted to
endorse a State Bar of Texas resolution before the ABA House of
Delegates to affirm that an independent judiciary is fundamental
to free society.
Insurance for alcohol/drug-related claims. The
Assembly voted against an ABA Standing Committee on Substance Abuse
recommendation that the ABA urge governments to discontinue practices
that permit insurers to deny coverage in accident and sickness policies
for alcohol- and drug-related injures or losses.
Inmate phone calls. The Assembly considered a
resolution from the ABA Criminal Justice Section calling for governments
to encourage more options and lower rates for inmate phone calls
to the free community. Despite a friendly amendment specifying that
communications should be only with legal counsel and immediate family,
the resolution failed to gain the Assembly’s support.
Interest rates. The Assembly overwhelmingly supported
a resolution proposed by outgoing Division Delegate Lindsay Hansen
that the Division not support revised Higher Education Act Title
IV to require a variable, rather than fixed, interest rate for consolidation
loans. Hansen cited growing tuition costs and current low interest
rates in her support of this position.
“Consolidation loans allow students to lock in lower interest
rates and to protect themselves against the upcoming increases in
rates,” she told Assembly members. “Eliminating fixed-rate
consolidations could cost students thousands of dollars in interest
payments.”
The resolution passed by voice vote with no dissentions.
Diversity Day. The Assembly dealt with a resolution
calling for a change in the date of the Division-sponsored Diversity
Day to increase participation from all schools. In past years, Diversity
Day was held in April, making it difficult for some schools to plan
activities because of final exams and leadership turnover.
After heavy debate and several compromises, the Assembly voted
to allow the Law Student Division’s Diversity Committee to
select a date at any time during the academic year, rather than
limiting the committee to the month of April.
As students expressed concerns about other cultural programming
taking place during certain months of the year, language was added
to the resolution instructing the committee to take these into account.
“I was pleased that the law students were able to debate
the issue of diversity and then work together to compromise in an
effort to make Diversity Day events more successful this year and
in the years to come,” Goodman says. “The diversity
resolution was brought in an effort to reinvigorate the Division’s
commitment to diversity and to make it easier for law schools around
the country to implement a Diversity Day initiative at their schools.”
ABA presidents. The Assembly took a break in
business to hear addresses from outgoing ABA president Robert Grey
and incoming president Michael Greco.
Grey talked about the importance of the legal profession and democracy.
“The only guardians of this democracy and this rule of law
are those who are professionally trained to understand it,”
he told law students. “That’s me and that’s you.”
Greco shared with the Assembly the top goals of his term. He stressed
the importance of public service and pro bono work in the legal
profession, equal access to justice for civil matters, and reasserting
the independence of the judiciary.
Greco complimented the work of the Division and the commitment
of law students to public service. “You make me so proud of
the work that you do,” he said. “We’re all in
this together.”
Service awards. Law Student Division staff director
Patricia Brennan and outgoing chair Jeter were recognized for their
work on behalf of the Division. Brennan received the Division’s
Platinum Key, an award that requires the signatures of three past
chairs. Jeter received the Division’s Gold Key.
Karen Taylor, a second-year student at Brigham
Young University Law School, is Student Lawyer’s student editor.
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