I am proud to announce that, as of my deadline for this article, membership in the American Bar Association's Law Student Division (ABA/LSD) stood at 41,627—the largest ABA/LSD membership in a decade. But while there are many people to thank and congratulations to be shared, we can do better. We must now turn our focus to the next challenge: reaching the 90,000 law students who are not members of the ABA/LSD. Yes, it's true. Although the ABA/LSD has enjoyed an 18 percent increase in membership during the last year, less than half of the nation's law students have joined us in our quest for greater student services and increased student benefits. Why?

As vice-chair of the ABA's Law Student Division, I must not only initiate and promote membership initiatives, but also ask for your help in achieving the division's goal of serving members. For the division to succeed over the long run, the lines of communication have to be wide open—both ways. The real issue is what I can do to help you, and how you can help me do that. As lawyers, we will swear to zealously represent our clients. Today, you are my clients, and I intend to work tirelessly for all of you. But this is not a unilateral contract. As members of the ABA/LSD, you can compete in national competitions, join other American Bar Association sections and committees, and network throughout the association in your search for permanent employment and greater understanding of your chosen practice area. But these benefits do not come without consideration.

I know, I know—you paid your $15 membership fee. But that's not the type of consideration I'm referring to. All of us have an obligation not only to show other law students all of the great advantages of being a Law Student Division member, but also to actively recruit each and every student at our law school. This is not just the job of your ABA/LSD school representative or circuit governor. I am asking all of you to join with us in our endeavor to attract more law student members. Start by asking the students at your law school if they are members of the ABA/LSD. If they say no, I'll bet it's because no one has engaged them one-on-one in a conversation about the benefits of membership. And the ABA/ LSD is not just about benefits—it is also about service.

As a member of the ABA/LSD Board of Governors, I, along with the other 21 voting members of the board, am your voice on the national level to the rest of the American Bar Association. We are law students, too, with the same headaches and worries as all of you. In this three- or four-year adventure called "law school," the ABA/LSD leadership is focused on issues impacting all law students. Did you know a member of the Law Student Division sits on the Council of the ABA's Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar, the entity which determines whether or not your law school becomes ABA-accredited? Did you know that three law students are members of the ABA's House of Delegates, the policy-making arm of our profession?

As law students, we all have a voice in the direction our profession takes, but this is not a power to be taken lightly. We must work together to resolve our concerns.

October is the third month of our Membership Challenge. The two ABA/LSD school representatives who increase their school's ABA/LSD membership the most in both percentage and total numbers from August 1998 through January 1999 will each win two round-trip tickets for flights anywhere in the continental United States. This is the best time of the year not only to recruit new members, but also to reach out to other organizations and your law school administration to work together to benefit all law students. I urge you to take an active part in the Law Student Division as we all prepare for the next level of involvement in the legal profession.

Are you up to the challenge?

Christopher T. Stephen
Vice-chair, Law Student Division
The Catholic University of America
Columbus School of Law
LSDViceChair@abanet.org