Originally published in Student Lawyer magazine, September 2003 (Vol. 32, No. 1)

Officially Speaking

ABA Provides Tools for Law School and Beyond

by Michael Pellicciotti

The American Bar Association and its Law Student Division are about opportunities. As one of the largest groups in the ABA, the Division is the nation's only forum for students at all 187 ABA-approved law schools. On an individual level, your ABA membership provides benefits that can help you with school and your career.

The Law Student Division is led by law students for the benefit of law students. As a forum, we want to hear about your pressing issues and concerns. In the past, students have raised issues about public service, loan repayment programs, diversity in law school and the legal profession, tuition increases, bar exam requirements, and other matters that law students can share ideas about and unite to resolve. The Division's leadership may then relay these concerns to the ABA, law school administrations, and even congressional leaders.

Playing a crucial role in representing law students to the larger ABA are your school's ABA representative and SBA president, your regional circuit governor, and the Division's national officers. In addition, the Law Student Division sends three delegates to the ABA House of Delegates to address issues in the larger ABA from a student perspective.

In addition to providing a collective student voice, the ABA gives you a variety of benefits to help you succeed in law school and plan your career. This year, as always, we will offer programs and activities to bring you in contact with practicing lawyers and law students from across the country. The most recent of these were conducted at the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco a few weeks ago. The thousands of students and lawyers in attendance had a wonderful opportunity to learn about the legal profession and develop lasting professional relationships.

Be on the lookout this year for ABA events in your area. Even if you aren't able to attend, you can tap into ABA resources including publications, online forums, and other communications.
As a member of the ABA Law Student Division, you pay only $20 a year to receive the same services as general ABA members, plus benefits designed specifically for law students. Visit the Division's web site at www.abanet.org/lsd to learn about the many career development, internship, scholarship, and leadership opportunities available to members, not to mention discounts and offerings on products and services such as health insurance, BAR/BRI, PMBR, Emplawyernet, Hertz, IBM, and the Citibank Mastercard.

Every month of the school year, ABA Law Student Division members receive Student Lawyer. The magazine's yellow-tinted Division Dialogue pages keep you updated on ABA opportunities, student leadership efforts at other schools, and Law Student Division activities. The rest of the magazine offers columns and feature articles about navigating the challenges of law school, job searching, developing your career, and learning what to expect when you become a lawyer.

The Division's officers, delegates, and Board of Governors look forward to working with you this year. Please feel free to contact me with your thoughts.

Michael Pellicciotti
Gonzaga University
Chair, ABA Law Student Division
michaelp@abanet.org