House hears from ABA president, UK attorney general, and bids farewell to long-time leader of Governmental Affairs Office
 ABA President Karen J. Mathis, in her opening remarks to the ABA’s policy-making House of Delegates, spoke to two of the association’s initiatives this year: Youth-at-Risk and Second Season of Service, and recounted her recent trip to Ecuador in which she met with young victims of human trafficking. Mathis poignantly pointed out the difference that lawyers, working with others, can make in the lives of youth such as those involved in trafficking.
Rt. Hon. Lord Goldsmith
The Rt. Hon. Lord Goldsmith, attorney general of the United Kingdom, also addressed the House, encouraging members of the American legal profession to work toward a balance between national security and civil liberties. To do this, Goldsmith said, there must be a respect for the rule of law, a commitment to fundamental values and freedoms, and a change only in what is necessary in terms of rights: torture is never appropriate. Find audio of Mathis’s and Goldsmith’s remarks, and more from the House, online here.
Finally, during the House’s afternoon session, former ABA President Dennis Archer took to the floor to call forward Robert D. Evans, director of the Government Affairs Office and of the Washington, D.C., office. When the standing ovation had ceased, Archer thanked Evans for his leadership and service to the association and to the profession. Evans is due to retire at the end of this month, after 35 years of service.
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