American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division - Election Information

The ABA Young Lawyers Division will elect its 2010-2011 officers and other representatives at the ABA Annual Meeting on August 7, 2010 in San Francisco, CA. The officers and representatives being elected include the Chair-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Speaker, Clerk, two delegates to the ABA House of Delegates, and the Division’s nominee for the young-lawyer member-at-large position on the ABA Board of Governors. The deadline for candidacy by written notice to the Secretary-Treasurer, with a copy to the Speaker, and Staff Director is the Assembly’s adjournment at the ABA Midyear meeting on February 6, 2010 in Orlando, FL. For more information, please contact the Secretary-Treasurer, Michael G. Bergmann at mbergmann@pili-law.org or 312-832-5129.

The ABA Young Lawyers Division elects its officers and other representatives at the ABA Annual Meeting. Eligible individuals must submit their candidacy by written notice to the Secretary-Treasurer, with a copy to the Speaker, and Staff Director by the Assembly’s adjournment at the ABA Midyear Meeting. The written notice must specify a single position sought. There is no special form. It is suggested that it simply identify the candidate (by name, address, and telephone number) and say, "Please accept this letter as my written notice of candidacy for [title]."

The YLD Assembly elects four officers (Chair-Elect, Secretary-Treasurer, Speaker, and Clerk), seven constitutional representatives (four delegates to the ABA House of Delegates, one representative to the ABA Nominating Committee and two young-lawyer members-at-large representative to the ABA Board of Governors):

• Officers. No person is eligible as an officer unless he or she can and does continue as a Division member throughout his or her term (including, in the case of the Chair-Elect, the ensuing term of the Chair).
• Constitutional Representatives. No person shall be eligible as a constitutional representative unless he or she is a Division member when his or her term begins, or otherwise satisfies the constitutional qualifications. For the ABA Board of Governors, the term does not begin until the annual meeting after the Division "elects" its nominee.

Membership is open to American Bar Association members under 36 years old or admitted to practice for five years or less.

The Division Bylaws govern elections; the provisions that relate to the eligibility for office, candidacy, and elections appear in articles VI-VIII. The Division has also adopted election guidelines.

The candidates for the "entry-level" positions—Secretary-Treasurer, Assembly Clerk, ABA Board, ABA Nominating Committee, and Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates—have typically held one or more nationally elected positions or several senior appointments at the national level, before seeking election. However, these customs are merely customs, not rules, and any eligible person can run for any available position.

• The Chair is customarily elected to the ABA House of Delegates.
• The Secretary-Treasurer customarily succeeds the Chair-Elect.
• The Clerk customarily succeeds the Speaker.

Eligible individuals must submit their candidacy by written notice to the Secretary-Treasurer, with a copy to the Speaker, and Staff Director by the Assembly’s adjournment at the ABA Midyear Meeting. The written notice must specify a single position sought. There is no special form. It is suggested that it simply identify the candidate (by name, address, and telephone number) and say, "Please accept this letter as my written notice of candidacy for [title]."

• Appointments: There are literally hundreds of appointments at the national level, ranging from committee membership (flexible time commitment) to committee planning boards (a few hours monthly) to directors (significant time commitment).
• Committees: Membership is free for YLD members and offers the opportunity to exchange ideas and gain insight from other lawyers who share your interests and expertise. It also allows you to receive timely information on developments in your practice area. YLD members can join a committee at any time.
• Affiliates. The Division consists of more than three hundred affiliated state, local and specialty young lawyer bar organizations, each of which also affords opportunities for young-lawyer leadership at the state or local level. Many (probably most) YLD leaders come from the ranks of affiliate leaders.