We are extremely pleased to present Michael E. Tigar -- one of the nation's foremost legal educators -- in both the Friday opening plenary session and "hands-on" workshop environments. We owe a particular debt of gratitude to the Section of Litigation for making Mr. Tigar's appearance possible. Mr. Tigar will be preceded by Louisiana State Bar Association President, Larry Feldman, Jr. -- an accomplished leader and exceptional speaker.

In addition, we will be joined by the Business Law Section, the Trial Tort and Insurance Practice Section, the International Law Section, the General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Section, the Real Property and Probate Section, the Judicial Division, the Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Commission on Homelessness and Poverty, ensuring unparalleled educational excellence! LexisNexis and Martindale-Hubbell, YLD Corporate Sponsors, have contributed to the success of the Conference and Events.

The conference will also feature special workshops highlighting the Division's school violence prevention initiative. Junior Judges: Helping Kids Make Smart Choices, teaches elementary students to judge for themselves the right thing to do in difficult situations involving cheating, destroying property, stealing, teasing, bullying, drugs and alcohol, and gangs and weapons. The MTV-style video is accompanied by a curriculum guide that thoroughly prepares the attorney presenter to facilitate student discussion on topics statistically likely to lead to violence. Come learn how to implement the program that has swept the country and become required curriculum for every fourth grade classroom in Texas!

Similarly, Mediators Achieving Peace: A Direction Away from School Violence trains attorneys to teach seventh and eighth grade students how to come to agreement, offering students an acceptable alternative to violence by showing them how to deal with peer pressure before it escalates into violence as a result of children attempting to "save face." Lawyers watching this video routinely receive 2.5 hours of participatory CLE credit.

By popular request following the Division's ABA Midyear Meeting luncheon, our member service initiative of balancing professional and personal responsibilities will again facilitate an enhanced, interactive discussion of balancing issues for young lawyers. The active-participation format will be led by a diverse panel of professionals and will culminate in the distribution of the Division's highly-coveted Life in the Balance: Achieving Equilibrium in Professional and Personal Life.

The social festivities peak on Friday night with our own private Mardi Gras parade through the streets of New Orleans, over the mighty Mississippi, and into the private warehouse of Blaine Kern's Mardi Gras World -- home of the original Mardi Gras parade floats and entertainment. Join invited-Grand Marshall, ABA Executive Director Robert A. Stein, and relent to an evening of unsurpassed, mystic Cajun delight!

Experience for yourself the year-long celebration of the Louisiana Purchase Bicentennial. Celebrate with friends the most significant real estate deal in history that doubled the size of our young nation overnight. We are most pleased to share our acquisition with our distinguished international guests and to welcome them to the luxurious Fairmont Hotel for a weekend of wonders. Join your colleagues for an unforgettable life experience!

Alan O. Olson
Chair, ABA Young Lawyers Division