This document provides an orientation for the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Assembly. It introduces the Division officers and constitutional representatives. It explains that the Assembly is the principal policy-making body of the YLD where resolutions are debated and voted on. It provides details on the certification process for delegates, rules and procedures, an overview of the resolutions to be debated, and encourages delegates to get involved in the Assembly discussions.

1. AMERICAN BAR
ASSOCIATION
Young Lawyers Division
ASSEMBLY Orientation

2. The Division Officers
Latanishia D. Watters Jennifer G. Daugherty
Assembly Speaker Assembly Clerk
Michael G. Bergmann
YLD Chair
Christopher A. Rogers, Chair-Elect Mario A. Sullivan, Secretary-Treasurer

3. The Division Constitutional
Representatives
Elizabeth Acee, House of Delegates Kelly-Ann F. Clarke, House of Delegates
Ethan Tidmore, House of Delegates Jonathan W. Wolfe, House of Delegates

4. The Division Constitutional
Representatives
David Wolfe, Immediate Past Chair/ Kendyl Hanks, Board of Governors
Nominating Committee
Bill Ferreira, Board of Governors
Michael Pellicciotti, Board of Governors Nominee

5. The YLD Assembly
What is it?
 The principal policy-making body of the Young
Lawyers Division
 Only forum where state, local, military, and specialty
YL groups from across the U.S. debate important
issues
 Forum for the ABA and YLD leadership to share their
goals and plans for the current bar year and beyond
 Convenes twice a year at the ABA's Midyear and
Annual meetings
 Receives reports from the ABA and YLD Leaders and
debates and votes on certain resolutions affecting
young lawyers in the legal profession

6. ABA Leaders
Address YLD Assembly
Click image to play ^^

7. The YLD Assembly
Who is it?
 Voting members of the ABA YLD Council
– Officers
– Immediate Past Chair
– Constitutional Representatives
– Directors
– ABA Law Student Division Chair
– District Representatives
– National Affiliate Representatives
 Delegates representing the state affiliates
 Two delegates representing each National Affiliate
 A delegate representing each military branch

8. The YLD Assembly
How It Works

9. The YLD Assembly
 Rules and procedures
 The check in/certification process for the
delegates
 What to expect and what you need to bring
 Brief overview of the resolutions to be
debated and what resolutions will be placed
on the consent calendar
 ABA House of Delegates Basics

10. Assembly Rules and Procedures
 Resolutions debated according to the rules of parliamentary procedure
and Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised
 3 types of resolutions
i. Resolutions from YLD affiliates, committees, teams, boards,
officers, or delegates.
 To become actual ABA policy - must be passed by both the YLD
Assembly and the ABA House of Delegates
ii. Resolutions scheduled for debate by the ABA House of Delegates
(HOD meets on the Monday following the YLD Assembly).
iii. Resolutions placed on the “consent” calendar.
 Generally have little or no opposition
 If no delegate removes it from calendar, automatically passed without
debate
The full Assembly agenda and the text of the resolutions to be debated, as
well as consent calendar resolutions are available on the YLD website
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/about_us/assembly.html.

11. Meeting Materials: How to Stay Informed
 YLD’s Website - www.ambar.org/YoungLawyers

12. Meeting Materials: How to Stay Informed
 YLD’s Assembly Website - Click From the Home Page ‘About Us’ then ‘Assembly’

13. The Delegate Certification Process
 Must be an ABA member and registered for the
meeting!
 Must be a YLD member or member of a YLD
affiliate!
 Pre-register as delegate through your affiliate
 Must also certify on-site in person
 Must have your ABA badge to certify (i.e. sign in
and pick up your delegate ribbon)
 Alternates also must sign in but do not receive a
ribbon
 YLD Certification held at main ABA registration
area
 YLD Council Members certify at the Thursday council
meeting

14. What to expect and bring
Assembly held at the YLD Hotel
Business Attire Required
Be in your designated seat no later than 1pm on
Friday and 9am on Saturday
Seating is by district/state. Council members sit
with their district/state. Find your district
number/state.
May only sit with your delegation and vote if you
have ABA badge and delegate ribbon. Alternates
also sit with district/state if there are enough seats.
Print the Assembly Agenda and copies of the
resolutions to be debated before you leave home.
Copies will not be available onsite.

15. Delegate Certification Hours
 May change depending on the meeting and the
main ABA Registration hours
 2012 Annual Meeting Chicago YLD Certification
Schedule:
Thursday 10:00 am – 5:30 pm / ABA Registration
Riverside Center, Purple Level, East Tower, Hyatt Regency
Chicago
Friday 8:00 am – Noon / ABA Registration
Saturday 7:00 am – 8:00 am / YLD Hotel
Swissotel Chicago, 323 East Wacker Drive
 For updated schedule, go to the YLD website and view the
meeting schedule:
http://www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers.html

16. Any Delegate May Move To
Reopen Certification
Simple Majority to Pass
Click image to play ^^

17. Overview of Resolutions Scheduled for
Debate at the 2012 Annual Meeting
 YLD Resolutions
– 7YL: This Resolution urges state and territorial bar associations to
mandate a certain amount of periodic continuing legal education
regarding information technology-related aspects of practicing law,
such as instruction on preservation, recovery and discovery of
electronically stored information.
 Pro: Ross Feldmann, Washington, D.C
 Con:
– 8YL: This Resolution urges federal legislation to support human
trafficking victims in expanding the number of transitional and
rehabilitative residential options, through offering federal grants to
non-profit agencies to transition donated properties to provide
housing for human trafficking victims.
 Pro: Christina Liu, Chicago, IL
 Con:

18. Overview Continued
 YLD Resolutions
– 9YL: This Resolution urges all state bar associations to include the
following language in their attorney oaths of admission (either
verbatim or in substance): "To opposing parties and their counsel, I
pledge fairness, integrity, and civility, not only in court, but also in all
written and oral communications."
 Pro: Min K. Cho, Orlando, FL
 Con:
– 10YL: This resolution urges all state, territorial and tribal branches of
government to act within their authority to reverse any legislation and
related policies expanding legal justification for the use of deadly
force in self-defense, returning to their jurisdictions’ prior self-
defense regimes, as articulated in statute and common law. Such
repeal should, in particular, abrogate any presumption of
reasonableness, lack of a requirement that threats justifying deadly
force be imminent, and immunity from civil suit.
 Pro: Joshu Harris, Philadelphia, PA
 Con:

19. Overview Continued
 YLD Resolutions
– 11YL: This resolution urges state and territorial governments to
require all judges and justices serving in (i) any state court, or (ii) a
local court authorized to decide criminal matters or detain
individuals, to have been admitted to practice law in the highest
court of the State, Commonwealth, Territory or Possession, or the
District of Columbia.
 Pro: Samuel J. Edmunds, Eagan, MN
 Con:
 HOD Resolution
– This Resolution reaffirms the following policy adopted July 2000:
The sharing of legal fees with non-lawyers and the ownership or
control of the practice of law by non-lawyers are inconsistent with the
core values of the legal profession. The law governing lawyers that
prohibits lawyers from sharing legal fees with non-lawyers and from
directly or indirectly transferring to non-lawyers ownership or control
over entities practicing law should not be revised.
 Pro: John E. Thies, President, ISBA, Urbana, IL
 Con: H. Thomas Wells, Jr., Former ABA President, Birmingham

20. Overview Continued
 Consent Calendar
YLD Resolutions:
– 4YL: Recommends that the YLD Bylaws be revised in the form
set forth in Resolution 4YL - Appendix A.
– 5YL: Recommends that Articles VI, VII, and XI of the YLD Bylaws
relating to the office of Secretary-Treasurer be amended as set
forth in Resolution 5YL, with the intention that the amendments
take effect with the 2014-2015 bar year.
– 6YL: Recommends that Sections 1.3, 5 and 6 of the Assembly
Standing Rules be amended as set forth in Resolution 6YL.
House of Delegates Resolutions
– 101, 102, 105A, 105B, 105C, 105D, 105E, 105F, 107A, 107B, 110,
109C, 112A, 113, and 300B
– For the full text of the above HOD resolutions, go to
http://www.americanbar.org/content/dam/aba/administrat
ive/house_of_delegates/2012_hod_annual_meeting_sum
mary_of_resolutions.authcheckdam.doc

21. Interested in Debating?
 Contact the YLD Assembly Speaker
Latanishia Watters at ldw@hsy.com
Interested in being a Delegate?
 Contact the YLD Assembly Clerk
Jennifer Daugherty at JGDaugherty@rkmc.com

22. Assembly Delegates
Get Involved!
 DIVERSITY makes the Assembly work ! ! !

23. The ABA House of Delegates
Basics
560 members
Policy-making authority of the ABA
Elect ABA’s highest officers
Like the YLD Assembly, HOD has 1 session at Midyear and 2 sessions
at Annual
Midyear: HOD meets all day the Monday following the YLD
Assembly
Annual: HOD meets all day the Monday and Tuesday following the
YLD Assembly
Delegates from state and local bars across the country
Authority to make the official policy of the ABA
Open to the public
Streamed on ABA House of Delegates page if you cannot attend in
person

24. Staff Support
 Assembly and Delegate Certification
Rachel Dawson, Director
Rachel.Dawson@americanbar.org
Tara Blasingame, Administrator
tara.blasingame@americanbar.org

25. Thank You!
www.americanbar.org/groups/young_lawyers/about_us/assembly.html
Assembly