Changing of the Guard at the ABA

400,000 volunteer members make the American Bar Association the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world, according to the ABA's website.  So, it's no small matter when the ABA announces the captains that will stand at its helm in the coming years.

D.C.-based attorney, Carolyn Lamm is up first. She began her one-year tenure as ABA President yesterday and will remain in the position until August 2010.  Not her first time in the leadership ring, Lamm served as President of the District of Columbia Bar in 2007 and is a partner with White and Case.  As ABA President Lamm is looking to steer the organization to become better equipped to address big-picture trends for attorneys such as the impact of globalization and technology on attorney regulation and ethics.  

And Lamm hasn't wasted a second as president. On her first day at the new desk, she announced the creation of a "Commission on Impact of the Economic Crisis on the Profession and on Public's Legal Needs".  Identifying that the recession has put attorneys out of work while also creating a greater need for professional advice on the legalities of foreclosures, bankruptcies, and other areas of the law, the Commission will look to initiate new programs and collaborate with existing organizations to adapt to the economic turbulence and its aftermath.

Following Lamm's year-long term, the ABA presidency baton will be passed to Stephen Zack who will remain in President-Elect status until then.  With a range of experience including founding the Cuban American Bar Association and Chairing ABA's policy-making House of Delegates, Zack hopes to focus his presidency on inspiring new attorneys, promoting civics education, and expanding access to justice to everyone in the country. 

Related Resources:

• American Bar Association (abanet.org)