The ABA's Center for Pro Bono has announced plans for its first-ever National Pro Bono Celebration. The event, scheduled for October 25-31, 2009, will "celebrate the difference lawyers make in communities" and be used to recruit and train pro bono volunteers. The committee has created a Web site for the event. Visitors can sign up for a mailing list and register to participate.

The event is intended to complement instead of replace existing pro bono celebrations. The committee will release a program guide in the next few months.

For more information, e-mail Steve Scudder.

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An ABA Commission is asking help to get states to cooperate on how to handle the elderly.

The Commission on Law and Aging is seeking "stories" of problems faced by adult guardians – people or groups that make decisions for an incapacitated, often elderly, adult – when multiple states are involved. The stories will be used in the commission's Joint Campaign for Uniform Jurisdiction, an effort to persuade states to adopt an act approved in 2007 by the ABA's Uniform Law Commission.

According to a press release, the lack of clear rules on interstate guardianship can tie up courts, inflame family conflict, and even allow for elder abuse. The act sets out standard procedures for multi-state adult guardianship cases, such as when the dependent owns property in several states. But, the release notes, the act will work only if most states adopt it.

Besides stories, the campaign includes a Web site, online clearinghouse, national Webcast, and printed materials. To submit a story, send an e-mail to guardianshipjurisdiction@americanbar.org.

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The Division for Public Education has announced A Legacy of Liberty: Celebrating Lincoln's Bicentennial as the theme for Law Day 2009. Visit www.lawday.org for updates or to join the Law Day listserv.

The State Bar of Georgia is among two winners of the ABA's 2007-08 Awards of Achievement. The bar won for its Model Juvenile Code Project. The Texas Young Lawyers Association was also honored, for the project Safeguarding Our Seniors.

For more on the award and a complete list of winners, click here.

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NCBF and ALPS Foundation Services have created a new award for creative fundraising. The award will be presented annually, beginning with NCBF's 2009 Midyear Meeting in Boston this February. The winner will receive $1,000 and may apply for financial assistance to attend the meeting, if needed.

The application deadline is October 15. For more on the award and to apply, visit www.ncbf.org.

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The ABA Commission on Women in the Profession is accepting nominations for its 19th Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award. The award honors five women lawyers who have achieved professional excellence and actively paved the way to success for other women lawyers. The award will be presented in August 2009 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

The nomination deadline is November 25. For more on the award, including the nomination form, click here.

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Most 20-year-olds are just starting to look for their purpose. The Commission on Women wants to know if its purpose has been accomplished.

The commission is celebrating its 20th anniversary with a competition to decide whether full gender diversity has been achieved and, if not, how it can be. Law students and young lawyers (lawyers under 36 years old or admitted to practice for less than five years) are invited to submit YouTube video and essay entries making their argument. Four winners will receive $500 each.

The submission deadline is December 31. For more information, click here.

The ABA's Center for Professional Responsibility has created its own newsletter for state and local bars. The newsletter will be released the same time as The Bridge and report on new ABA model rules and state rules on ethics, and other news from the center. The first edition is here.

The center is at least the fourth ABA group to produce a newsletter for bar associations, besides this publication, the Division for Media Relations' bi-monthly Bar Leader Toolkit, and the Division for Legal Services' Legal Services Now.

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It's here, and it's exhaustive. The ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center has published its 2008 Legal Technology Report, a six-volume reference on the technology habits of ABA members in private practice. The report includes several statistics related to bar associations, such as 36% of respondents use their state or local bar's journal as their main printed reference on legal technology – the second most-used source, behind only the ABA Journal.

The report can be purchased as a whole for $1800 or by volume for $350 each, with an executive summary available for $300. Prices are reduced for ABA members. Bar associations receive an additional discount by contacting the center directly at ltrc@abanet.org or (312) 988-5465. All versions of the report are available as downloadable PDFs.

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The Division for Public Education and Standing Committee on Election Law have launched a Web site with voting information and resources. The site includes a section for trial judges hearing election law disputes (right column, second box), that includes an election law manual and state-by-state election law statutes.

The Division for Public Education has also posted a site on the electoral process. Originally created for Constitution Day on September 17, the site is geared to students and teachers and includes lesson plans, conversation starters, and contests.

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ALPS Foundation Services has announced a three-part teleconference series on fundraising. The first part, on online donations, will be September 25. Parts two and three will cover how to create a fundraising plan and using emotional appeal to raise funds. For more on the conference and to register, click here.

Each publication listed, unless otherwise noted, can be ordered from the ABA Web Store, or by calling the ABA Service Center at (800) 285-2221 and referencing its product code. Click any publication cover to open its Web store page.

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