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Have you ever wanted to make a difference in the legal community? Have you dreamed about changing policy and legal practices with well-renowned attorneys, politicians, and leading stakeholders within the criminal justice field? You can do that today, by joining the ABA Criminal Justice Section!

What is the ABA Criminal Justice Section?

The ABA Criminal Justice Section is the most active and diverse criminal justice organization in the country.  Membership in the Section can help you stay abreast of emerging practice issues and provides a unique opportunity for you to interact with players in all parts of the criminal justice field.

Why Do Law Students Join the ABA Criminal Justice Section?

Our Section not only provides the opportunity to network with over 16,000 members, including prosecutors, defenders, law enforcement, criminal investigators, judiciary officials, fellow law students, and other criminal justice professionals, but our members also enjoy the following benefits and more:

  • Discounts on practice-related publications
  • Priority invitations and discounts to CLE programs
  • Online Subscription to Criminal Justice Magazine and Criminal Justice Section Newsletter
  • Opportunity to join the Section's substantive committees
  • Summaries of Supreme Court Criminal Law Cases

Free Law Student Membership

Membership in the Criminal Justice Section is free for all ABA law student members. 

If you are already an ABA member, please enroll here

If you are not a member of the ABA, join now.

Competition

The annual William Greenhalgh Student Writing Competition, named in memory of the late law professor, challenges the student-author to explore important issues of American criminal constitutional procedures. In addition to a cash prize, the winner receives a free one-year Section membership, airfare and accommodations to a Section meeting to receive the award, and possible publication of the essay in Criminal Justice magazine.