I. ABA Business Law Section
Business Law Section Mission Statement
The mission of the Business Law Section is to serve its members, the profession, and the public by providing educational resources to its members, assisting members in serving their clients ethically and competently, and furthering the development and improvement of business law.
To accomplish its mission, the Section will 1) provide services which its members value, 2) enhance professional collegiality, 3) encourage diversity, equity and inclusion in the Section by fostering a welcoming environment and promoting full and equal participation by all lawyers, 4) address needs of younger lawyers and law students, and 5) operate in a fiscally responsible manner.
Diversity Board, Diversity Officer and DEI Plan
In 2021, the Section amended its bylaws to create new governance boards of which one is the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board (DEI Board) and to create a non-ladder officer position of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer (DEI Officer).
The DEI Officer (a) leads efforts to achieve the Section’s DEI goals and strategies; (b) serves as Chair of DEI Board; and (c) oversees DEI related Boards and Committees. The mission of the DEI Board is to assist Section leadership in providing strategic direction to promote DEI within the Section. The DEI Board is responsible for developing new Section initiatives to enhance DEI, establishing and monitoring DEI membership goals within the Section, providing resources to committee leaders to support their DEI efforts, and raising awareness and addressing current issues pertaining to DEI within the Section and the practice of law. The Business Law Section enthusiastically embraces and encourages diversity, equity and inclusion in Section membership. A diverse and inclusive membership makes the Section stronger and its work more relevant to the multicultural society in which we live. Bringing together diverse skills and perspectives to discuss any issue will result in deeper understanding and better resolution of the issue. A fully inclusive membership considers all viewpoints and backgrounds without bias, producing well-rounded and relevant work.
This DEI Plan is intended to be a roadmap to a fully inclusive Section membership which is reached when a diverse set of viewpoints and backgrounds are represented in the Section at all levels. The Section encourages each of its Committees to appoint a DEI Director who would monitor the Committee’s DEI objectives and report back to the DEI Board. In involving diverse viewpoints, the plan includes the widest range of business law practitioners including but not limited to young lawyers, law students, senior lawyers, international lawyers, lawyers of diverse or underrepresented ethnic and racial backgrounds, lawyers with disabilities, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and other LGBTQ2+ lawyers and women lawyers.
Business Law Fellows Program
For over 20 years, the Business Law Section Fellows program encourages the participation of young lawyers, lawyers of color, LGBTQ+ lawyers and lawyers with disabilities in its Section activities by subsidizing attendance at its meetings. The program provides a springboard to substantive leadership opportunities and develops future leaders of the Section through mentorship and engagement.
Since the program’s inception, 228 Fellows have participated in the Fellows program and to date, 65% of former Fellows are actively involved in the Section. More importantly, 31% of former Fellows currently hold leadership positions within the Section and 10% of Section Committee Chairs are Fellow alumni.
Leadership Academy
The Leadership Academy aims to provide Section members with skills to assume leadership roles in the ABA, charitable and community organizations and their places of employment through this curriculum of advancing CLE and non-CLE programs. The Leadership Academy will offer an advancing curriculum of CLE and non-CLE programs aimed to develop leadership skills of lawyers with an emphasis on diverse candidates. The programs will be held over the course of a two-year period at five in-person meetings and two ancillary webinar presentations.