The 2024 Collaborative Bar Leadership Academy (CBLA) was held from June 23-25, 2024 in New York City and was attended by 70 attorneys from local and national diverse bar associations. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP hosted the 3-day program which was co-hosted and chaired by Anna Mercado Clark, current NAPABA President, as well as by the Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession (CREDP). CBLA’s pipeline and training program is a joint effort by the American Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, National Bar Association, National LGBT Bar Association, National Native American Bar Association, and South Asian Bar Association of North America, with support from the National Association of Blind Lawyers. CBLA was well attended by its ABA members, leadership across our affinity bar associations, as well as the ABA President-Elect, William “Bill” Bay.
As Anna Mercado Clark, the CBLA Chair, noted, “the next generation of national bar leaders” were among the CBLA attendees. Over three days, the attendees engaged in interactive programs, listened to leadership panels and worked to “gain insight into national bar leadership challenges and strategies while making meaningful connections with colleagues from around the country and our legal community.”
The program included presentations on governance, bar finances, the ABA’s House of Delegates, the ABA’s Model Diversity Survey, among others. Participants heard from bar veterans who imparted their knowledge and experience to our emerging bar leadership. For instance, in the discussion regarding bar finances, the panel focused on critical areas such as budget allocation, membership dues structure, and optimizing revenue streams while ensuring fiscal responsibility and meeting fiduciary obligations while delving into the nuances of fiscal management specific to bar associations.
The program culminated in a President’s panel which highlighted the affinity bar presidents and their unique perspectives and experiences in leading legal communities and a vignette that allowed participants to get hands-on experience with problem solving, board communications and crisis management.
As Mary Smith, President, American Bar Association, mentioned, the participants of CBLA are the future leaders of the legal profession and that they “have the potential to shape the direction of [their] individual bars and help our nation attain its ideals of democracy and justice for all.” She extended her appreciation to the members of the ABA groups and affinity bar associations participating in this joint effort, along with our hard-working steering committee, staff, and generous sponsors.
CREDP is proud to co-sponsor the CBLA and is committed to creating a pipeline of diverse leaders and knows that this pipeline of future bar leaders and organizations will impact the direction of our bar association community. By raising the profile of diversity, equity and inclusion in our legal profession, the CBLA is strengthening our collective efforts to achieve a strong and successful pipeline for the ABA.
