Become a Voting Committee Member

Get involved in Section policy decisions by becoming a voting member in your chosen Committees today!

As legislation makes its way through Congress, our substantive Committees monitor its progress. In consultation with Section Council and Division leadership, Committees often draft resolutions supporting , opposing, or neutrally commenting on specific legislation which corresponds to their area of interest.

Additionally, Committees will often draft comments on organizational, rule, or procedural changes at IP-related government institutions such as the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

In order to take part in this important work, you must be a voting member of your Committee!

To become a voting member of a committee, sign up using this link.

Important Notes on Committee Voting:

Only Lawyer members may register as voting members. Law Student and Associate members are not eligible to vote on Section policy initiatives.

Resolutions and comments are voted on by all voting members of a Committee, and are only passed by a majority of a quorum (for Section purposes, a quorum constitutes a simple majority of voting members).

The roster of voting members is "locked" once a resolution or set of comments begins discussion within a committee. Only those registered as voting members on the day the comments or resolution begin discussion may vote on the final product.

By registering as a voting member of a Committee, you agree to receive additional communications from your Committee Chair and Vice Chair and to respond to calls for votes in a timely manner. Failure to respond to a vote call twice will result in your removal from the Committee’s roster of voting members.

Registration as a voting member of a committee is recurring, with no action necessary on your part. However, failure to maintain active ABA membership will result in your removal as a voting member and will necessitate re-registering upon reactivation of your membership.