Lawyers Conference Committees

Participation in Lawyers Conference Committees allows members to participate in judicial reform, court delay reduction, civil justice reform and community-based justice efforts with the support of the ABA. The Lawyers Conference encourages members to become involved and to bring your ideas and concerns to these committees so that the objectives and interests of all members can be heard, understood and incorporated into Lawyers Conference proposals, projects and initiatives.

The LC committee structure is designed to align to the Conference’s mission, to establish consistency with the JD level committee structure, and to maintain efficiency in the committee system. Each committee is organized and managed in a way that promotes: 

• Value to Members: To ensure sustainability and attract and retain members, the Conference’s programs and services must provide measurable value and benefits to LC members. 
• Service to the Administration of Justice and the Rule of Law: In keeping with the LC mission to be a voice for the judiciary, LC programs, publications and services should focus on issues that improve the efficiency, accessibility, fairness and impartiality of our nation’s federal, state, local and tribal courts, as well as public understanding of the importance of an independent judiciary to the rule of law. 
• Diversity and Professionalism: In all of its activities, the LC should solicit and encourage the participation of diverse voices, experiences and backgrounds in the LC’s leadership, services and programs and promote a professional and collegial working environment. 

*membership in this committee is by appointment only

Communications

Chair

Randi Starrett

Description

The Communications Committee is responsible for marketing and publicizing LC programs, e-content, news, member benefits and events through print and electronic means, including but not limited to email, social media, website updates, newsletters, print publications and ABA resources for media and public relations. Towards these ends, the Communications Committee must ensure timely submission of quality and informative content for the JD Record in coordination with the Conference Editor, who shall be a member of the Communications Committee.

• JD Record Editor: Randi Starrett

Court-Appointed Neutrals

Chair

Merril Hirsh

Description

Court-appointed neutrals stand as a unique example of where the role of attorneys and judicial officials overlap. The Committee explores how neutrals can help reduce litigation cost, the drain on court resources, and the length of court proceedings.

Diversity

Co-Chair

Eli Contreras
Allison Folmar

Description

The Diversity Committee is tasked with ensuring that the Conference will vigilantly focus on the commitment of the ABA to ensuring diversity among leadership and CLE speakers and will explore ways to improve diversity within the bench and bar, all with an eye of increasing the voices of those from historically marginalized parts of our communities.

Finance & Non-Dues Revenue

Chair

Andrew Schpak

Description

The purpose of the Finance & Non-Dues Revenue Committee is to ensure that the Conference expends its financial resources according to its budgetary needs and ABA guidelines. The committee further will consider requests for financial support and other matters that involve the expenditure of LC funds, as well as report regularly to the EC regarding revenues and budgetary issues. The committee is also charged with periodically reviewing the LC’s strategic plan and ensuring it is executed in a manner consistent with the LC’s sustainability and the overall strategic plan of the Judicial Division. This includes planning to promote growth in the Conference’s non-dues revenue stream in coordination with other LC committees.

Membership

Co-Chair

Andrew Schpak
Peter Koelling

Description

The Membership Committee is tasked with: (1) monitoring and reporting to the EC on current and past LC membership, including dues paying and non-dues paying members; (2) developing strategies to bring in new dues-paying members to the Conference from inside and outside the ABA, including but not limited to outreach efforts towards the YLD and other SDFs; (3) developing and implementing strategies to retain law student members once they enter the practice of law; (4) coordinating with the Communications Committee to share information with current and prospective members about the value of LC membership as shown through upcoming events, programs, publications and services; (5) planning social events and other opportunities for member engagement; (6) coordinating with the Programs & Publications Committee to communicate information to help develop programs and e-content that is desirable for LC membership.

Nominating Committee*

Chair

Colemon Potts

Description

The primary purpose of the Nominating Committee is to recommend a slate of LC officers, the HOD Delegate and EC members at the Annual Meeting each year for approval by the LC membership. The Nominating Committee is required under Article 8.02 of the LC’s Bylaws.

As a secondary role, the Nominating Committee will also be responsible for the following:

• Awards: The Nominating Committee must either consider itself or establish a subcommittee to consider nominations to receive the Burnham “Hod” Greeley Award (usually awarded at the Mid-Year meeting to someone/an organization that has made an outstanding contribution in the promoting public understanding of the role of the judiciary and the rule of law) and the Robert B. Yegge Award (awarded at the Annual Meeting to someone who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of judicial administration).
• LC Fellows Program: The Nominating Committee must either manage or appoint a subcommittee to manage and develop the LC Fellows Program. This Program was inaugurated in 2017 and is intended to give all past LC officers and EC members automatic membership in the LC Fellows Program and to encourage them to help sustain the LC either through participation in LC committees or financially through contributions to the FJE. 

Programs & Publications

Chair

Melissa Aubin

Description

The mission of the Programs & Publications Committee is to develop and deliver live CLE programs, e-content, publications and other programs that provide value to LC members and a source of non-dues revenues for the Conference. This includes reviewing proposals for CLE programs at the Annual & Midyear CLEs, webinars and other electronic programs, and communicating and coordinating with the Conference Editor to The Judges’ Journal. This Committee includes the Supreme Court Admissions Program.

• The Judges' Journal Co-Editors: Daniel F. Gourash & Alexandra Graves

In 2016, the number of LC subject matter committees greatly expanded, and this was maintained in 2017. This expansion had the goal of including more members in LC leadership and developing broader issues for program consideration, including issues that reflected the JD and LC Chair themes. The following were topics of committees in 2016 and 2017, and we encourage members interested in these or other topics to bring forward ideas to the Programs & Publications Committee:

• Court Administration 
• Court Funding
• Courtroom Technology
• Impact of Changes in Legal Education
• Interaction of Three Branches of Government
• International Courts and Proceedings
• Joint Projects with the Council of Appellate Lawyers
• Promoting Specialized Courts
• Relationship of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches
• Role of In House Counsel in Improving Our Court System
• Tribal Courts
• Veterans and the Courts

Public Outreach

Co-Chairs:

Kari Petrasek
David Levesque

Description

The Public Outreach Committee is charged with organizing and implementing programs that engage the public or outside parties to advance public awareness and knowledge of the importance of a fair, independent and impartial judiciary. Specifically, this committee will be expected to work with and assist the following JD level public outreach and education programs and specific LC initiatives:

• JD Judicial Outreach Network to promote and broadly implement programs during the National Week of Judicial Outreach. LC Chair appoints an LC member to this JD Committee and that appointee sits on this LC Public Outreach committee. (Other LC members can join JD JON outside of the one appointee)
• JD Amicus Committee – LC and CAL Chair each appoint 6 members
• LC Day on the Hill