Download today!

Cornerstones of Democracy Conversation Guide

Download your free copy of the ABA’s Cornerstones of Democracy Conversation Guide to learn how to engage members in your community in civil conversations on critical issues.

Download - Conversation Guide

State and Local Bar Association Resources

Learn about success programs and resources hosted by state and local bar associations from across the country.

ABA Presidential Statement

Deborah Enix-Ross

"The legal community has the resources and ability to meet the challenges that confront the nation, and during my presidential year the ABA will collaborate with its network of state and local bars as well as other civic organizations to mobilize our collective resources ."

Five Ways to be Civically Engaged Everyday

Paul Henderson, nationally recognized speaker, veteran prosecutor and champion for social justice, offers five things you can do that don’t require much time or effort, but can make a difference in turning your passion for causes you care about into action.

Read - Article

Planning and Organizing Your Civil Conversation

Planning for a successful program begins weeks—if not months—ahead of the event. Follow our timeline to begin planning program logistics—such as location, marketing, and budget—as early as you can.

Read - Article

Confronting Controversial Issues in the Classroom

Learn how the mechanics of a discussion and the environment created in a classroom can help facilitate productive controversial discussions.

Read - Article

Establishing Conversation Norms and Defusing Conflict

The key to any productive public, civil conversation is ensuring all participants follow a set of expectations and norms. Learn how to engage your program participants and audience to work together to set a list of agreed upon norms.

Read - Article

Judges in the Classroom, Students in the Courtroom

Orleans Civil District Court Judge Kern Reese has a passion for training pre-law students how to communicate and advocate inside the courtroom. For several years, Judge Reese has worked as a coach of the Dillard University Mock Trial Team to train future lawyers on arguing cases.

Read - Newsletter

Law Day 1968

1968 Law Day PSAs

These messages were recorded with celebrities of the time and distributed to radio stations across the United States in 1968. It was a special public announcement program to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Law Day.

View - Audio Files

ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Civil Rights Civics Institute

The CRSJ Civil Rights Civics Institute consists of short, educational video and written responses answering student-generated questions on a wide range of civil rights related civics topics.

New ABA Initiatives and Programs

Defending Democracy: An Initiative of the ABA Section of State and Local Government

The American Bar Association Section of State and Local Government Law (SLG) has created a new initiative, Defending Democracy, which focuses on state and local election administrators and their work as they defend and ensure our democratic process on the frontlines, which will kick off at the 2022 ABA Annual Meeting.

Learn - More

Civil Rights Civics Institute

The Civil Rights Civics Institute consists of short, educational video and written responses answering student-generated questions on a wide range of civil rights related civics topics.

Learn - More

ABA Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice’s Lawyers as Changemakers: Perfecting Democracy

CRSJ has established a Task Force on Fair Elections and Voting Rights which is launching a “Lawyers as Changemakers” initiative.

Learn - More

Tell Us About Your Programs!

Let the ABA know about your Cornerstones programs (past or future) and we will spotlight them on our website and outreach. Simply fill out our online form.

Cornerstones of Democracy Commission Roster