Group Directors
Leaders in these positions usually have significant experience in Section Leadership. They have monthly meetings with the SLD Officers and other Group Directors and chair at least one of the committees within their group. Directors monitor the preparation of Quarterly Reports submitted by the committees in their groups to the SLD Council and shall also prepare their own Quarterly Report to Council; Directors perform other duties as may be requested by the Division Chair. Most Group Director positions require 5 hours of volunteer time per month. The Groups are listed below.
Committee Chairs
Leaders in these positions generally require 5-10 hours of volunteer time per month. They submit quarterly reports to the SLD Council and keep in contact with their Group Director.
Liaisons
Leaders in these positions generally require 5-10 hours of volunteer time per month. They submit quarterly reports to the SLD Council and try to identify ways the SLD can collaborate with the entity they liaise to.
Online Application Process
The deadline to complete the online application is April 13, 2024, by 11:59 PM PT. In addition to completing your own online application, you may wish to recommend a colleague or ask one or more colleagues to submit a recommendation for you. The online site will close thereafter. Emails appointing leaders will be sent no later than July 5, 2024.
Organizational Chart of Groups and Committees with Descriptions
Publications Group
Publications are the heart of our Division providing rich and relevant content for lawyers moving to their second season, retiring, going of counsel, financial planning, or simply looking for inspiration for a new travel or leisure activity.
Book Publishing Board - This Book Publishing Committee is responsible for coordinating the books to be published by the Division in addition to locating appropriate authors and editors to write content relevant to our members. Book publishing has been a reliable source of non-dues revenue for many years.
Experience Magazine Editorial Board - The Experience Magazine Editorial Board members work with the Board's chair and the magazine’s managing editor to establish content focus, plan issues, and solicit authors to write articles of interest for SLD members. Experience is published four times a year.
Voice of Experience Editorial Board - The Editorial Board assists the SLD staff with the planning of the SLD’s monthly e-newsletter, Voice of Experience. The Editorial Board takes the lead on recruiting article authors and participants for the variety of columns included in each issue.
Programming & Service Group
Committees who assist organizing our meetings and CLE programs.
Program Committee - The Program Committee's objective is to curate and provide CLE and non-CLE programs that are of interest to and for SLD members such as retirement planning, scams prevention, advance directives, and elder law.
Midyear Meeting Committee - This committee organizes programs or events for the Senior Lawyers Division during ABA Midyear Meeting.
Spring Meeting Committee - The SLD Spring Meeting Committee helps develop programming for the Senior Lawyers Division annual Spring Meeting, typically partnered with another ABA entity.
Annual Meeting Committee - The SLD Annual Meeting Committee helps develop programming for the Senior Lawyers Division at the ABA Annual Meeting. Our most prominent program at Annual is the Council Dinner and Presentation of the John H. Pickering Achievement Award.
Retirement Planning Summit Planning Committee - Selects the topic and develops a program suitable for an annual for-profit summit.
Ethics & Professionalism Committee - The goal of the Ethics & Professionalism Committee is to gather and disseminate information. Additionally, this committee prepares articles for Division publications on ethical and professionalism topics, issues, and concerns that are of particular interest to senior lawyers.
Financial Services & Retirement Planning Committee - The Financial Services & Retirement Planning committee examines financial services issues that all retirees must consider, including investments and tax implications. The committee will discuss options that workers have for selecting and protecting their retirement accounts, particularly IRAs, and how and when to obtain outside assistance with the management of financial affairs.
Pickering Award & Reception Committee - The John H. Pickering Achievement Award honors the life and accomplishments of John H. Pickering, an outstanding lawyer who was involved in a wide variety of pro bono activities and law-related societal issues affecting the elderly. The committee evaluates nominations and submits its recommendation to the Senior Lawyers Division Council for ratification and presents the award during the Division Dinner at the Annual Meeting.
Pro Bono & Public Service Committee - The Pro Bono & Public Service Committee helps connect members of the Senior Lawyers Division with the legal profession’s pro bono and legal aid community. The committee implements the Division's pro bono goals through development and support of pro bono projects and activities.
Substantive Law Group
Each of our substantive committees are open for joining!
Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee - The SLD Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee develops training opportunities and provides a forum for lawyers interested in arbitration, mediation and other forms of dispute resolution.
Election Law Committee - Strives to address election issues directed towards improving electoral systems, study the creation of standards for lawyers in the electoral process, and work with other entities to support resolutions aimed at improving democracy.
International Committee - The primary initiative of the International Committee is to educate members about international legal developments and to develop projects, programming, policy, and publications related to such developments.
Real Estate Law Committee - Provides interesting overviews and current updates on topics of interest to experienced real estate attorneys whether currently in practice or retired.
Elder Law Group
Center for Excellence in Elder Law & Dementia - Curates and creates resources for elder law issues and for attorneys dealing with clients, colleagues, or even family members suffering from dementia.
Elder Justice Committee - Looks to educate the legal community on the problem of elder abuse and advocate for its victims including the prevention of scams and financial exploitation. The group has compiled a list of resources in each state where elder abuse can be reported.
Elder Law Committee - The goal of the Elder Law Committee is to research, study, and analyze the options and problems connected with long-term care planning, healthcare, Medicare and Medicaid, retirement planning, advising senior clients, families of seniors, and end-of-life decision-making.
Guardianship & Guardianship Alternatives Committee - The purpose of the committee is to inform SLD members of emerging trends, practices and reform efforts in the area of guardianship and guardianship alternatives.
Membership & Communications Group
These committees seek ways to bring value to your membership and communicate them to you.
Communications within ABA and with Other Bar Associations Committee - The SLD Communications Committee is responsible for coordinating and facilitating all internal and external communications with the Senior Lawyer Division members, ABA members, and State and Local Bar Associations.
Membership & Membership Benefits Committee - The Membership & Membership Benefits Committee is responsible for promoting member benefits and evaluating and implementing new member benefits for the members of the Senior Lawyers Division. Members of the Committee are appointed annually by the Chair of the Division. The committee's goals include marketing and raising awareness of existing member benefits, such as the Division’s award-winning publications, e-newsletters, webinars, and travel program. The Committee also evaluates any proposed new member benefit opportunities and monitors the members' needs as to new benefits.
Travel Committee - The Travel Committee's goal is to provide travel opportunities to SLD members in addition to developing special trips of interest to senior lawyers and their traveling companions.
U.S. Supreme Court Trip Committee - For the past 20 years, the Division has sponsored a trip to the U.S. Supreme Court for those seeking admission to the U.S. Supreme Court Bar. The committee has the responsibility for helping plan the trip, and for arranging to have a Supreme Court Justice attend the reception following our Court session. The committee is primarily responsible for the mandatory orientation session on the day before the appearance in Court.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Group
SLD is committed to celebrating the diversity of our membership.
Diversity & Inclusion Committee - The Diversity Committee has been created in recognition of the value that SLD places on building a Division that is reflective of the diversity of the legal profession and the broader community it serves. Diversity includes racial, ethnic, gender, disability, and LGBT diversity. In our efforts to build membership, we will consciously reach out to diverse groups that remain under-represented in our Division, people with disabilities, and racial minorities, and facilitate communication across demographic lines. By diversifying our membership, we will be able to serve all of our members more effectively and help them to represent a wider variety of clients as well.
Women of Excellence Committee - Explores and develops projects and programs with respect to diversity, equity and inclusion, with particular focus on collaboration with other entities within and outside of the ABA and the needs of experienced attorneys and individuals.
Administrative Group
These committees work to keep the values of the SLD at the core of everything we do.
Bylaws & Rules Committee - The Bylaws and Rules Committee is responsible for revising the Policy and Procedures Manual on an annual basis. The Committee will make a report to the Council at the first meeting in each association year regarding its review of the Bylaws and any amendments it believes should be considered.
Nominating Committee - The Nominating Committee may nominate one or more candidates for each position to be filled by election. The committee shall determine that the nominee agrees to be nominated. The names of all nominees (including any nominated by petition) shall be published no later than 30 days before the Annual Meeting.
Strategic Planning Committee - The SLD Strategic Planning Committee creates a multi-year plan with goals, objectives, action items, and responses.
Financial Group
Corporate Sponsorship Committee - The Corporate Sponsorship committee focuses on obtaining funding, participation, members, and enthusiasm from the SLD's goals and programs. The committee provides support for publications, conferences, events, and more.
Finance & Budget Committee - The Finance & Budget Committee works with the SLD's Chair and Budget Officer to prepare the Division's budget, monitor accounts, and develop regular operations reports. The overall goal of the committee is to maintain financial security for the Division.