What is a Delegate?
The YLD Assembly is the policy-making body of the ABA YLD. In order to vote at Assembly, you must be a delegate. You can find more info on the delegate sign-up and certification process in this nifty 3-minute video.
Each member of the YLD Council and each YLD Scholar is an Assembly Delegate by virtue of their positions. State & National Affiliates also each have a certain number of delegate slots! For 2024, some of the State Affiliate delegate numbers have changed. The new numbers can be found here.
These State Affiliate delegate slots are in addition to the District Representatives and any other members of Council or YLD Scholars who happen to be from a particular state. The delegate counts include the designated young lawyer for each affiliate in the House of Delegates.
Interested in becoming an Affiliate Delegate?
Each state has different rules regarding how to be an affiliate delegate. In some instances, the ABA YLD District Representative helps facilitate this process. For other states, the young lawyer section Chair makes the selection. Different leadership qualifications may also apply, depending on the affiliate.
If you’re trying to figure out where to start, reach out to your ABA YLD District Representative and your State Bar Young Lawyer Chair early in the delegate sign-up process. This can help to ensure that you may have an opportunity to fill one of your delegate seats within your state.
ABA YLD Leadership Roster (including District Representatives)
State Affiliate Delegate Counts (these numbers have changed for 2024!)
Affiliate Leader FYI:
The August 2021 amendments to the YLD Bylaws (see Sections 4.2(d) & 4.2(g))increased most Affiliate Delegate Allocations and created one-year Affiliate Delegate Terms.
Be sure to check here for the updated State Affiliate Delegate allocations.
My State Affiliate says I can be a Delegate -
What Do I Do Now?
All prospective affiliate delegates can sign-up using this form (for self-sign up or sign-up by an affiliate leader or representative).
The form may be submitted by an individual for Self Sign-Up or by a representative of an affiliate organization (such as a State Bar's Young Lawyer Division Chair or Staff Liaison). Representatives of an affiliate may sign up all of their prospective delegates at once or by submitting this form in multiple waves.
What information do I need for the Affiliate Delegate Sign-Up Form?
To complete this form you will need the following information for each prospective affiliate delegate:
Including each prospective affiliate delegate's Annual Meeting Registration Confirmation Number is helpful, but not required.
Authorization: Individual perspective affiliate delegates signing up on their own must upload a letter or email from their affiliate confirming selection as a delegate representative.
Letter for Affiliate Delegate Self Sign-Up
If you Self Sign-Up as a prospective affiliate delegate, you will need a letter or email from your affiliate leadership. It’s best to get a letter that outlines their role and contact information and clearly states that you are authorized to be a delegate.
It doesn’t need to be long, but to make sure the letter has all the elements, use these pointers.
Date
Name/Role/Contact Information of Affiliate Leader
Your name clearly outlined as an authorized delegate of your state for Assembly (Midyear/Annual)
Something that identifies that the leader sent it to you (letterhead/email to line/ signature (e signature is fine)
National Affiliates
Each national affiliate may have a different process regarding becoming a delegate for the affiliate. It’s important to make sure you are a member of the affiliate and that you reach out to the Chair of the National Affiliate. The ABA YLD Diversity and Inclusion Chair for Policy & Personnel may be able to help you identify the best point of contact for leadership within the national affiliate.
What happens next?
You will get an email after delegate sign-up confirming that we received your submission.
The Affiliate Delegate Sign-Up form allows staff and the ABA YLD Clerk to review your information to make sure that you are qualified to be an affiliate delegate. Make sure you are a dues paying ABA member and that we have an email address that you check regularly in case there is any missing information.
Midyear Meeting Registration Required
All Delegates are required to register for the Midyear Meeting. This includes Affiliate Delegates, YLD Council Members, and YLD Scholars.
Delegate Q&A Hotlines
We will not be having Delegate Q&A Hotlines. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about the delegate process.