What Is a Delegate?
The YLD Assembly is the policy-making body of the ABA YLD. In order to vote at Assembly, for resolutions or elections, 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. The current State Affiliate Delegate Allocations can be found here.
These State Affiliate Delegate Allocations are in addition to the delegated YLD 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.
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, which commence on September 1 and conclude on August 31 of the following year. Affiliate delegates are expected to serve at both the Midyear and Annual Assemblies for the year they are certified as a delegate.
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/President 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.
My State Affiliate says I can be a Delegate - What Do I Do Now?
Any prospective affiliate delegates for the 2025 Midyear and Annual Assemblies, must complete The New Affiliate Delegate Sign-Up Form. The form may be submitted by an individual for self-sign-up or by a leader/representative of an affiliate organization (such as a State Bar's Young Lawyer Division Chair/President or Staff Liaison). Affiliate leaders/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 New Affiliate Delegate Sign-Up Form?
To complete this form you will need the following information for each prospective affiliate delegate:
- Full Name
- Email Address
- City/State
- Phone Number
- ABA Member ID
- Birthdate
- Month/Year of First Bar Admission
- Honorific & pronouns for prospective delegates (optional)
- Each prospective affiliate delegate's Midyear/Annual Meeting Registration Confirmation Number
- Affiliate Delegate (or proxy) Authorization Letter
Affiliate Delegate Authorization Letter
To complete the New Affiliate Delegate Sign-Up Form, each prospective delegate will need an Affiliate Delegate Authorization Letter. This letter can be a formal letter or an email, but it must be from the prospective delegate’s affiliate leadership (usually the Chair/President of the Affiliate, but can be from another affiliate leader or the staff advisor). An affiliate leader/representative who is completing the form for multiple delegates, may list all of the delegates in one letter.
The Affiliate Delegate Authorization Letter does not need to be long, but to make sure the letter has all the elements, be sure to include the following:
- Date
- Name/Role/Contact Information of Affiliate Leader
- Prospective Delegate’s name clearly outlined as an authorized delegate of the state or affiliate organization for Assembly (Midyear/Annual)
- Something that identifies that the leader sent it to you (letterhead/email to line/signature (electronic signature is acceptable)
Assembly Delegates who appoint a proxy will need to submit an authorization letter on behalf of their proxy. The proxy authorization letter will require the same information as above, as well as information outlining the designation of the proxy.
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 Affiliates Director or the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) Managing Director may be able to help you identify the best point of contact for leadership within the national affiliate.
What Happens After I Signing Up as a Delegate?
The New 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.
Once you, or your affiliate leader/representative have completed the form, you will receive an email confirmation. You will also be added to the delegate email list and delegate certification book, if you have not been already.
Accommodations
We aim to ensure all delegates have the support they need to fully and equitably participate in our Assembly. If you wish to request accommodations to participate (due to disability or another special need or condition), please let us know.
Examples of accommodations include (but are not limited to): written materials in a language other than English, translation services, elevator access, wheelchair/scooter ramps, other mobility accommodations, captioning, sign-language interpreting, reserved front-row seat, large-print written materials, advanced copies of projected slides, personal audio equipment or assisted listening device, scent-free room.
All requests are confidential. If you would like to speak with someone about your specific accommodation needs, contact Assembly Clerk Portia Britt ([email protected]) or YLD Staff Yadira Martinez ([email protected]).
Meeting Registration Requirement
All Delegates (including a designated proxy) are required to register for the Midyear and Annual Meetings in order to participate in the respective Assemblies. This includes Affiliate Delegates, YLD Council Members, and YLD Scholars.
Delegate Q&A
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions or concerns about the delegate process.