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    ABA YLD Annual Meeting Assembly

    The ABA Young Lawyers Division Assembly will meet on Friday, August 4 and Saturday, August 5, 2023, in-person only during the ABA Annual Meeting, in Denver, CO.  See a recap of Midyear Meeting here.

    The YLD Assembly will be held at the Denver Convention Center, in Four Seasons 2-4 p.m., all times are local / Mountain time. See complete YLD schedule.

    See posted times for onsite Delegate Certification.

    • Friday, August 4, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
    • Saturday, August 5, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

    Delegates are expected to be present and ready to proceed to business ten minutes before the scheduled call to order.

    See below for Resolutions to be considered at Annual Meeting.

    Elections Notice

    There are no offices for 2023 Annual Meeting election that have contested races. All candidates compliant with election guidelines and YLD Bylaws will take office in accordance with Division governing documents.

    Complete information is available on the Elections Webpage.

    Delegate Certification

    For the Affiliate Delegate Allocation numbers, view this PDF.

    To vote in the YLD Assembly you must be certified as a delegate and registered for the meeting during which the Assembly is held. Young lawyer state and national bar organizations and military branches (YLD affiliates) choose Assembly delegates to represent their organization at the Midyear and Annual Meeting Assemblies. If you are interested in serving as a delegate, contact the YLD affiliate organization you would like to represent to express your interest. The affiliate organization must approve your role as a YLD delegate before you can be certified.  

    See full Assembly Delegate Sign-Up Tips & Tricks here.

    If you have any questions regarding delegate certification, please contact the YLD Credentials Board at [email protected].

    Annual 2023 Assembly Information

    The dress code for Assembly is business attire. All delegates to Annual Assembly must agree to abide by the Code of Conduct. Delegates agree to do so when signing the onsite delegate book and receiving a delegate ribbon. Violation of the Code of Conduct may result in forfeiture of delegate status.

    In accordance with Assembly Standing Rules Rule 5.2(b), the following Resolutions with Reports have been distributed in accordance with the Assembly Standing Rules and slated on the Debate Calendar or Consent Calendar, as indicated below.

    Debate Calendar

    The following Resolutions have been slated for the Annual 2023 YLD Assembly Debate Calendar. Any delegate or other person with privileges of the floor may speak in favor of or in opposition to any Resolution on the Debate Calendar. Delegates may also make motions to amend Resolutions or postpone Resolutions indefinitely, or other motions in accordance with the Assembly Standing Rules. For additional guidance, see the Robert’s Rules of Order Cheat Sheet.

    Persons wishing to take action regarding a Resolution should submit written notice via electronic “Salmon Slip” no later than Friday, August 4, at 10 a.m. MDT. Hard-copy Salmon Slips will be available during Assembly on Friday & Saturday, but preference will be given to individuals who submit electronic requests in advance. No person may take action regarding a Resolution without completing either an electronic or hard-copy Salmon Slip and being recognized by the Speaker.

    Why is it called a “Salmon Slip”?

    Because it’s been traditionally printed on salmon-colored paper!

    23A-500YL: Trauma-Informed Training (adopted/passed)

    Women in the Profession Committee

    Urges the development and adoption of legal representation practices, approaches, and trainings that are trauma-informed, evidence-based, and created in collaboration with subject matter experts; urges requirement of competency CLE regarding trauma-informed representation; encourages awareness of secondary trauma.

    Debate Calendar: House of Delegates Resolutions

    Listed below are Resolutions that will be considered by the 2023 Annual House of Delegates, that have been referred to the YLD, and that have been added to the debate agenda by the Resolutions Team. (see hyperlinks for full text).

    400 - Rural Practice Loan Forgiveness Program (RPLF)  (adopted/passed)

    California Lawyers Association; State Bar of South Dakota

    Encourages federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments, and law schools to create and fund fully a rural practice loan forgiveness program.

    401 - Re 1st Amendment & Bar Admissions  (adopted/passed)

    Virgin Islands Bar Association

    Urges certain 1st Amendment protections for applicants applying for bar admission.

    507 - Re Various Tax Credits  (adopted/passed)

    Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice; Section of Taxation; Commission on Homelessness & Poverty; Section of State and Local Government Law; Standing Committee on Legal Aid & Indigent Defense

    Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to amend existing laws and/or enact new laws to provide financial support to tenants of rental housing and urges these governments to provide administrative agencies with adequate financial resources to implement and administer any such provisions.

    Additional HOD Resolution(s) may be added and circulated to delegates, pursuant to Assembly Standing Rule 5.2(b)(i).

    Consent Calendar

    The Resolutions Teams has compiled a Consent Calendar of Resolutions & Reports to which it does not expect substantial opposition.

    Any delegate may object to inclusion of a Resolution on the Consent Calendar by submitting written notice via electronic “Salmon Slip” no later than Friday, August 4, at 10 a.m. MDT. Pursuant to the Assembly Standing Rules, Friday’s Assembly will also contain a window to object to inclusion of a Resolution on the Consent Calendar.

    Please note: objecting to a Resolution on the Consent Calendar adds the Resolution to the Debate Calendar, with whomever objected serving as the Resolution’s primary opponent in the debate.

    23A-601YL: Encouraging Part-Time Legal Education Programs  (adopted/passed)

    Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Team; FirstGen Initiative

    Urges ABA accredited law schools to offer part-time evening legal education, supporting diversity in the legal profession.

    23A-602YL: Encouraging Paid Leave Policies  (adopted/passed)

    Parents in Practice Initiative

    Encouraging legal employers to establish paid leave policies to support employees experiencing significant life and medical events.

    23A-603YL: Encouraging Affordable Preparation Courses for Tests Used in Law School Admissions  (adopted/passed)

    FirstGen Initiative; Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Team

    Recognizing the economic barrier to accessing the legal profession created by the cost of tests used in law school admissions and encouraging the provision and promotion of affordable preparation courses.

    23A-103YL: YLD Bylaws Amendment (re Editorial & Content Board)  (adopted/passed)

    Proposes changes to the YLD Bylaws to update terms to match current practices.

    Consent Calendar: House of Delegates Resolutions

    Listed below are Resolutions that will be considered by the 2023 Annual House of Delegates, that have been referred to the YLD, and that have been added to the consent agenda by the Resolutions Team. (see the 2023 Annual Summary of Resolutions, and the links below for full texts). Additional HOD Resolution(s) may be added and circulated to delegates, pursuant to Assembly Standing Rule 5.2(b)(i).

    • 100 - Amendments to Model Rule 1.16, Standing Committee on Ethics & Professional Responsibility + Standing Committee on Professional Regulation. (not adopted/not passed)
    • 300 & 301 - Amendments to Law School Approval Standards, Section of Legal Education & Admissions to the Bar. (adopted/passed)
    • 402 - CLE Accreditation Regardless of Speaker Viewpoints, Virgin Islands Bar Association. (adopted/passed)
    • 403 - Academic Credit or Compensation for Law Review Editors, Virgin Islands Bar Association. (adopted/passed)
    • 500 - Election Worker Safety, Section of State & Local Govt Law + others. (adopted/passed)
    • 501 - Reaffirming 11A108 re Civility in Public Discourse, Section of Dispute Resolution. (adopted/passed)
    • 503 - Re Prison Labor as Slavery / Involuntary Servitude, Criminal Justice Section. (adopted/passed)
    • 512 - Re Discrimination in Capital Jury Selection & Sentencing, Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice (CRSJ) + others (adopted/passed)
    • 513 - Opposing Caste-Based Discrimination, Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice (CRSJ) + National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA) (adopted/passed)
    • 515 - Opposing Book Bans, Section of Civil Rights & Social Justice (CRSJ) + others (adopted/passed)
    • 516 - Replacing "Special Master" with "Court-Appointed Neutral", Judicial Division & Section of Dispute Resolution. (adopted/passed)
    • 517 - Adopt Model Rule on Court-Appointed Neutrals, Judicial Division & Section of Dispute Resolution. (adopted/passed)
    • 518 - Tribal Water Rights Negotiation & Settlement Processes, Section of Environment, Energy, & Resources (SEER) (adopted/passed)
    • 519 - Ban Bar Admissions Discrimination Immigration Status  (adopted/passed; passed by the House of Delegates)
    • 520 - Student Loan Lenders Needing Favorable Terms for Borrowers (adopted/passed; passed by the House of Delegates)
    • 522 - Indigenous Peoples Day as Law School Holiday, Law Student Division. (adopted/passed; passed by the House of Delegates)
    • 523 - Holistic On-Campus Interviewing, Law Student Division. (adopted/passed; passed by the House of Delegates)
    • 524 - Condemning Islamophobia, Law Student Division (adopted/passed; passed by the House of Delegates)
    • 602 - Military Spouse & Family Guidelines, Standing Committee on Legal Assistance for Military Personnel + others. (adopted/passed)
    • 603 - Updating 10 Principles of a Public Defense Delivery System, Standing Committee on Legal Aid & Indigent Defense (SCLAID) + others. (adopted/passed)
    • 606 - Transgender Anti-Discrimination, Commission on Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity. (adopted/passed)
    • 607 - Election Integrity Guidelines, Standing Committee on Election Law + others. (adopted/passed)
    • 609 - Lawyers' Responsibility re Technology & Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Legal Task Force. (adopted/passed)
    • 610 - Law Schools & Cybersecurity, Cybersecurity Legal Task Force. (adopted/passed)

    Assembly Information

    The Division’s Assembly is the highest policy-making body of the ABA YLD. At Assembly, you can have your voice heard and help shape the legal profession by drafting & presenting proposed policies (“Resolutions”), debating the issues, and ultimately voting to adopt or reject the proposals.

    There are approximately 500 voting delegate slots available at Assembly, including:

    All properly-certified delegates have “privileges of the floor” in order to debate proposed resolutions. Debate itself follows the modified Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure outlined in the Assembly Standing Rules.

    Helpful Resources