chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.

    ABA YLD Annual Meeting Assembly

    YLD Annual Meeting Assembly will be held in-person only, on Friday, August 2, 2024 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday, August 3, 2024 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., in conjunction with the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

    Elections Notice

    The Declaration Window for the 2024-2025 bar year is now closed.

    The ABA Young Lawyers Division will elect officers and other representatives at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago (July 31 to August 6, 2024). The officers and or representatives being elected this year along with the declared candidates are:

    • YLD Secretary (Division Chair-line): Lauren Barnes Williams (SC)

    • YLD Clerk (Division Speaker-line): Portia Britt (MO)

    • YLD Treasurer (2-year term): Ashley Weathers (NC)

    • One YLD Representative to the ABA House of Delegates (3-year term): Collins Saint (NC)

    The applicable Bylaws and guidelines relating to eligibility and nomination are available on the Division’s website and from the YLD Secretary.

    For more information, please contact:

    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 2024 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.

    Consent Calendar

    The Consent Calendar is assembled by the Resolutions Team and Speaker, and consists of a report that it does not expect substantial opposition. Any Council member, just as with any delegate who wishes to remove an item from the Consent Calendar in order that it may be debated, may do so by completing the Consent Calendar reply form, no later than 12:00 pm CDT on Thursday, August 1, 2024. As a reminder, this deadline is before the Assembly Meeting. Submissions of reply forms prior to the deadline are strongly encouraged. If time allows, a resolution removed from the Consent Calendar will become a special order. Any resolution on the consent calendar to which timely objection is not made shall stand approved, and a motion to reconsider such a resolution shall take a two-thirds vote.

    Resolution 504

    Urges Congress to repeal the Comstock Act of 1873, as amended.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Criminal Justice Section; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; and Health Law Section

    Resolution 505

    Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal legislative bodies, and governments to enact laws and policies that increase access to prenatal, peri-partum, and postpartum care for historically marginalized communities and those disproportionately impacted by maternal mortality and morbidity.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Disability Rights; Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

    Resolution 506

    Urges legal scholars and professionals, law schools, bar associations, and judicial organizations to adopt the recommendations contained in the report, Excluded & Alone: Examining the Experiences of Native American Women in the Law and a Path Towards Equity in order to increase the number of Native women in the legal field and to sustain their time within their legal career.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Commission on Women in the Profession; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; Council for Diversity in the Educational Pipeline; National Native American Bar Association; and Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession

    Resolution 507

    Is aimed at addressing the pervasive and detrimental effects of medical debt on Americans. Recognizing the profound impact that medical debt has on access to healthcare, financial stability, and overall well-being, the Resolution advocates for comprehensive legislative and policy measures designed to alleviate the burden of medical debt for individuals and families across the United States. Specifically, it urges the enactment of federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal laws that prevent the accrual of medical debt and protects consumers from its consequences. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for policies that ensure transparent billing practices and implement medical debt forgiveness programs.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Section of State and Local Government Law; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Homelessness and Poverty; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

    Resolution 509

    Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to adopt and implement the following 19 recommendations contained in Chapter 6 of the report, NOT ONE MORE: Findings & Recommendations of the Not Invisible Act Commission (November 2023). The Commission was established to address and reduce the tragic consequences of the crisis of missing, murdered, and trafficked Native Americans and Alaska Natives. This Resolution provides policy support for the American Bar Association to work with governmental entities, law schools, bar associations, and legal service providers to develop training which educates the legal profession on the issues and recommendations contained in Not One More report, and to help promote the practices proposed in the Report.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; National Native American Bar Association; and Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession

    Resolution 511

    Urges federal, state, local, territorial and tribal governments to implement the following recommendations contained in the report, The Way Forward (February 2024).This Resolution also urges governmental entities, law schools, bar associations, and legal service providers to develop training that educates the legal profession on issues related to Native American, Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian youth.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Domestic and Sexual Violence; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; National Native American Bar Association; and Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession

    Resolution 512

    Urges Congress to establish and fund a National Human Rights Institution (NHRI). It also urges the President of the United States to convene a commission of experts to assist Congress by preparing recommendations for the organization and funding of a NHRI in conformance with international standards.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Center for Human Rights; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Disability Rights; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities; and International Law Section

    Resolution 513

    Reaffirms the ABA’s 2013 commitment to sustainable development, supports implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and urges lawyers to learn about sustainable development. It calls for continued ABA activities and resources to assist lawyers with incorporating sustainable development into their practice and pro bono activities, such as educational programs, publications, practical tools, best practices, and guidance.

    Sponsors: Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources; Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; International Law Section; and Section of State and Local Government Law

    Debate Calendar

    This resolution is being considered only by the Young Lawyers Division at this Midyear Meeting, and not the House of Delegates. As such, if it is approved, it will be the position of the Division but not the policy of the Association, unless considered and adopted by the House of Delegates at a future meeting. YLD-authored resolutions that are adopted by the Assembly at the 2024 Annual Meeting will be evaluated by YLD leadership for submission to a future House of Delegates meeting.

    Resolution 24-4YL (Passed)

    Encourages state, local, territorial, tribal, and specialty bar associations to adopt policies and practices that protect judges, attorneys, clerks, legal staff and any other public servants’ personal identifiable private information and to restrict or eliminate access to judges, attorneys, clerks, legal staff and any other public servants’ personal identifiable private information.

    Sponsors: Ashley Weathers; Jared Nelson; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee

    In addition to the aforementioned resolution authored by a delegate of the Young Lawyers Division, the resolutions below have been drafted by entities outside the YLD and will be considered by the House of Delegates at this Annual Meeting. The corresponding entities have requested support of their resolutions from the Young Lawyers Division. The YLD Policy Sub-committee met and determined that these requests should be considered by the Young Lawyers Division at this Annual Meeting. At the conclusion of this Annual Assembly and prior to the commencement of the House of Delegates meeting, the Speaker will alert the external entities of the Young Lawyers Division’s decision.

    Resolution 503 (Passed)

    opposes legislation and urges the repeal of laws which permit or require the display of the Ten Commandments in public schools, and opposes legislation and urges state, local, territorial, and tribal governments to repeal laws which allow public schools to employ or accept as volunteer chaplains not certified to provide student-support services, including counseling and other mental health assistance.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Council for Diversity in the Education Pipeline; Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division; and Standing Committee on Public Education

    Resolution 508 (Passed)

    urges prohibition against pre-hire non-disclosure agreements (NDA), and pre-dispute NDA settlements; establishes criteria for lawful post dispute NDA settlement agreements.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Disability Rights; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

    Resolution 510 (Passed)

    Supports legislation and urges enactment of legislation to protect patients’ safe access to health care professionals who offer gender-affirming care and to safeguard health care professionals’ ability to provide such care.

    Sponsors: Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice; Coalition on Racial and Ethnic Justice; Commission on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity; and Commission on Hispanic Legal Rights and Responsibilities

    Resolution 514 (Passed)

    Urges law schools to allow students to receive both monetary compensation and course credit for field placements and urges legal employers to consider adding monetary compensation for field placements for  which students are also receiving course credit.

    Sponsor: Law Student Division

    Resolution 515 (Passed)

    Urges law schools to require pay transparency during the On-Campus Interview process and urges legal employers to engage in pay transparency during the On-Campus Interview process.

    Sponsor: Law Student Division

    Resolution 516 (Passed)

    urges Congress to pass the Countering Threats and Attacks on Our Judges Act, S.3984 and H.R.8093, 118th Cong. (2024), or any similar legislation establishing a State Judicial Threat Intelligence and Resource Center charged with providing technical assistance and training for heightened judicial security, monitoring threats, developing standardized incident reporting, and creating a national database for reporting, tracking, and the sharing of threat information and supports placing the State Threat Intelligence and Resource Center within the existing State Justice Institute.

    Sponsors: Judicial Division; Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division; Section of State and Local Government Law; and Section of Litigation

    Resolution 700 (Passed)

    Supports the efforts of the United States government to implement policies and practices that promote Taiwan’s inclusion in the international system, in accordance with the TAIPEI Act of 2019.

    Sponsors: Michael Fern and International Law Section

    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