WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2020 – The American Bar Association is deeply saddened to announce that its Deputy Executive Director and General Counsel, Jim Dimos, died from a heart attack today.
“We are devastated by the loss of Jim Dimos. He was a big man with a great vision and huge accomplishments,” ABA Executive Director Jack Rives said. “His contributions to the legal profession over more than three decades will endure. We will do our best to carry on his unfinished business. We miss him terribly. “
Dimos joined the ABA staff five years ago as Deputy Executive Director, and he assumed additional duties as General Counsel last September. As Deputy Executive Director, Dimos served as “second in charge” of the Association’s staff, and through the years he was directly responsible for several functional areas, including Membership, the Professional Services Division, Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, the Center on Public Interest Law, strategy development, and the operations of our Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices. He was the guiding force of the development and deployment of the ABA’s new value proposition.
“Jim was a dedicated member and leader of the American Bar Association who believed in fairness and justice for all,” ABA President Patricia Lee Refo said. “He was an accomplished lawyer but, more importantly, he was a devoted father and husband and a dear friend. He will be deeply missed by us all.”
Dimos was a committed family man and leaves behind a wife, Kathy and three children, Stephanie, Jennifer, and Jonathan.
Dimos served in private practice for about 30 years, focusing on the litigation needs of the business community in the areas of intellectual property, competition, and media law. He represented a significant number of Fortune 100 companies, especially those in the technology and media industries. Dimos served as President of both the Indiana State Bar Association and Indianapolis Bar Association, and as a member of the Indiana Supreme Court’s Pro Bono Commission. He was recognized as one of the “Best Lawyers in America.”
As an active volunteer leader for the ABA, Dimos served on the ABA Board of Governors and on the Executive and Finance Committees, chairing Finance in 2012-2013. Other ABA committees he served on include the Standing Committee on Audit; Commission on Governance; Standing Committee on Membership; Standing Committee on Publishing Oversight; Standing Committee on Technology and Information Services; Standing Committee on Public Education; Standing Committee on Silver Gavel Awards; and, Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Services.
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