Diversity, equity concerns top ABA meeting January 29-February 3 in Phoenix

By American Bar Association
 
Celebrations of champions of diversity; gender and racial inequity; and hot topics such as water rights and police reform are chief among legal issues that will be explored at the 2025 American Bar Association Midyear Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, January 29-February 3.

With several dozen top-quality legal programs, events and presentations by America’s foremost law experts and speakers, the ABA Midyear Meeting is the nation’s premier gathering of legal professionals.

The ABA House of Delegates, the association’s policymaking body, will meet in-person on Feb. 3 at 9 a.m. MST at the Phoenix Convention Center, 1971 W. First St. A livestream of the proceedings will be available.

Highlights include (all times are MST):

Thursday, January 30


“These Little Boxes Ain't Made of Ticky-Tacky: Innovative and Efficient Housing” — Fair housing advocates explore recent innovations in affordable housing development — including 3-D printing, tiny homes, hay bales, shipping containers and construction robots — in consideration of cost and regulatory barriers.

1:30-2:30 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 349

• “Tribal Sovereignty, Water and Land Use, Oh My!”— How are Indigenous tribes asserting their land and water rights? Lawyers practicing at the intersection of land use and tribal sovereignty share best practices on respectful dialogue with Indigenous tribes that have off-reservation rights to treaty-protected resources.

2:45-3:45 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 349

Friday, January 31


• “A Legal Retrospective and Prospective of Ferguson and Policing” — Community stakeholders will discuss police reforms in the past 10 years since the Ferguson consent decree. What have been the impacts of the required changes to policing and municipal court practices? Can other local governments implement similar measures to address imperfections in law enforcement and improve our institutions?

9-10 a.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 250

• “Discharge of Government Employees” — Federal government insiders will explore the issues related to the termination of government workers, addressing the multiple complexities, including constitutional protections, statutory rights, procedural due process, retaliation and whistleblower protections.

10:15-11:15 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 250

• “Alternative Pathways to Licensure” — Supporters and naysayers will discuss the alternative pathways to lawyer licensing being piloted in multiple jurisdictions, in light of the approval of options beyond the traditional bar exam. What do state regulatory authorities think? What are the successes and challenges in reform?

11:20 a.m.-12:20 p.m., Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Curtis AB

“Legal Obstacles Impeding Latinos’ Access to Equitable Civic Engagement” — Stakeholders dissect findings from a recent ABA report on the legal obstacles faced by America’s Hispanic population in several key areas, including employment, health care, housing, voting and criminal justice, as well as offer ways the legal profession can best tackle those challenges.

1-2:30 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room TBD

• “Understanding the Role of Tribal In-House Counsel” — National Native American Bar Association President Matthew Archer-Beck will be joined by the in-house lawyers for the Yavapai, Navajo and Ojibwe nations to discuss the challenges and opportunities of their legal careers.

2-3 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 250

• “Deny People Any Help or Allow Some Help by Nonlawyers: An Innovation’s Odyssey” — Researchers examine the trial usages of nonlawyers by U.S. states to ensure low-income Americans get legal help. What are the lessons learned in those pilot implementations? What’s working and what’s not?

2-3:30 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Valley of the Sun Ballroom E

• “Election 2024: Retrospectives, Reflections and Recommendations for Reforms” — Election administrators will exchange experiences with the 2024 U.S. vote in November — what went right, what went wrong and what changes should be made to improve America's elections?

3-4 p.m., Arizona School of Law, Beus Center for Law and Society, Room 150

• “Natasha Adair” — The head coach for the Arizona State University women’s basketball program shares lessons learned during her near 30-year career in student athletics that includes stops at Georgetown, Wake Forest, College of Charleston and the University of Delaware.

4-5:30 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix Ballroom DE

Saturday, February 1


“Water is Life: The Ongoing Struggle to Protect and Enforce Indigenous Water Rights” —Water rights advocates and tribal stakeholders discuss the challenges faced by U.S. Indigenous communities to use clean and safe waterways, as well as reliable and sufficient sources of potable water. As a launch point for discussion, panelists will use the personal examples from rural Alaskan villages, Hawaii, the Navajo Nation and the Native communities around pipelines in the Midwest.

8-9:30 a.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix Ballroom B

• “The Impacts of Parenthood and Child Caregiving on Legal Careers” — Lead researchers discuss findings from their 2023 ABA study, Legal Careers of Parents and Child Caregivers, exploring the challenges of caregivers with careers in the legal profession, and presenting practical recommendations and considerations to support them, while also promoting gender equity in the practice of law.

10-11:30 a.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Laveen

“Navigating the Brave New World of DEI: What Courts Have Said and What’s Next” — Stakeholders discuss the implications of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision that eliminated race-based college-admissions practices and related federal court decisions. How are educational institutions now diversifying their student ranks?

1-2 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Deer Valley

“Trailblazers Advancing Diversity in Law” — The ABA recognizes four legal professionals with its 2025 Spirit of Excellence Award for their commitment to racial and ethnic diversity in the legal profession: Col. James M. Durant III, Craig B. Glidden, Judge Diane J. Humetewa, Kalpana Kotagal and Karol Corbin Walker.

Noon-2 p.m., Hyatt Regency Phoenix, Regency Ballroom

“Beyond Visibility: How LGBTQ+ Judges have Strengthened the Justice System, Inside and Outside the Courtroom”

2:30-4 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Camelback

“Champions of LGBT+ Legal Causes” — Three longstanding activists will be honored by the ABA with its 12th annual Stonewall Award for advancing LGBT+ people in the legal profession and championing LGBT+ legal causes. Honorees are Kristen Galles, founder of public interest law firm Equity Legal; Victoria Kolakowski, adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law; and D. Zeke Ziedler, former justice of the California Supreme Court.

5-7 p.m., Sheraton Phoenix Downtown, Phoenix Ballroom E

(https://www.americanbar.org/news/abanews/aba-news-archives/2025/01/diversity-wquity-mym-phoenix/)

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