The State Bar Association of North Dakota Fall 2015 Gavel Magazine | Page 26

ABA is Showing
North Dakota Lawyers Some Love

perspective, it seemed peculiar that it took
the ABA a century to be led by a woman and
20 years more by a woman of color.
Main Street ABA
D A N T R AY N O R
ABA Delegate
The Annual Meeting of the American Bar
Association in Chicago was a whirlwind
of meetings and events. Several North
Dakota lawyers and judges attended various
section and committee meetings during
the week-long convention. The highlight
of the Meeting was the election of Paulette
Brown as the first woman of color selected as
president of the 136-year-old organization.
President Brown practices labor and
employment law in Morristown, New Jersey.
By all accounts, she is an accomplished
lawyer and professional. From my own
interaction, I observed an engaging person
with an admirable concern for young people.
The president of the American Law Institute,
Roberta Cooper Ramo, was awarded the
ABA Medal. In 1995, Cooper Ramo was
the first woman elected president of the
ABA. She is the only person to have led
both the ABA and the ALI. I have known
her for many years as a talented lawyer and
trailblazer in our profession.
Upon witnessing the recognition of former
President Cooper Ramo and election of
President Brown, I was struck with a feeling
of, “What took us so long?”
In the view of some people, the ABA tends
to be at the forefront of societal change.
Others may view this as a fault. From today’s
26

THE GAVEL

To expand the ABA’s reach across the
country, President Brown launched the Main
Street ABA initiative. Throughout the next
year, Brown hopes to visit at least two states a
month. She has tentatively agreed to attend
the SBAND Annual Meeting on June 1517, 2016, in Grand Forks. In announcing
the North Dakota visit, President Brown
described the purpose of the outreach effort,
“All lawyers deserve love from the ABA.”
ABA Everyday
President Brown also announced ABA
Everyday, an initiative to provide a different
membership benefit every day of the year.
The initiative offers free CLEs, Publications,
and Resources without charge to ABA
members. A monthly calendar of ABA
Everyday benefits is available at www.
abaeveryday.org.

ABA President Paulette Brown

I was surprised to discover tickets for
Lollapolooza were anywhere from $400 to
$5,000. Tickets to the ABA meeting were
much more economical.
Kara Johnson Providing
Leadership in the ABA Center
of Professional Responsibility

Lawyer-Palooza

Disciplinary Counsel Kara Johnson has
been involved in the ABA for several
years. She was initially involved in the
Young Lawyers Division as District
Representative. Her practice in lawyer
discipline was a natural complement to her
current involvement in the ABA Center for
Professional Responsibility.

The ABA meeting happened at the same
time as the Lollapolooza concert in Grant
Park. Chicago was teeming with an eclectic
crowd of more than 100,000 fans there to
see acts like Paul McCartney and Metallica.
When a thunderstorm interrupted the music
festival, the revelers in tie-dye shirts and
cutoffs joined the much smaller group of
lawyers in business suits and ties in the hotel
lobby and bar. It made for a curious sight.

Johnson serves as a liaison to the Center for
Professional Responsibility Coordinating
Council, which facilitates activity among
the Center’s leadership and strategic
discussions on pending policies before the
House of Delegates and other national
initiatives. She is also a member of the
Center’s Section Officers Conference and
coordinates professionalism initiatives of
the association.

If you are not a member of the ABA, I would
encourage SBAND members to explore the
benefits and join at www.americanbar.org.