The State Bar Association of North Dakota Winter 2014 Gavel Magazine | Page 29

Resolution 109B Youth at Risk
This Resolution is premised on the idea
that it is critical for the legal system and
legal representation to reflect an understanding of the impact of trauma on the
well-being of children and young people.
Judges and lawyers should be provided
with training and linked to service
providers whose practices are traumainformed.
Other Happening in the ABA
The ABA continues to be a vibrant
voice of the legal profession. It has
dynamic leadership and is on a neverending mission to enhance the legal
profession and its individual members.
It is appropriate to take stock of what is
new with ABA and assess its progress on
servicing its membership.
Borrowing form the latest report of
Executive Director Jack Rives the ABA
has turned significant corners in the past
year. The Association ended fiscal year
2013 with 392,974 members, a rise of 540
over the prior year. This is the third year
of membership growth, following a recent-years’ low point of 386,115 members
in fiscal year 2010. While overall growth
has been modest, the ABA is moving
in the right direction, and ABA Action
plans should assure continuing progress.
The focus is on enhancing the membervalue proposition and communicating it
effectively.
Among efforts to increase membership value is CareerAdvice LIVE!, a
new monthly webinar series on career
development. Offered at no charge to
members and $95 for nonmembers, the
program includes a faculty of top career
advisers on topics such as job selection
and interview skills. More than 1,100
registered for the most recent program
in November, nearly double the registrations from the series’ inaugural webinar
the month before.
Registrations are also strong for our
CLE Premier Speaker Series. T he program, which provides up to 18 free CLE
credit hours annually to ABA members,
continues to grow in popularity. The first
three programs of fiscal year 2014 attracted almost 10,000 registrations, a
40 percent increase over the same period
last year. Beginning in January, nonmembers may purchase the three most
recently archived programs for $195
each, while members continue to
enjoy free access. This is an excellent and

The Gavel Winter 2014

painless way to pick up CLE at no cost.
and an expansion of ABA products availThe ABA is committed to a memberable through Google Shopping.
value proposition that emphasizes
Social media has allowed the ABA to
relevant benefits that members want. In
foster community among members, and
fiscal year 2013, a renewed emphasis on
it also provides an expedient way to share
educational offerings with high member
information. The ABA now communiappeal helped the Association increase
cates on a daily basis with an audience of
the number of ABA CLE registrations by more than 95,000 across all ABA social
more than 50 percent, with nearly 78,000 media channels. That includes almost
registrants. It has also expanded earnings 28,300 followers of the @ABAesg Twitfrom multi-program sponsorships by 56
ter feed, more than 28,000 fans of the
percent over the previ