The Iowa State Bar Association

Waxman Amicus Brief—One of Six Urging Cert in Rubashkin Case—Raises Questions of Bias
Former Solicitor General Seth Waxman has filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to accept cert in the case of Sholom Rubashkin, an executive at a kosher meatpacking plant convicted in a multimillion-dollar bank fraud that came to light after a large-scale immigration raid.
ABA Journal – May 10

Should All Lawyers Be Required to Do Pro Bono or Monetarily Contribute to Legal Services Offices?
Many readers and law bloggers had a strong reaction to last week's Law Day announcement by New York Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman that all would-be lawyers will have to perform 50 hours of pro bono before they can get a law license in the state. Most who had something to say or write saw some flaws in the plan.
ABA Journal – May 9

Ethics 20/20 Commission Proposes Revisions to Rules on Outsourcing, Mobility, Confidentiality
When the ABA's policy-making House of Delegates convenes on Aug. 8 during the association's 2012 Annual Meeting in Chicago, its agenda will include a series of resolutions from the Commission on Ethics 20/20—resolutions covering lawyer mobility, legal process outsourcing and maintaining client confidences.
ABA Journal – May 9

April Was a Good Month for Legal Hiring
There is some good employment news from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
ABA Journal – May 7

The legal sector added 3,900 jobs in April, the Am Law Daily reports. The gain puts the number of legal sector jobs at 1,120,900, the highest total since June 2009.

Clerkships match students to small town law practices
If small town lawyers were animals, they'd be candidates for the endangered species list.

The number of lawyers in rural areas across the country is in decline as aging attorneys retire. The relatively low pay and small-town lifestyle has made a solo practice in a rural area a hard sell to many younger attorneys.
The National Law Journal - May 2

Supreme Court Approval Rating Drops to 25-Year Low
Only 52 percent of the public has a favorable view of the U.S. Supreme Court, down from a previous low of 57 percent in 2005 and 2007.
ABA Journal – May 2

Top Law Firms Say Good-Bye to ‘Terrifying Days of Mass Layoffs’ as Headcounts and Revenues Rise
Things are looking a little brighter for the top 100 law firms.

Gross revenue was up 5.3 percent last year, profits per partner increased 3 percent, and headcount jumped 3.3 percent, according to the American Lawyer and a press release.
ABA Journal – April 27

Gartner praises judges for courage during Bench-Bar speech

Iowa Cubs owner, former NBC News President and longtime Iowa newspaperman, Michael Gartner, gave an uplifting speech on the courage of Iowa judges through the years at last week’s Bench-Bar conference in Okoboji.

Read the entire speech here. View a video of the speech here.

2011 Economic Survey results released

The full results of the 2011 economic survey administered late last fall can be found here in a 16-page report. (may take a moment to load)

The economic survey is conducted every five years to ascertain the demographics of practicing attorneys and the demographics of the legal practice in Iowa. It also provides a look at practice management issues, and perceptions about current and future economic circumstances related to the legal practice.

Results are used by the ISBA to promote the profession with lawmakers and other officials, to guide the association in developing programs beneficial to members, and to allow members to compare their practices with those of others around the state.

139th Annual Meeting - June 19 - 21

It's once again time for one of the ISBA's most anticipated events, the Annual Meeting. Now in its 139th year! This year's meeting is being held in conjunction with the Iowa Judges Association's meeting. We've also changed it up this year with a new starting day and new location.

The CLE portion of the 139th Annual Meeting of The Iowa State Bar Association will run from Tuesday, June 19 through Thursday, June 21 at the West Des Moines Sheraton Hotel. On Tuesday, June 19, meetings will be held for the ISBA Sections and Committees as well as for the IJA membership.

You can save $25 by receiving the 139th ISBA Annual Meeting materials on a CD and foregoing a hard copy of the materials (for attorneys only). All you have to do to receive the discount is enter the promo code cdonly when prompted at the payment page. Attorneys, click here to view the entire program and judges click here to view your program.

Attorney's online registration and printable form
Judge's online registration and printable form

May 16
The Alphabet Soup of the Social Security Disability Programs (Webinar)

May 18
Decision-Making After the 2010 Amendments to the Concealed Weapons Statute (Telephone CLE)

May 25
Commercial & Bankruptcy Law Seminar

May 31
Juvenile Law Seminar

View Full Calendar

Gartner praises judges for courage during Bench-Bar speech

2011 Economic Survey results released

139th Annual Meeting - June 19 - 21

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