CHICAGO, April 16, 2012 – A candid discussion with Alberto Gonzales, Michael Mukasey and other former U.S. attorneys general about their tenures and perspectives on today’s most pressing law enforcement issues will kick off a leadership-packed conference of the American Bar Association Section of Litigation April 19-20 at the JW Marriott, 1331 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C.

Also on the agenda will be a national security law and policy forum with welcome remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. Panelists will include U.S. Sen. Christopher Coons (D-Delaware), State Department Legal Adviser Harold Koh, former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, former Defense Department general counsel Judith A. Miller and New York Times reporter Scott Shane.

The conference will also include a panel of state supreme court justices concerned about underfunded state courts nationwide, experts who will discuss whether children in court proceedings should have access to a lawyer, and a discussion with law firm partners and in-house counsel of why pro bono efforts are smart business choices. 

Additional information about the 2012 Spring Meeting can be found online. Program highlights include: 

Former Attorneys General Roundtable
Thursday, April 19, 8:20 – 9:45 a.m., Salons I & II
Former U.S. Justice Department heads will candidly explore the challenges and triumphs of their tenures and offer insights about today’s most pressing law enforcement issues.

• Alberto Gonzales, Texas Tech University;
• Michael Mukasey, Debevoise & Plimpton, New York;
• Richard Thornburgh, K&L Gates, Washington; and
• Benjamin Civiletti, Venable, Baltimore.

Good Works Equals Good Business
Thursday, April 19, 10 – 11 a.m., Salon D
In-house counsel and thought leaders from DuPont, General Electric Co., the Pro Bono Institute and Venable LLP will discuss why diversity, mentoring, and pro bono efforts are smart business choices and key to building successful relationships between clients and firms.

State Supreme Court Justices Roundtable
Thursday, April 19, 4:15 – 5:30 p.m., Salons I & II
State funding for court systems has dropped precipitously, creating a crisis in access to justice for Americans.

• Moderator: ABA President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III;
• Chief Judge Eric T. Washington (District of Columbia);
• Chief Justice Cornelia A. Clark (Tennessee);
• Chief Justice Wallace B. Jefferson (Texas);
• Chief Justice Myron T. Steele (Delaware); and
• Chief Justice Jean Hoefer Toal (South Carolina).

National Security Law and Policy Forum
Friday, April 20, 8:20 – 10:05 a.m., Salons I & II
This multimedia program features speakers from Congress, the executive branch, and the media in evaluating security and safety, terrorism and detainee policy, export and import controls, and First Amendment issues related to national security.

• Welcome remarks by Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano;Moderator: Judith A. Miller, former general counsel, U.S. Department of Defense;
• Michael Chertoff, former secretary of Homeland Security;
• U.S. Sen. Christopher A. Coons (D-Delaware);
• Harold H. Koh, U.S. Department of State; and
• Scott Shane, New York Times.

Where are the Lawyers? An Investigation of Access to Justice for Children with No Counsel
Friday, April 20, 4:15 – 5:30 p.m., Salons I & II
Children continuously face crises that affect their legal rights. Youth are bullied. They are abused, neglected and abandoned. They are ordered to take psychotropic medication. Even when these issues reach a court, the child often has no right to a lawyer. This panel asks whether this is access to justice for our youth.

• Moderator: Carrie Johnson, justice correspondent, National Public Radio, Washington, D.C.;
• Judge Rosemary Barkett, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit;
• Professor Benjamin H. Barton, University of Tennessee College of Law; and
• Professor Bernardine Dohrn, Northwestern University School of Law.

News reporters may attend the conference at no charge. For media credentials or other information, please contact Ira Pilchen, ira.pilchen@americanbar.org, 312-988-5743.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

The Section of Litigation, the ABA’s largest practice specialty section with 60,000 members, is dedicated to helping litigators become more effective advocates for their clients.

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