chevron-down Created with Sketch Beta.

    YLD Assembly

    YLD Annual Meeting Assembly will be held in-person only, on Friday, August 2, 2024 from 1:30pm-4:30pm and Saturday, August 3, 2024 from 9:00am-12:30pm, in conjunction with the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

    Elections Notice

    Declarations for positions during the 2024-2025 bar year will open at the adjournment of the February 2024 Midyear Meeting.

    The ABA Young Lawyers Division will elect officers and other representatives at the 2024 Annual Meeting in Chicago (July 31 - August 6, 2024). The officers and or representatives being elected this year are:

    • YLD Secretary (Division Chair-line)
    • YLD Clerk (Division Speaker-line)
    • YLD Treasurer (2-year term)
    • One YLD Representative to the ABA House of Delegates (3-year term)

    Any candidacies must be declared by no later than 90 days after the 2024 Midyear Meeting. The applicable Bylaws and guidelines relating to eligibility and nomination are available on the Division’s website and from the YLD Secretary.

    For more information, please contact:

    About the Assembly

    The Division’s Assembly is the highest policy-making body of the ABA YLD. At Assembly, you can have your voice heard and help shape the legal profession by drafting & presenting proposed policies (“Resolutions”), debating the issues, and ultimately voting to adopt or reject the proposals. Submit your policy ideas today via the Resolution Idea Form!

    There are approximately 500 voting delegate slots available at Assembly, including:

    • Voting members of the Division Council, such as:

      • elected Officers & Constitutional Representatives,

      • appointed Directors,

      • each District Representative, and

      • National Affiliate representatives;

    • State Affiliate Delegates (allotted slots vary by affiliate);

    • Additional National Affiliate delegates;

    • Leadership Academy members (formerly known as the YLD Scholars); and

    • Each state’s Designated Young Lawyer to the ABA House of Delegates.

    All properly-certified delegates have “privileges of the floor” in order to debate proposed resolutions. Debate itself follows the modified Robert’s Rules of Parliamentary Procedure outlined in the Assembly Standing Rules. See below for more information on Resolutions - Proposed Division Policies.

    Delegate Sign-Up & Certification

    YLD Annual Meeting Assembly will be held in-person only, on Friday, August 2, 2024 from 1:30pm-4:30pm and Saturday, August 3, 2024 from 9:00am-12:30pm, in conjunction with the 2024 ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago.

    To vote in the YLD Assembly you must be certified as a delegate and registered for the meeting during which the Assembly is held. Young lawyer state and national bar organizations and military branches (YLD affiliates) choose Assembly delegates to represent their organization at the Midyear and Annual Meeting Assemblies. If you are interested in serving as a delegate, contact the YLD affiliate organization you would like to represent to express your interest. The affiliate organization must approve your role as a YLD delegate for each meeting before you can be certified.

    New/Additional Affiliate Delegates: click here to sign up by  Friday, July 12, 2024 at 8:00pm CST. (Delegates certified at the Midyear meeting in February DO NOT need to sign-up as an Additional Delegate but DO need to confirm their attendance for Annual Assembly. Additionally, do not use this form if you are a YLD Council Member, YLD Scholar, or a designated Young Lawyer Representative for the House of Delegates. You are already signed up by virtue of your position.)

    Attendance Confirmation: If you were certified as a delegate at the 2024 Midyear Assembly, you need to confirm that you will be in attendance for the 2024 Annual Assembly. Click here to confirm your attendance by  Friday, July 12, 2024 at 8:00pm CST. Please note that you will still need to follow all necessary steps for certification to be eligible to vote at Assembly, which includes registering for the Annual Meeting and signing the Redbook to receive your delegate ribbon prior to the start of Assembly. 

    Proxy Information: If your affiliate certified a delegate for the Midyear Meeting that can no longer attend the Annual Meeting, you will need to complete a Proxy Form by  Friday, July 12, 2024 at 8:00pm CST. Please complete this form ONLY if you need to provide a proxy for an already certified delegate. 

    For the Affiliate Delegate Allocation numbers, view this PDF.

    See full Assembly Delegate Sign-Up Tips & Tricks here.

    If you have any questions regarding delegate certification, please contact the YLD Credentials Board at [email protected].

    Video: How Do Resolutions Work?

    Resolutions—Proposed Division Policies

    Resolutions start as ideas for ways to improve the legal profession, the practice of law, and the broader legal landscape. Resolutions are sometimes called “Reports with Recommendations.” Twice a year at the YLD Assembly, the Division presents, reviews, debates, and votes on Resolutions written by young lawyers and other ABA groups, with a particular focus on proposed policies that uniquely affect young lawyers and the Division. If the Division Assembly votes in favor of a Resolution, the policy is “adopted” as official Division policy. If appropriate, an adopted Division policy may be sent to the ABA House of Delegates as a proposed resolution to become larger ABA policy.

    Resources

    Key Contacts

    Upcoming Assemblies

    • 2024 ABA Midyear Meeting

    Past Assemblies