American Bar Association Annual Convention Report

American Bar Association Annual Convention Report Meeting Image, twenty professional caucasian people standing and smiling, business suits, dresses, blazer, American Bar Association Logo on Blue Banner in Background
American Bar Association logo, Block ABA letters in navy blue with triangles in light blue and orange for the cross bar on the A's

The 2019 American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Annual Conference was held August 8 -11 this year in beautiful San Francisco, California. Members of the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division’s Board of Governors and other Florida delegates flew out for a long weekend of idea sharing, team building, and healthy debate on a number of nation-wide resolutions and topics. This year was particularly special for Florida as we were proud to watch Tampa Bay attorney Logan Murphy be sworn in as the new President of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.

 

After settling in at the San Francisco Marriott, Florida delegates prepared for two sessions of general assembly which featured presentation of and debate over a number of board resolutions addressing matters from climate change, to equal pay discrimination, to access to justice. Of particular interest was a resolution presented by Florida YLD Board member Brandon Wolff which sought to amend the definition of a “young lawyer” to mean a lawyer who has been admitted to practice in his or her first bar within the past ten years, or is less than thirty-six years old. After extensive heated debate, the resolution was passed under the leadership and advocacy of Brandon.

Florida YLD Board member Lara Bach was similarly a star of the ABA conference, being recognized as a young lawyer who is “On The Rise” and receiving recognition and an award for her hard work and commitment to service at both the State and National levels. Congratulations and thank you Lara!

The highlight of the Conference was the swearing in of new ABA YLD President Logan Murphy. Logan, who is an attorney in the litigation group at Tampa firm Hill Ward Henderson, accepted his new position with profound humility and enthusiasm. During his acceptance speech, Logan courageously spoke out about the all-too-familiar stressors inherent in his legal work, sharing a personal anecdote that sent waves of heartfelt compassion shivering through the crowd. His commitment to bringing mental health and wellness to the forefront of the ABA YLD agenda underscores how impactful his influence will be both within our state and across the country.

The Florida YLD has a proud tradition of being active and progressive at the ABA Conference, and we are proud that this year was no different. If you are interested in learning more about the ABA, it’s mission, or would like to become involved, be sure to see our related newsletter article about ABA Election Vacancies!