ABA Law Practice Division's name change reflects realities of current legal profession

Reflecting the increase in importance to the legal profession of “the business of practicing law,” the American Bar Association announced Wednesday that the Law Practice Management Section (LPM) has changed its name to the ABA Law Practice Division (Law Practice).

“While many attorneys focus on bar sections that best fit their substantive legal practices, Law Practice is something critical to the success and survival of every practitioner,” said Michael Downey, chair of the ABA Law Practice Division. “Attorneys expect the ABA to be the go-to resource for national expertise and critical tools for running a law office. Moving to a division best reflects the importance of what we provide to every lawyer, regardless of firm size, practice or geography.”

On Aug. 12, during the ABA Annual Meeting in San Francisco, the House of Delegates unanimously approved Resolution 11-2, amending the ABA Constitution to change the name of the ABA Law Practice Management Section to the ABA Law Practice Division.

In 2012, an LPM task force was given the charge to evaluate the section name and assess how effectively it reflected the benefits offered. As the landscape of the legal profession has changed, the concept of “law practice” has evolved into an integral part of every firm — from the core focuses of technology, marketing, management and finance to issues of diversity, professional development, career paths and disaster planning. Because of these changes, the task force concluded that LPM could better serve the ABA membership as a division.

While the division will be making necessary changes to update its logo and branding, the mission remains the same: “helping lawyers practice law effectively and successfully while maintaining the highest standards of the profession.”

The ABA Law Practice Division (formerly known as the Law Practice Management Section) is a professional membership organization providing resources for lawyers and other legal professionals interested in the business of practicing law.