Immigration, electronic voting and homeless youth are among highlights at ABA meeting in Vancouver

The implications of a proposed merits-based U.S. immigration system, measures to secure electronic voting, LGBT rights under the Trump administration and efforts to reduce homeless youth in the United States and Canada are chief legal issues that will be explored at the 2018 American Bar Association Midyear Meeting Feb. 1-5 in Vancouver.

With several hundred top-quality legal programs and events, and presentations by America's foremost law experts and speakers, the ABA Midyear Meeting is the nation's premier gathering of legal professionals.

The 601-member ABA House of Delegates-the association's policy-making body-will meet Feb. 5, 8:30 a.m., in Ballroom B/C (Level 1) of the Vancouver Convention Centre. For details on the proposals for debate and vote during the one-day session, click here.

Programs include:

Thursday, Feb. 1

- "View from the Bench: The State of International Law" - Judges from the United States and Canada Emily Burke and Susan Griffin of the British Columbia Supreme Court; Harvey M. Groberman, British Columbia Court of Appeals; Richard Boulware, U.S. District Court of Nevada; and Elizabeth Strong, U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York will explore the current status of international law in judicial decision-making, including cross-border enforcement of judgments, international precedent and the attacks on the place of international law in American courtrooms.

Friday, Feb. 2

- "A North American Perspective on the Death Penalty: The American and Canadian Experiences" - Director of the ACLU Capital Punishment Project Cassandra Stubbs will examine the divergent approaches to the death penalty in Canada and the United States.

- "Attorney Well-Being: It's Your Life in the Balance, Right?" - Panelists, including Bree Buchanan, co-chair of the National Task Force on Lawyer Well Being, will explore a recent study conducted by the ABA Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation on attorney substance-use disorders and mental health issues, which shows an alarming rise in the prevalence of these maladies among younger practitioners. Panelists will share specific steps lawyers can take to regain their work-life balance and reduce the prevalence of anxiety, depression, substance use disorders and suicide.

- "The Challenges for Women in Politics Both Personal and Professional" - Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum and former British Columbia Justice Minister and Attorney General Suzanne Anton, QC, will discuss the personal and professional challenges of women in politics.

- "ABA and Canadian Legal Needs of Homeless Youth Learning Exchange: Improving Outcomes by Removing Legal Barriers" - U.S. and Canadian advocates, lawyers and service providers will gather for an interactive roundtable discussion on homeless youth, examining strategies in their respective countries to identify effective legal resources and referral systems; unmet needs and gaps in services; as well as current campaigns and model responses, such as Vancouver's Pivot Legal Society and the new ABA Homeless Youth Legal Network.

- "Democracy on the Edge: Security, eVoting and the Challenge of Verifying the People's Choice" - In the aftermath of the 2016 election that culminated in allegations of foreign cyber-intervention, questions have arisen about electronic voting. Is it secure? Is it accurate? Does it show the will of the people or of some hacked distortion? Both technical and legal experts will examine these fundamental concerns over eVoting and the risks that must be addressed when placing full faith in digital technology.

- "Forum: Amend the Model Rules of Professional Conduct on Lawyer Advertising" - The ABA Standing Committee on Professional Responsibility will hear testimony on proposed changes to the Model Rules of Professional Conduct on lawyer advertising.

- "The Power of Finding Your Voice" - Former senior vice president of CNN Worldwide Parisa Khosravi will share her unique perspective on success honed from overcoming obstacles as an international female journalist, immigrant and mother.

Saturday, Feb. 3

- "Lessons Across Borders: What the U.S. and Canada Can Teach One Another About Establishing a Successful Immigration Policy" - As the Trump administration supports the RAISE (Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) Act, U.S. and Canadian immigration attorneys will examine the proposed measure, which reduces the number of legal immigrants into the United States and prioritizes high-skilled workers by setting up a merits-based system similar to those used by Canada and Australia. How well has the system worked in Canada and will it work in the United States?

- "The Current State of LGBT Law Under the Trump Administration" - Top LGBT legal experts Executive Director D'Arcy Kemnitz, National LGBT Bar Association; Associate Judge Phyliss Frye, Houston Municipal Courts; Transgender Rights Project Director Jennifer Levi, GLAD; and Legal Director Shannon Price Minter, National Center of Lesbian Rights will consider recent advances and setbacks to LGBT law, focusing on such topics as the ban on transgender military personnel, the Department of Defense's religious freedom memo and the Justice Department's stance that the Civil Rights Act does not protect workers on the basis of their sexual orientation.

- "The Perennial (and Stubborn) Challenge of Cost, Affordability and Access in Legal Education: Has it Finally Hit the Fan?" - With law schools facing declining enrollments and revenues not seen since the onset of World War II, along with students managing high tuition, substantial debt and dreary job prospects, a panel of researchers as well as ABA and law school representatives will discuss the problems and the way forward, including how the legal education arena has tried to respond.

- "Title IX Updates" - Panelists will discuss hot topics and recent developments in civil rights laws pertaining to both K-12 and postsecondary education. Topics addressed will include pregnant and parenting students, sexual harassment and sexual violence and applicability of Title IX to sexual orientation and gender identity.

- "'Houston, We Have a Problem!' Substance Abuse and the Legal Profession" - As lawyers face high incidences of substance abuse and mental health concerns, lawyers who have successfully dealt with those issues will speak on their recovery, available resources and what can be done to support others in the legal profession who need help.

Sunday, Feb. 4

- "Commission on the Future of Legal Education Open Hearing" - The ABA Commission on the Future of Legal Education will hear testimony related to the study of law and licensure for 21st century-law jobs.

Published: Thu, Jan 18, 2018