Passport to ABOTA

Table of contents
Membership Recruitment 1
Membership Retention 2
Bench and Bar 4
Executive Committee 4
Higher Education 5
Community Outreach, Recognition and Volunteer Work 6
Judicial Recognition 8
Juror Recognition 9
Civics Education 10
Civility and Professionalism 10
Scholarship and Financial Support 11
Appendix: Publications and Resources 14
May 2022 v. 4

MEMBERSHIP RECRUITMENT
Appoint a Chapter Membership Chair or Membership
Committee.
Host Civility Matters programs with law firms.
— Submitted by Las Vegas
Provide scholarships to local minority bar associations to
attend Masters in Trial programs so young lawyers from
diverse organizations can familiarize themselves with
ABOTA.
— Submitted by San Diego
Courthouse Step Program — For new and upcoming trial
lawyers. Each attendee is provided a booklet for the lawyer
to begin tracking his or her trials.
— Submitted by Orange County
Seeks new members though specialty bar associations to
identify potential ABOTA candidates who are younger and
diverse.
— Submitted by Dallas
Host a brown bag lunch event for non-members. It’s an
opportunity for well-experienced lawyers to share stories
and give advice to would-be ABOTA members.
— Submitted by Dallas
Host a cocktail hour to potential candidates and bring in
speakers.
— Submitted by Dallas
1

Connect with the local judiciary to inquire if they have
observed civility and professionalism in their courtrooms.
— Submitted by Las Vegas and Georgia
Partner with affinity bars.
— Submitted by Colorado, Corpus Christi and Orange County
Identify judges who may qualify to join ABOTA and invite
them to attend membership meetings.
— Submitted by Corpus Christi
Joint meetings with other Bar organizations to meet and
identify new lawyers.
— Submitted by Washington
Social Media Accounts
— Submitted by Orange County and Michigan
Place legal ads with local Bar.
— Submitted by Kentucky and Orange county
Attorney recognition program that is open to all practicing
attorneys (whether in or not in ABOTA) who exemplify
professionalism, ethics and civility.
— Submitted by West Texas
MEMBERSHIP RETENTION
New member orientation programs.
— Submitted by Dallas, Austin, Houston and Washington
Mentor program for first-year members.
— Submitted by Orange County
2

Recognition of founding members and past presidents at
holiday dinner.
— Submitted by Oregon
Sponsoring three Executive Committee Members to attend
ABOTA Leadership Conference.
— Submitted by Oregon
Hold multiple regional lunches throughout the state instead
of holding one event for the entire state.
— Submitted by Tennessee and Alabama
Speaker lunches, which include CLE credit, for chapter
attendees.
— Submitted by Austin
Quarterly publication to members.
— Submitted by South Carolina, Tennessee, Michigan,
Orange County, CAL-ABOTA, San Antonio, Georgia, Alabama,
East Texas and Washington
Monthly membership lunches with a member of the
judiciary.
— Submitted by Georgia
Quarterly member luncheons.
— Submitted by Oregon
Membership Letter.
— Submitted by Alabama
Women in ABOTA section within the chapter.
— Submitted by East Texas and Houston
3

Rotate locations of events to cover all counties of chapter.
— Submitted by East Texas and Houston
“Civil Trial Tip of the Month” Newsletter.
— Submitted by Washington
BENCH AND BAR
Business dinner with chapter members and trial court
judges. The topic of discussion is about any issues that both
the bench and bar feel need to be addressed.
— Submitted by Delaware
Voir Dire Project – intended to investigate the background
for imposition of time limits on jury selection, its genesis,
and if the reasons for time constraints still exist.
— Submitted by Colorado
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Bi-monthly Executive Committee Meetings.
— Submitted by South Carolina
Pre-qualification to serve on Executive Committee —
Each EC member has to coordinate two Masters in Trial
programs.
— Submitted by South Carolina
Alternate the office of president between plaintiff and
defense lawyers.
— Submitted by Iowa
4

Devote one Executive Committee Meeting to examine and
discuss membership applications.
— Submitted by Dallas
HIGHER EDUCATION
Jack Daniels Trial College — A three-day trial practice
program for young lawyers.
— Submitted by Los Angeles
Trial Practice Series — The topic of each class is designed to
equip students with information they need to handle a case
from the moment it comes in the door to the final verdict.
— Submitted by Arkansas
Paul Rosen Lecture Series, a program that deals with current
constitutional issues.
— Submitted by Missouri/Southern Illinois
Lenny Cervantes Civility Lecture Series.
— Submitted by Los Angeles
TEX-ABOTA Talk Tuesday CLE program.
— Submitted by TEX-ABOTA
Voir Dire Competition.
— Submitted by Utah, Washington and West Texas
5

COMMUNITY OUTREACH, RECOGNITION
and VOLUNTEER WORK
Mock Trial Teacher and Coach Hall of Fame — Recognize
teachers for their service as mock trial coaches for middle
and high school mock trial competitions.
— Submitted by Iowa
Provide career counseling to law school students interested
in litigation careers.
— Submitted by Connecticut
Mock trial judges for high school competitions at the state
and national levels.
— Submitted by Connecticut
Civility Award to one bailiff (or courtroom attendant) and
one court clerk.
— Submitted by San Diego
Executive Committee member is a liaison to law school.
— Submitted by South Carolina
Teach law related courses at local law schools.
— Submitted by Mississippi and Dallas
Annual golf tournament that is open to judges, chapter
members and attorneys in the community.
— Submitted by Orange County and Dallas
Working with local law schools to create a program for post
graduates with chapter law firms and the court (in progress,
not launched yet).
— Submitted by Orange County
6

ABOTA Fellow Program — Three-month program involving
law school graduates waiting for Bar results. Each candidate
spends one month with a plaintiff member, defense
member, and judge.
— Submitted by Los Angeles
Court Clerk of the Year Award.
— Submitted by Los Angeles
Law Day — Outreach program to state high schools.
— Submitted by Michigan
Moot Court — ABOTA members serve as judges and provide
mentoring to law students.
— Submitted by Michigan
Law School Mentor Program — Mentors provide one hour a
week of service mentoring one or more law school students.
— Submitted by Dallas
Pro-Bono — Each member is encouraged to provide 55
hours of pro bono work to the state bar.
— Submitted by Dallas
Habitat for Humanity — Chapter contributes financially.
Volunteers work to help build houses.
— Submitted by Dallas
Raise funds for foster teenagers and buy them backpacks
filled with clothing, sundries and school supplies to assist
them as they transfer from household to household.
— Submitted by Tampa Bay
7

Host a cocktail reception on the University of Tampa campus
and speak and mentor students for their nationwide mock
trial and moot court competition.
— Submitted by Tampa Bay
Mock Trials — the Miami Dade District High School Mock
Trial Competition is an academic competition in which a
team of 6-8 students simulate the roles of both attorneys
and witnesses in fictional trial situation.
— Submitted by Miami
Mentorship Program offering shared experiences and advice
to lawyers on both sides of the civil bar. The chapter partners
with federal programs where lawyers without the requisite
10 civil trials can take on a pro bono civil jury trial and get
trial experience.
— Submitted by Colorado
JUDICIAL RECOGNITION
Annual Roast of Judges — Celebrate the judiciary and
“roast” a retired judge.
— Submitted by Palm Beach
Send plaques to all new judges that states, “Civility Matters,
Nothing Less will be Tolerated.”
— Submitted by Minnesota and Georgia
Host a spring cocktail reception for the judiciary where we
announce our Judge of the Year. We then host a black-tie
dinner in the fall where we honor the Judge of the Year.
— Submitted by Dallas
8

Host judicial specific events to recognize the Judiciary.
— Submitted by Corpus Christi, Georgia, Dallas and Orange
County
Finance judiciary to receive ABOTA’s Voir Dire Magazine.
— Submitted by multiple chapters
Invite the judiciary to luncheons or meetings, which
provides an opportunity for our members and judges to
know each other outside of the courthouse.
— Submitted by Corpus Christi, Eastern North Carolina and
Houston (they call theirs “Bench Banter”)
Recognition letter of newly elected or re-elected judges
after elections with information about ABOTA included.
— Submitted by Georgia
JUROR RECOGNITION
Juror appreciation ad in local newspaper.
— Submitted by Southeastern Georgia
Jury appreciation lunch. Those invited are jurors from
recent jury trials and the judges who presided over the
cases.
— Submitted by Dallas
Jury Appreciation Day to include honorary plaques.
— Submitted by Colorado
9

Civics Education
7th Amendment Symposium.
— Submitted by East Texas, Jacksonville, Tampa Bay
We the People program — a mock congressional hearing
in which the students make a joint presentation and then
answer questions.
— Submitted by Miami
Partnering with school districts to educate students and
teachers regarding the importance of the rule of law and
the judiciary system.
— Submitted by West Texas
Mendez Program – presentation of the seminal case of
Mendez v. Westminster School District (1946), which was the
forerunner in California to Brown v. Board of Education.
— Submitted by Orange County
CIVILITY and PROFESSIONALISM
Half-day ethics seminar followed by judicial reception.
— Submitted by Oregon
Trial Lawyer of the Year award based on civility, integrity
and professionalism.
— Submitted by San Diego
Lenny Cervantes Civility Lecture Series.
— Submitted by Missouri/Southern Illinois
10

To encourage collegiality, many members transmit
to opposing counsel at the beginning of our cases a
copy of the American Board of Trial Advocates Code of
Professionalism as well as a copy of the Texas Lawyer’s
Creed.
— Submitted by Dallas
Judicial pledge — Dallas County District Court Judges
adopted, in part, ABOTA’s Principles of Civility, Integrity and
Professionalism.
— Submitted by Dallas
SCHOLaRSHIPS AND FINANCIAL SUPPORT
Provide two $2,500 scholarships to law students.
— Submitted by Iowa
Provide six $500 gifts to middle and high school Mock Trial
Hall of Fame recipients.
— Submitted by Iowa
Funding Oregon Trial Advocacy College.
— Submitted by Oregon
Provide a number of scholarships to local minority bar
associations to attend Masters in Trial.
— Submitted by San Diego
Sponsor an essay contest for high school students.
— Submitted by Minnesota
11

Members personally provide scholarships to law students at
local law schools.
— Submitted by Dallas
Fund Journalist Law School and Media Law School.
— Submitted by many chapters
Strive 100 Program — Executive Committee members write
and personally contact members who are not yet Fellows of
the Foundation and encourage them to become a Fellow.
Reports are generated each month and submitted to the
Executive Committee.
— Submitted by Dallas
Guardian Ad Litem Program. All contributions go to the
ABOTA Foundation.
— Submitted by Dallas, Houston, Austin, Corpus Christi and
Amarillo
Phone-a-thon where the Executive Committee calls chapter
members to sign up to become an ABOTA Fellow.
— Submitted by Colorado and East Texas
Chapter sponsors a first-time judge to attend the National
Judicial College in Reno, Nevada.
— Submitted by Tampa Bay
Put “Fellow” flags on nametags to increase awareness of
ABOTA Foundation
— Submitted by Washington
12

Provide a scholarship award of $5,000 to a student in their
third year of law school.
Provides — Submitted a scholarship by Orange County award of $5,000 to a student in their
third year of law school.
— Select Submitted a local by charity Orange to County receive financial assistance along
with selecting a specific day for members to volunteer their
Select time for a local that charity’s to activity provide of financial the day. assistance along
with — Submitted selecting by a Orange specific County day for members to volunteer their
time for that charity’s activity of the day
— Submitted by Orange County
Appendix: Publications and Resources
The ABOTA National Office provides printed and online
publications for use by chapters and members for internal
or external events. Contact the National Office for
additional information.
Experience ABOTA Brochure
A summary of the programs and highlights of ABOTA and
the ABOTA Foundation, Experience ABOTA is an excellent
introductory tool for potential members or individuals not
familiar with the organization.
ABOTA Fast Facts Card
Intended for current and new members, this card briefly
breaks down the organizational structure, fees structure and
membership breakdown of ABOTA.
ABOTA Foundation Annual Report
A full summary of each year’s highlights, programs and
financial activities of the Foundation.
Code of Professionalism
12 13

Appendix: Publications and Resources
The ABOTA National Office provides printed and online
publications for use by chapters and members for internal
or external events. Contact the National Office for
additional information.
Experience ABOTA Brochure
A summary of the programs and highlights of ABOTA and
the ABOTA Foundation, Experience ABOTA is an excellent
introductory tool for potential members or individuals not
familiar with the organization.
ABOTA Fast Facts Card
Intended for current and new members, this card briefly
breaks down the organizational structure, fees structure and
membership breakdown of ABOTA.
ABOTA Foundation Annual Report
A full summary of each year’s highlights, programs and
financial activities of the Foundation.
Code of Professionalism
ABOTA’s Oath to Professionalism in the courtroom.
Principles of Civility
These Principles supplement the precepts set forth in
ABOTA’s Code of Professionalism and are a guide to
the proper conduct of litigation. Civility, integrity, and
professionalism are the hallmarks of our learned calling,
dedicated to the administration of justice for all. Counsel
adhering to these principles will further the truth-seeking
process so that disputes will be resolved in a just, dignified,
courteous, and efficient manner.
14

Voir Dire Magazine
Published three times annually, Voir Dire is the flagship
publication of ABOTA. It is mailed to all members of the
organization, as well as to state and federal judges and
law schools across the country. All issues are available and
searchable on abota.org.
Judicial Independence Resources
ABOTA is committed to preserving the independence of the
judiciary, recognizing that judicial impartiality and fairness
protect against the whims and demands of the government
and special interests. Resources available on abota.org for
chapters include:
• Judicial Independence White Paper
• Protocol for Responding to Unfair
Criticism of Judges
• Archive of Responses to Criticism by State
15

Program Toolkits
Chapters wishing to host ABOTA programs can
download Provides a toolkits scholarship to view award the of procedures, $5,000 to a guidelines student in and their
opportunities third year of law for school. each program. Those include:
— Submitted by Orange County
• Save Our Juries
Select National a local charity ABOTA’s to flagship provide public financial information assistance along
with selecting campaign a provides specific day unique for members opportunities to volunteer for chapters their
time for to get that local charity’s jurors, activity judges of and the general day communities
— Submitted involved. by Orange The toolkit County provides sample speeches,
potential events, and resources about civil trial by jury.
Appendix: Publications and Resources
• Civility Matters
The ABOTA The ABOTA National Foundation’s Office provides Civility printed Matters and program online
publications is designed for use for by presentation chapters and at law members schools, for legal internal
or external associations events. and Contact law firms. the National The toolkit Office includes for the
additional new Civility information. Matters brochure (also available in print
upon request), as well as guidelines for presenting
Experience the program. ABOTA Videos, Brochure articles, and other resources are
A summary available of the at abota.org/foundation.
programs and highlights of ABOTA and
the ABOTA Foundation, Experience ABOTA is an excellent
introductory • Civics Education tool for potential Program members Guide or individuals not
familiar Chapters with the wishing organization. to host a Teachers Law School or
James Otis Lecture Series program can access this
ABOTA guide Fast to Facts understand Card the responsibilities and
Intended procedures for current for the and events. new members, this card briefly
breaks down the organizational structure, fees structure and
membership • ABOTA breakdown Civic Education of ABOTA. Literacy Program (CELP)
ABOTA members, members of the judiciary and local
ABOTA Civics Foundation leaders are Annual encouraged Reporto participate in this
A full Foundation-sponsored summary of each year’s program. highlights, programs and
financial activities of the Foundation.
Code of Professionalism
16 12