Trial Magazine

We have an exciting year ahead at AAJ. Going into a crucial election year, AAJ continues to deliver exceptional education, unparalleled advocacy, and a dedicated community of trial lawyers fighting for justice. We must continue to stand strong in the fight against our anti-civil-justice opponents; however, I am confident that a bright future is on the horizon for our practices, our clients’ rights, and civil justice.

New website. AAJ will launch its new website this year, which is built on three pillars: community, advocacy, and education. The upgraded technology will improve members’ experiences on AAJ’s website, list servers, and document libraries. With more dynamic content, the new website will be more practice-area focused and provide greater value to our members and potential members.

Attend a convention. While many members network through AAJ’s list servers, Sections, and Litigation Groups, I encourage you to take your networking to a higher level in 2020: Attend an AAJ convention. Next month, Winter Convention takes place in New Orleans from Feb. 8–11, and Annual Convention will be held in Washington, D.C., from July 11–14.

Get involved with AAJ Caucuses. AAJ’s Caucuses will be as active as ever in 2020. The Minority Caucus will host its biennial Lobby Days in the spring. Lobby Days is a wonderful way to communicate directly with elected officials while also networking with colleagues. No lobbying experience is necessary.

Next month, the Women Trial Lawyers Caucus (WTLC) will host its biennial Leadership Summit in New Orleans on Feb. 7, the day before AAJ’s Winter Convention begins. The daylong event—“The Power of Us”—is for WTLC members and will focus on personal and professional development, including staff management, teambuilding, and other business of law topics. For more information on Caucus events, please email jennifer.rafter@justice.org.

Sign up for an Education program. Plan ahead and register now for one of AAJ Education’s exceptional CLE programs. The day before Winter Convention begins, AAJ will host its annual Marketing and Management Seminar, which will focus on essential business and marketing techniques to build your practice.

Head south to Orlando April 2–3 for the Electronic Fetal Monitoring Seminar, which offers a step-by-step guide to understanding the science of fetal monitoring strips and the impact they have on your cases. AAJ Education will return to New Orleans April 23–24 for its annual Jazz Fest Seminar. A must-attend for motor vehicle and trucking attorneys, this program focuses on the best techniques and information to win your case before trial. For jazz lovers, this weekend is also a lot of fun!

For more information on these programs and others, please visit www.justice.org/education or call (800) 622-1791 or (202) 965-3500, ext. 8612.

Leaders of tomorrow. The Diversity and Inclusion Leadership Academy is AAJ’s leading program to promote diversity among its membership and leadership, particularly for those who are underrepresented within the association. Due to the increased number of qualified applicants, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee decided to increase the academy’s class size from 16 to 18. Participants attend three intensive two-day trainings held in conjunction with AAJ events. The seventh class of the Academy will complete its final session at the 2020 Winter Convention and graduate during the Annual Convention. AAJ will accept applications in the spring for the next class that begins July 10, right before Annual Convention starts. To learn more, visit www.justice.org/leadershipacademy.

AAJ had a great year in 2019—and with your continued support, I know that we will have an even better one in 2020. Thanks for all that you do.

Bruce H. Stern is a shareholder at Stark & Stark in Lawrenceville, N.J. He can be reached at bruce.stern@justice.org.