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ABA Facing Challenges and Opportunities Head-On, Says President Bay

Published 2 days ago via Business Wire

“These are not ordinary times,” American Bar Association President William R. Bay said to the association’s policymaking House of Delegates at the ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix. “The rule of law itself is at stake.”

Bay’s wide-ranging Feb. 3 remarks highlighted a multitude of timely legal issues including judicial security, diversity and inclusion, immigration and national disaster response programs. Bay looked back upon the association’s accomplishments in 2024 and painted a picture of where the profession may be heading in 2025. Challenges are expected, he said, and many of them have already landed on lawyers’ doorsteps across the country.

The Justice Department said Jan. 28 that it had fired more than a dozen employees who participated in criminal prosecutions of President Donald Trump.

“The firing and threats to fire lawyers and law enforcement officials for doing their jobs appears to be about vengeance,” he said. “It makes America weaker, not stronger.”

Bay’s remarks came as the profession continues to face unprecedented attacks that threaten the security and safety of the judiciary. “Make no mistake,” he said, “this affects all of us. And it must stop.”

Bay made a case for change in the organization and urged members to carry the message of the ABA’s impactful work and relevance — not only to the legal profession but also to the public at large.

“Our greatness is manifest when we work together for a common goal,” he said. “We must be willing to change and work together even when the outcome is different than what we would prefer or how we have always done it.”

In addition to embracing change in member engagement and how the association does things, Bay said, the ABA also needs changes in attitudes. “There are still too many of us who are resistant to change. If we are to remain faithful to our purpose, we must pursue a different path.” Bay urged the nearly 600-member House of Delegates to carry forward the message of the ABA’s impact.

The ABA provides numerous programs and content that help lawyers achieve excellence in their practices, but that work also makes “justice real in the lives of people.”

He highlighted the work of the ABA Rule of Law Initiative, Free Legal Answers, the Standing Committee on the Federal Judiciary that conducts evaluations of federal judicial nominees and PROBar, which assists thousands of asylum-seeking immigrants, as well the Task Force for American Democracy and the Young Lawyers Division efforts in disaster legal assistance.

“Without the ABA, these things don’t happen,” Bay said. “A world without a vibrant, growing ABA would be a lesser place.”

Bay noted that vast challenges lie ahead, including threats to the rule of law, lawyers and the judiciary.

“Our work is about safeguarding the fundamental American values of due process and access to justice.”

Turning to the issue of diversity, Bay said it was part of the association’s DNA. “We are stronger when we are diverse. It is a matter of fairness. The bottom line is we will not retreat from our goal and objectives in this vital area.”

Despite the challenges of the future, Bay was unwavering in his stand on the necessity for unity in the association.

“I don’t know what new issues or challenges we will face tomorrow. I cannot tell you every aspect of how we are going to deal with what lies ahead of us. But I know this. We are going to get through it working as one strong association — one day at a time.”

The ABA is one of the largest voluntary associations of lawyers in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law. View our privacy statement online. Follow the latest ABA news at www.americanbar.org/news and on X (formerly Twitter) @ABANews.

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