Service is Central Theme of Karen Mathis’ Presidency
Welcome Video
The theme of service connects three central initiatives of Karen J. Mathis, a Denver lawyer who became president of the American Bar Association on Aug. 8.
“We serve because it is our nature. Service is what drew many of us to the law,” Mathis says. “We are privileged to be America’s lawyers. It’s our time to ‘pay it forward.’”
Youth at Risk:
Mathis is calling on lawyers to use their unique skills and vantage point to assist America’s most at-risk youth, including truants, youngsters leaving foster care and girls in violent gangs. The ABA has begun partnering with youth organizations and court systems to help young people before they become trapped in the legal system.
Second Season of Service:
Mathis’s Second Season of Service initiative seeks to turn the looming retirement of 400,000 baby boom lawyers into a powerful force of volunteers. The ABA also is developing tools to help law firms and the legal profession cope with massive turnover in the next 10-15 years.
Rule of Law:
Finally, a September conference co-sponsored by the ABA and the International Bar Association will seek to expand the work of the American legal profession in promoting the rule of law in nations whose legal systems have been stunted by dictatorships.
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