First Judicial Summit

 

 The Hispanic National Bar Association (“HNBA”) is honored to invite you to attend the HNBA’s inaugural Judicial Summit being held in conjunction with the Association’s 34th Annual Convention.  The Convention and Summit will be held in Albuquerque, New Mexico from September 2 to 6, 2009.    

The Judicial Summit is a joint initiative of the HNBA and its Judicial Council.  The HNBA’s Judicial Council is an independent section that has its own officers, bylaws and treasury, and hosts regular programs at the Association’s Conventions and other meetings.  The Council is open to all members of the HNBA who are current or retired judges or who hold or have held any quasi-judicial position. The purposes of the Judicial Council are to encourage the participation of judges in the work of the HNBA; to provide a structure for Hispanic judges to support the American judicial system; to help improve the quality and administration of justice in the United States; to promote the benefits of a fair and independent judiciary; and to further access to justice for all Americans. The Judicial Council also fosters interaction and networking between and among members of the Hispanic bench and bar. 

The first judicial summit is intended to bring together judges from around the country in a collegial environment to discuss issues affecting Latino members of the bench and collaboration across all segments of the Hispanic legal community on issues related to judicial independence access to justice for the Latino community. It is also meant to serve as an idea incubator for initiatives and programs designed to further the recruitment, retention, and promotion of Hispanics in the judiciary, and to foster networking among members of the Latino bench and bar.  The programming for the Summit and Convention will be designed to meet judicial Continuing Education Requirements.

Members of the bench play a critical role in advancing the mission of the HNBA.  Judges are uniquely situated to help the bar and society at large understand the challenges imposed on today’s courts by exploding dockets, the increasing number of pro se litigants, the limited resources available for interpreters and other services essential to language minorities and the poor, and low judicial pay.  Such understanding is essential to the development of viable solutions and advocacy.  Latino judges also serve as role models for HNBA members, particularly young lawyers and law students who may otherwise not get the opportunity to interact with such accomplished professionals. 

Many of the country’s most influential Latino leaders and prominent members of the bench will be present at the 2009 HNBA Annual Convention.  Click here to register today!

The HNBA is pleased to announce that the Administrative Office of the Federal Courts (AOFC) will deliver a continuing legal education program for  judges entitled "Case Management/Electronic Case Filing in Chambers." to be held on Friday, September 4, at 2:00 PM.  With this additional program, the AOFC has approved certain CLE programs for both Thursday, September 3 and Friday, September 4, permitting federal judges to be reimbursed for their attendance at the 2009 HNBA's First Judicial Summit.