Fellows Events at the 2025 ABA Midyear Meeting in Phoenix
A $30 registration fee is required and helps cover administrative costs associated with the Midyear Meeting
Early event registration discounted pricing until January 17
ABF Fellows On-Site Registration Hours:
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
340 N. 3rd Street
Please stop by The Fellows registration desk to pick up your complimentary Fellows ribbons and visit the ABF booth to learn more about our many ongoing research projects.
- 3:00 PM – 5:30 PM Wednesday, January 29
- 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM Thursday, January 30
- 7:30 AM – 5:30 PM Friday, January 31
- 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM Saturday, February 1
- 7:30 AM – 3:00 PM Sunday, February 2
Friday, January 31
Fellows CLE Program – “The Age-Old Question Facing All of Us – Deny People Any Help or Allow Some Help by Non-Lawyers: An Innovation’s Odyssey”
(2:00 PM – 3:30 PM)
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
340 N. 3rd Street
The ABA will seek 1.5 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states, and 1.8 hours of CLE credit for this program in 50-minute states. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules. Please visit www.americanbar.org/mcle for general information on CLE at the ABA. (CLE Requested. You must be registered for the ABA Midyear Meeting to receive CLE credit)
Access to justice is an endemic and intractable challenge for the American legal system. This CLE is about an innovation’s odyssey. It explores the expansion and evolution in the states of one response to that intractable challenge, one with far-reaching potential – redefining who can deliver legal services if not licensed attorneys. It is about states as laboratories for innovations authorizing trained and licensed non-lawyers – having a variety of names — to deliver certain legal services without attorney supervision. And the states are indeed laboratories for what is, admittedly, an access experiment. At the outset, no one knew if this innovation would work. As then Washington State Chief Justice Barbara Madsen said in the 2012 order creating the first such non-lawyer program, “No one has a crystal ball … There is simply no way to know the answer to this question without trying it.” Odysseys are about journeys and what a given journey can teach us. In 2025, the question now is what have we learned?
This program will be moderated by Don Bivens, Principal Attorney, Don Bivens, PLLC and feature a panel discussion with:
- Stephen Daniels – American Bar Foundation Research Professor Emeritus
- Michele Statz – Associate Professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Affiliated Faculty with the University of Minnesota Law School and Affiliated Scholar with the American Bar Foundation
- Rodolfo D. Sanchez – Executive Director, DNA – People’s Legal Services
Fellows Opening Reception (6:30 PM – 8:30 PM)
Chase Field
401 E. Jefferson
Join us for an evening filled with music, food, friends, and fun at the 20th Anniversary Experience at Chase Field! Relive some of the greatest moments in Arizona Diamondbacks history in an MLB museum-style setting. Located on the main concourse in right field, the area features historic artifacts, memorabilia, photography and a wall with signed baseballs from nearly all D-backs players and coaches. The Experience also includes a showcase of the team’s 2001 World Series championship and several Silver Slugger, Gold Glove and Cy Young Awards won by D-backs players. Guests can also view the field!
The Fellows gratefully recognize Gold Sponsor:
The Fellows gratefully recognize Silver Sponsor:
Saturday, February 1
Fellows Tour: Taliesin West (8:45 AM – 12:00 PM)
Round trip bus tour from Sheraton Phoenix Downtown 340 N. 3rd Street.
Taliesin West is a World Heritage site and National Historic Landmark nestled in the desert foothills of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wright’s beloved winter home and desert laboratory was established in 1937 and diligently handcrafted over many years. Deeply connected to the desert from which it was forged, Taliesin West possesses an almost prehistoric grandeur. It was built and maintained almost entirely by Wright and his apprentices, making it among the most personal of the architect’s creations. Join us for a break from the conference room to enjoy the true beauty of Arizona. The bus ride is about 40 minutes each way to reach this desert beauty and will leave from the Sheraton Downtown Phoenix at 8:45 AM and return to the same location by 12:00 PM.
69th Annual Fellows Awards Reception and Banquet (6:00 PM – 10:00 PM)
Heard Museum
2301 N. Central
Round trip shuttle bus provided from Sheraton Phoenix Downtown.
Join us for a festive evening as we celebrate and honor lawyers and scholars who have made extraordinary contributions to the legal profession and society. Our guests will have full access to the museum to tour and discover the rich and vibrant world of American Indian art, from traditional artworks to contemporary creations.
- Outstanding Service Award: Myles Lynk
- Outstanding Scholar Award: Erwin Chemerinsky
- Outstanding State Chair Award: Julianne P. Blanch, Utah
Featuring keynote remarks from the author of “The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and the Unmaking of U.S. History,” Professor Ned Blackhawk, Howard R. Lamar Professor of History, Yale University
The Fellows gratefully recognize Bronze Sponsor:
Sunday, February 2
Fellows Sing-Along (9:00 PM – ??)
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
340 N. 3rd Street
What better way to top off a long day of meetings than with a relaxed evening of sing-along favorites? Bring some friends and enjoy! Not much of a singer? No problem! Join us for a nightcap and enjoy the entertainment.