Annual Assembly
ABA celebrates ‘long-standing ties’ with Canadian legal professionals at annual assembly
August 6, 2025, 9:01 am CDT
Prime authorized professionals will convene in Toronto at this time via Tuesday to discover important public coverage points on the 2025 ABA Annual Assembly. (Picture by Getty Photos)
For less than the fourth time in its practically 150-year historical past, the ABA is internet hosting its annual assembly in Toronto.
The theme of the 2025 ABA Annual Assembly, which runs at this time via Tuesday, is “Rule of Regulation Rising: Advancing Regulation in a Related World.” It includes a full slate of packages that contact on this theme and different essential matters for the authorized career. The occasions, together with governance conferences and social gatherings, might be held on the Fairmont Royal York and different places downtown.
“It’s a nice time to be in Toronto for the ABA’s 2025 Annual Assembly,” ABA President Invoice Bay says. “We have a good time our long-standing ties with the Canadian Bar Affiliation and each Canadian lawyer.”
The ABA and the Canadian Bar Affiliation have labored intently over time as two English-speaking, common-law international locations that share the longest undefended border on the earth.
Up to now, the ABA held annual conferences in Toronto in 1988, 1998 and 2011, in accordance with the ABA president’s workplace. The affiliation additionally hosted annual conferences in Montreal in 1913, 1966 and 1975.
Bay notes that now greater than ever, you will need to renew a shared dedication to the rule of regulation and to the values that lengthy have served the authorized career.
“It is usually our alternative to remind our neighbors and associates in america and Canada why the rule of regulation issues and the very important function that legal professionals and bar associations play in defending liberty and delivering justice,” Bay says.
Observe together with the ABA Journal’s protection of the 2025 ABA Annual Assembly right here.
The Canadian Bar Affiliation, together with the Ontario Bar Affiliation and Canadian Bar Affiliation In-Home Attorneys, is internet hosting a number of packages which are obtainable to attendees of the annual assembly. Below the theme “Bridging Borders: Canadian and U.S. Authorized Views,” this contains discussions on U.S.-Canadian enterprise relationships and variations in American and Canadian litigation kinds.
“It’s a chance to look at the place our authorized techniques intersect and the way we will study from one another in a cross-border context—an more and more difficult one at that,” Canadian Bar Affiliation President Lynne Vicars says. “By bringing collectively specialists from each international locations, we’re providing a comparative perspective that’s sensible, related and grounded within the wants of at this time’s authorized practitioners.”
The Canadian Bar Affiliation additionally will co-sponsor a welcome reception and a CLE program on cross-border relations through the annual assembly.
“At a time when authorized techniques are underneath rising strain to adapt to world challenges—from digital transformation and financial volatility to rising threats to the rule of regulation—it’s extra important than ever for the authorized career to come back collectively throughout borders,” Vicars says. “The CBA views this partnership with the ABA as a mirrored image of our shared duty to uphold justice, ethics {and professional} excellence in a globalized world.”
Amongst notable governance conferences, the ABA Board of Governors will convene to debate the affiliation’s enterprise issues, and the Home of Delegates will think about practically 4 dozen proposed resolutions and amendments through the annual assembly.
On the shut of the Home assembly, Michelle Behnke, the present president-elect of the ABA, will start her one-year time period as president of the affiliation.
The whole schedule of occasions and different data could be discovered on the 2025 ABA Annual Assembly web site.
Write a letter to the editor, share a narrative tip or replace, or report an error.
