As the chair of the ABA Section on Administrative Law and…

        As the chair of the ABA Section on Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice
for 2007-08, I'd like to welcome you to our website. If you're already a member of our
Section, thanks! I hope you've found our publications and programs helped you in your
practice.

       If you're not a member, I'd like to invite you to consider joining our Section.
You'll find that it's well worth the annual dues. I've been active in the Section for over
20 years and have always found it be a warm and welcoming environment, supportive of
new initiatives, and friendly to academic and practicing lawyers alike. You'll learn a lot
and the networking is great!

        The Ad Law Section consists of over 7000 members, consisting of lawyers in
private practice, government lawyers, law professors, and judges. In addition, over
11,000 law students are valued members of the Section. Our members are particularly
interested in the practices of federal, state or local administrative agencies, including
adjudication and rulemaking, and in judicial review of agency actions. Their areas of
specialization span every possible area of government activity, from federal energy,
homeland security, and benefits law, to state regulation of licensed professions, to local
land use planning, and countless others.

        The Section provides a range of valuable publications to its members. These
include the quarterly Ad Reg News, a user-friendly newsletter discussing policy issues
and new developments, and the Administrative Law Review, a scholarly journal of
articles of practical and academic value. In addition, the Section publishes an annual
Developments book to update its members on new developments in administrative law
and in a vast array of regulatory domains. We present an annual award to a government
employee for superior service and an annual scholarship award for the best administrative
law articles published during the year by lawyers or law professors and by law students.

        Among many programs and member benefits, the Section runs a highly successful
Homeland Security Institute in January and a Rulemaking Institute in April. Its
committees sponsor numerous brown bag lunches in DC and run CLE teleconferences
open to members all over country, such as recent programs on food safety and EEOC
practice. We're working on a letter to the newly elected President--whoever he or she
may be--about administrative law priorities. We have a task force working on reform of
e-rulemaking and regulations.gov. We are just completing a major project on European
Union Administrative Law that should be very helpful to American lawyers with
problems in Brussels. And there's so much more.

       The highlight of the Ad Law Section's year is its fall conference in Washington
DC. Hundreds of private and government lawyers attend the fall conference, which
includes a huge array of practical CLE programs on hot topics in administrative and
regulatory law as well as a program on new administrative and constitutional law
developments. The Section is governed by its Council which meets four times a year.
Everyone is welcome at the Council meetings, whether or not members of the Council,
and there are always valuable and interesting CLE programs at each meeting.
        The Council often considers proposed resolutions for consideration by the ABA
House of Delegates, calling on Congress or federal agencies to take particular actions,
such as amending the APA, reauthorizing and funding the Administrative Conference of
the United States, or improving executive oversight of rulemaking. These resolutions
offer our members a chance to play a role in policy formulation and implementation. The
Section consists of over 60 committees, covering every possible practice area in
administrative and regulatory law. You'll certainly find a couple of committees that fit
your interests and by joining the committees you'll receive additional communications
and publications of interest to you.

        So, once again, I hope you find what you're looking for on our website and I'd
like to again take this opportunity to invite you to consider joining us.

Michael Asimow, Chair, 2007-08