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From the ABF Director

A Message from Ajay K. Mehrotra
Executive Director and Research Professor, American Bar Foundation

Professor of Law & History, Northwestern University School of Law

As the Executive Director of the American Bar Foundation (ABF), it is my great honor to thank you and all ABF Fellows for your continued support for ABF research and programming.  We are especially grateful for the outstanding leadership of our ABF Fellows Officers: Ellen Jakovic (Chair), Eileen Kato (Chair-Elect), Cynthia Nance (Secretary), and Reggie Turner (Immediate Past Chair).

Under the leadership of our Fellows Officers and our state chairs, the Fellows witnessed another stellar year of charitable contributions and pledges.  In this past fiscal year, over 900 new Fellows were elected, and total Fellows donations exceeded $2.5 million.  As a result, the Fellows currently boast total membership well beyond 14,000 individuals across the globe. It is because of the Fellows, and the American Bar Endowment, that we can produce the research and programming that has been the hallmark of the ABF.

Our research continues to garner accolades from the profession and the academy.  In the past year, ABF research and programming has been supported with grants and funding from such prestigious institutions as the National Science Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, and the AccessLex Institute, among others. Leading popular publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Wall Street Journal continue to note the significance of ABF research.  Moreover, the ABF remains one of the world’s leading incubators for emerging legal scholars and lawyers.  Our fellowship programs for college and graduate students continue to help expand and diversify not only the academy, but the profession as a whole.

In the coming year, I look forward to working with our new Fellows Officers and all of our state chairs in making 2019-20 another outstanding year for all Fellows and for the American Bar Foundation.  Thank you again for all your support.