Fellows Events at the 2026 ABA Annual Conference in Chicago

ABF Fellows Registration Hours:

Hyatt Regency Chicago
151 East Wacker

Please stop by the Fellows registration desk to pick up your tickets, complimentary Fellows ribbons, and visit the ABF booth to learn more about our many ongoing research projects.

• Wednesday, July 29: 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm
• Thursday, July 30: 7:30am – 5:30 pm
• Friday, July 31: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
• Saturday, August 1: 7:30 am – 5:30 pm
• Sunday, August 2: 8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Friday, July 31

Fellows CLE Program – “The Afterlife of Mass Incarceration” (10:30 AM – 12:00 PM)

Hyatt Regency Chicago

Registration not required to attend event

Focused around the work of ABF Research Professor Reuben Jonathan Miller and his book, Halfway Home: Race, Punishment, and the Afterlife of Mass Incarceration, this panel will explore life before, during, and after incarceration, and the ways that criminal law and the public shape social and civic trajectories of people who have done time.

Panelists: 

Reuben Jonathan Miller
Research Professor, American Bar Foundation;
Associate Professor, University of Chicago Crown Family School of Social Work

Calvin Duncan
Author of The Jailhouse Lawyer;
Founder and Director of Light of Justice

Moderator:
Jennifer L. Parent
Director at McLane Middleton and National ABF Fellows Chair

(CLE Requested. You must be registered for the ABA Annual Conference to receive CLE credit)

Fellows Opening Reception (6:00 PM – 8:00 PM)
Northwestern Pritzker School of Law – McCormick Hall Courtyard
350 W. Superior Street

Ticketed Event – An early-bird discount will apply to registrations received by Friday, July 17, 2026

Join us for our Opening Reception in the beautiful courtyard of Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, located in the heart of Chicago just steps from Lake Michigan and the Magnificent Mile. Surrounded by the Law School’s historic Gothic-inspired architecture, the courtyard offers a unique blend of collegiate charm, lush greenery, and timeless elegance.

Guests will also have the opportunity to tour Lincoln Hall, a stunning lecture space modeled after the British House of Commons and adorned with stained-glass windows honoring every Northwestern Law graduating class since the school’s founding in 1860.

Roundtrip shuttle service will be provided from the Hyatt Regency Chicago

The Fellows gratefully recognize Opening Reception Gold Sponsor:

Saturday, August 1

Fellows Annual Business Breakfast (8:30 AM – 10:30 AM)

Hyatt Regency Chicago

Ticketed Event – An early-bird discount will apply to registrations received by Friday, July 17, 2026

Join us for a breakfast buffet and program, where we will discuss important Fellows business, recognize outgoing leaders and hear keynote remarks from ABF Fellow and Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Robert Bailey, renowned for his gripping legal thrillers that draw on his decades of experience as a civil defense trial lawyer.

The Fellows gratefully recognize Business Breakfast Gold Sponsor:

The Fellows gratefully recognize Business Breakfast Silver Sponsor:

Jo Ann Engelhardt

ABF Board Member and Visionary Fellow

Sunday, August 2

Fellows Sing-along (9:00 PM – 11:30 PM)

Hyatt Regency Chicago

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.

The Fellows gratefully recognize Sing-along Sponsor:

Jo Ann Engelhardt

ABF Board Member and Visionary Fellow