American Bar Association And Hyatt Regency Chicago Donate $100,000 to New Orleans Tourism Workers Relief Fund

CHICAGO, Feb. 15, 2006 – During the just-concluded 2006 American Bar Association Midyear Meeting, relocated to Chicago from its originally planned New Orleans facilities, ABA President Michael S. Greco presented a $100,000 check to the New Orleans Tourism Workers Relief Fund.

“The American Bar Association has held numerous midyear and annual meetings in the Crescent City, where it has received gracious and kind service from so many hard working employees in the hospitality community. Our hearts go out to the many friends we have made in New Orleans who have suffered because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. We look forward to returning there to see them again in the future,” said Greco.

“In the meantime, we are pleased to be joined by Hyatt Regency Chicago, which welcomed our meeting when we were unable to go to New Orleans, in helping those service employees who have so often helped us,” said Greco.

The donation was accepted in behalf of the New Orleans tourism service workers by Judy Perry Martinez, a former member of the ABA Board of Governors, and David F. Bienvenu, a member of the association’s House of Delegates, both of whom are from New Orleans and who co-chaired the host committee for the originally scheduled New Orleans meeting. The check represents matching funds from the ABA and Hyatt Regency Chicago, where the relocated meeting was held.

With more than 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the largest voluntary professional membership organization in the world. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law in a democratic society.