When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, many of her most important questions can’t be answered by a doctor. Will my boss let me take time off for treatment? What if my insurance won’t cover a new treatment? Do I risk losing my benefits if I am not working full time?

As the first woman lawyer in America, Margaret Brent was a role model for generations of women. Five women lawyers following in her trailblazing footsteps were honored on Sunday for their unique contributions to the legal profession at the 19th Annual Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Awards Luncheon in Chicago.

David H. Souter, retired as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, challenged ABA members at the Opening Assembly for the 2009 Annual Meeting to “take on the job of making American civic education real again.”

“Lawyers in our living rooms” – the idea of legal programs and their impact on popular culture has received much more than its 15 minutes of fame this month. An Annual Meeting panel, a new book, an ABA Journal cover story and a public program all spotlighted the many TV shows, from “Perry Mason” to “Law & Order” to “Judge Judy,” that inform and entertain the public about the fascinating world of lawyers and courtrooms.

Layoffs, deferrals and lateral moves litter the lawyer landscape in a profession that seemed nearly recession proof in past economic downturns. Not this time around.

How could the changing composition of the court, domestic and international law, popular opinion and exonerations affect how future death penalty cases are decided? Experts in the field, including former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement, came together to read the tea leaves during “Future of the Death Penalty in the United States Supreme Court,” a Saturday panel program at the ABA Annual Meeting.

Among many questions remaining unresolved in dealing with persons detained as suspected terrorists post 9/11 is how to distinguish between conduct of “unlawful combatants” and that of criminals. Another goes to where such cases can and should be tried.

The most pressing issues facing election law practitioners and reformers has switched from the delivery of voting procedures to the issues surrounding voter registration, according to a panel of national voting and election law experts gathered Friday at the American Bar Association’ Annual Meeting in Chicago.

Perhaps your law firm regularly does international business or maybe you’re just dipping your toe into international waters with a new client. Regardless, understanding the local business practices and cultural norms of a foreign land can help you build lasting relationships with your clients and put you ahead of the competition.

Six former attorneys general gathered at the ABA Annual Meeting in Chicago Friday for a lively, and often times humorous, discussion that offered insights into the day to day requirements of the job, as well as its tensions, challenges and opportunities.

The most significant benefit of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of Caperton v. Massey may well be the national debate it sparked about judicial selection methods, according to panelists at “Justice for Sale?”

Vincent Chin was murdered in Detroit on June 19, 1982 because of his race. Twenty-seven years later, the Tort Trial & Insurance Practice Section will bring Chin’s case—and its aftermath—to life.