From cancelled summer programs, deferrals and rescinded job offers to high debt with no prospects for employment, recent law school grads have taken the brunt of the economic downturn and its impact on the legal community since 2007. But wait, it’s déjà vu—this recession conjures memories of a similar occurrence that redirected grads in the legal world nearly 20 years ago. Those with resilience, ingenuity, persistence and patience fared well, and some even took paths they would never have imagined.

American Bar Association President-elect Stephen N. Zack will speak to the graduating class of the California Western School of Law in San Diego at the school’s commencement ceremony Dec. 21. The ceremony will begin at 10 a.m. at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront, located at One Park Boulevard.

While the Supreme Court ruling in Boumediene v. Bush definitively established the right of habeas corpus for detainees at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, it left many important questions unresolved about how these habeas petitions would be adjudicated. As a consequence, the District of Columbia District Court and Court of Appeals have been charged with deciding such issues as, the substantive scope of the executive’s detention authority; the reach of the suspension clause to Bagram; whether conditions of confinement are open to a habeas challenge; standards for admitting hearsay into evidence; and procedures for handling classified intelligence reports.

With the capacity for storing thousands of books, periodicals and documents, electronic reading devices are increasingly relevant to lawyers. The ABA Journal reported that the Practising Law Institute is publishing some of its continuing education books for the Kindle e-reader. West is following suit, making its key content accessible on a variety of mobile devices More recently, blogger Sharon Nelson shared how a fellow lawyer is using his Kindle to show judges demonstrative evidence in court.

Members of the ABA Business Law Section Banking Law Committee heard Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Neal Wolin explain why the Federal Reserve Bank is the government agency best equipped to oversee complex financial firms.

A recent survey of the top 200 law firms by the National Association of Women Lawyers found that 72 percent of respondents have no women among their top five rainmakers, and nearly half of respondents have no women in their top ten. To help address the gender disparity, a panel of women rainmakers at “Generating Business … Different Styles, Different Approaches,” during the Law Firm Marketing Strategies Conference last month, shared advice to help women lawyers develop business.

The ABA Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice’s recent “Town Hall on Teen Violence” was the launch of a national anti-violence call to action. The event, held Friday, Nov. 17, at Chicago State University, featured a host of community activists including those in the national spotlight, like Dr. Steven Perry, education contributor to CNN.

In light of U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder’s recent announcement regarding the prosecution process for some of the Guantanamo detainees, the podcast of a related ABA Law and National Security Conference panel is now available online..

Teen violence is a growing problem, and the recent beating death of high school student Derrion Albert in Chicago has caused many to sound the alarm. The American Bar Association, in conjunction with Chicago State University, is hosting the first of several town hall meetings to discuss the problem and explore solutions. Stop the Violence—Time to Deliver, will kick-off on Friday, Nov. 20.

American Bar Association President Carolyn B. Lamm today accepted the resignation of Henry F. White Jr. as executive director of the national organization, and immediately named R. Thomas Howell Jr., general counsel, as interim executive director.

“Stop Teen Violence—Time to Deliver” is the topic of a town hall meeting to be convened 7 to 9 p.m. Nov. 20 at Chicago State University’s Jacoby Dickens Center, 9501 S. Martin Luther King Dr., Chicago, by the American Bar Association Council on Racial and Ethnic Justice and the university.

Approximately 350 prominent leaders from 16 various fields of endeavor and more than 80 nations will convene in Vienna Nov. 11 – 14 at the World Justice Forum II to discuss how the rule of law impacts their professional disciplines and communities, and to develop projects that can make a difference at a local level.