A steep rise in the number of people living in poverty and a big decline in funding for legal aid services has led to a crisis in access to justice for the most vulnerable Americans, said a panel of judges and attorneys today at the American Bar Association Midyear Meeting in New Orleans.

At an ABA Midyear Meeting panel discussion Feb. 2 on foreclosure issues, an Atlanta litigator who serves the mortgage industry joined a New Orleans legal services lawyer who specializes in foreclosure defense and two Washington, D.C., affordable housing advocates.

The American Bar Association will address legal policy issues ranging from law enforcement access to third-party records, to the regulation by courts or legislative bodies of state and local bar associations, to trial procedure when the association’s 560-member House of Delegates meets Feb. 6 in the Sheraton New Orleans, in the Grand Ballroom, 5th floor. The association’s policy-making body will meet during its Midyear Meeting, taking place in New Orleans Feb. 1-6.

The U.S. state court funding crisis, efforts to ensure access to justice, foreclosure prevention and disaster preparedness are the focus of just some of the legal programs at the American Bar Association Midyear Meeting in New Orleans, Feb.1-6. High-profile speakers at the meeting include U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia and Attorney General Eric Holder.

The American Bar Association joins the rest of America as we celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and his legacy of equality, justice and service to others. The federal holiday we observe on Monday is more than a day to reflect on Dr. King’s achievements—it is a call to action.

Judge Lawrence Walsh has had a distinguished career in public service and private practice. In 1981, nearing mandatory retirement age at his law firm, he moved his practice to his wife’s hometown of Oklahoma City, and has been there ever since. ABA President William T. (Bill) Robinson III had an opportunity to interview Judge Walsh on the occasion of his 100th birthday, Jan. 8, 2012.

The American Bar Association recognizes the challenges facing concerned law students who have yet to begin their careers and the frustration of those lawyers who are searching for work in this tough job market.

In a Dec. 30, 2011, letter to President Barack Obama, American Bar Association President Wm. T. (Bill) Robinson III expressed the association’s views that presidential signing statements are “contrary to the rule of law and our constitutional system of separation of powers.” The association’s House of Delegates adopted policy in 2006 opposing the use of signing statements as a method of disregarding or declining to enforce all or part of a law.

The American Bar Association extends its deepest condolences and sympathies to the family of former Czech Republic President Vaclav Havel and to the people of the Czech Republic. President Havel was a titan for justice and freedom. The American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative is proud to have honored President Havel with its Rule of Law Award in 2001 for his significant contributions in the struggle for democratic reforms in Czechoslovakia and later in the Czech Republic.

A team of Kentucky-based legal experts conducted a review of the death penalty in the commonwealth that uncovered flaws that undermine fairness and due process in the system. The assessment team calls for a suspension of executions in Kentucky until these issues can be addressed.

The Council of the American Bar Association Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has approved significant changes in the section’s collection and publication of graduate placement data provided by law schools. The changes are meant to enhance the accuracy, timeliness, completeness and specificity of the data. “There should be no doubt that the section is fully committed to the clarity and accuracy of law school placement data,” said New England Law/Boston Dean John O’Brien, chair of the section.

“I don’t believe there’s ever been a time where there were more distinct national security issues confronting this country,” said Stephen Preston, general counsel of the Central Intelligence Agency, during a panel discussion with other top national security lawyers at the “21st Annual Review of the Field of National Security Law,” yesterday in Washington, D.C.