Stephen Zack: First Hispanic American As President-elect of the American Bar Association
Miami lawyer Stephen Zack is now president-elect of the American Bar Association. He'll serve in this capacity for one year, and become official president in August 2010. Zack holds the honor of being the first Hispanic American to be elected to this prestigious position, and I congratulate Mr. Zack on this distinction. Please take a moment to read through a recent interview with Stephen:
ABA President Elect Stephen Zack
Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 03:30PM
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Miami lawyer Stephen N. Zack, a partner in the national law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner, was elected as president-elect of the American Bar Association - the first Hispanic American to achieve that distinction. Zack will serve one year as president-elect before taking office as president in August 2010 at the ABA's Annual Meeting in San Francisco.
The son of a Cuban mother and American father, Zack is focused on promoting civics education, the importance of inspiring a new generation of lawyers and ABA programs that advance access to justice for everyone in the United States. In addition, he will work to create a commission on Hispanic rights.
"I am proud to be the first Hispanic American slated to become the president of the ABA. This country is still a land of opportunity. I want to work as an advocate for access to justice - and also for the possibilities that can exist for all young students from all backgrounds."
Stephen ZackIn his speech to the House of Delegates, Zack said he will focus on "two critical areas" of the legal profession - civics education and the high cost of legal education. He said these issues and the programs and strategies to address them will have "an impact on the profession and on future generations."
In the coming year, Zack, who grew up in Cuba and has practiced law for more than 35 years, will work with other bar associations to develop a pilot program for an American to teach students about everything from making an opening statement to understanding the Bill of Rights. The goal is to eventually enroll a small group of students - half of which would be minority students - from every high school in the United States to participate in an educational program over the President's Day holiday weekend. Zack called on members of the ABA to get involved.
"Every last one of us will go in and teach these students. We can't wait. We will begin to reach out to a new generation," said Zack.
In addition, Zack said he is determined to push for a renewed focus on teaching civics education in the classrooms of America so that students truly understand why we have three separate branches of government.
"With every right that we have comes an obligation to understand those rights," Zack said after quoting a study that revealed that most Americans cannot name the three branches of government.
His hope is that a renewed interest in civics and an understanding of the role of government will not only create a more informed citizenry, but also increase student interest in pursuing a career in law.
Zack said a law school education must be affordable for all, otherwise, "We will become an elitist profession at a time when we must look like the people we represent. We have an overriding obligation to make sure that a new generation can service the needs of all Americans."
©2009 Angel Reyes
www.ReyesLaw.com
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