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31 Affiliate 1 (2005-2006)

handle is hein.journals/aff31 and id is 1 raw text is: Defending Liberty Pursuing Justice American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division 321 North Clark Street Chicago, IL 60610-4714 ISSN: 0360-5485 The Volume 31 Number 1 September/October 21105 ,FFILIATE The newsletter and resource guide for bar leaders nationwide A Publication of the American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division * http://www.abanet.urg/yld Answering the Call: Young Lawyers Meeting the Legal Needs of Persons Living with HIV and AIDS By Scott D. Laufenberg ccording to statistics released by the Centers for Disease Control in June 2005, more than I million people were living with HIV in the United States in December 2003. This is the highest number of people recorded by the CDC, which is at- tributed to the fact that people with HIV and AIDS are living longer because of medications now available. According to ABA/YLD Chair Christina Plum, longer life expectancies have resulted in new chal- lenges. Just by way of example, where before one might not have lived long enough to be concerned about continued employ- ment, people who are HIV+ can now lead longer, more productive lives. Whether they disclose their status to their employer and how e employers should handle Scott D.is~fenberg ,s workplace issues with those an associate editor of who are HIV+ , these are is- The Affiliate and prac- tices law with Kerrick, sues that have new vitality Stivers & Coyle, PL.C., and relevance, she said. In in Bowling Green, addition, the growth of the Kentucky. disease internationally, and the risks to international security that accompany this, has again brought the disease into the public spotlight. FIIV and AIDS are also different from other dis- eases. Unlike nearly any other disease, people are often blamed for having HIIV/AIDS. Some believe that the activities they have undertaken in their own lives-which may be different from our own-have caused them to become ill. Thus, in addition to wondering 'Will I be able to work?' and 'What will my quality of life be?,' those with HIV/AIDS have to ask themselves: 'Will f tell peo- ple? Do I have to tell my employer? Do I have to tell my landlord? Can I be fired? Evicted?' Plum noted, The impact of discrimination and the fear of discrimination related to this disease is so pro- found that in 2001 the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a first-of-its-kind recommendation that those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS should immediately seek legal assis- tance. This was seen as a call to action-the YLD's project will answer that call, said Plum. According to Seth Levy, public service project co- continued on page 5 Michael S. Greco is the President of the American Bar Associa- tion, having taken the helm in Augtust 2005, after a long career of service to the ABA. Mr Greco has served on and chaired nu- merous ABA committees and has served in the ABA Houise of Delegates since 1985. Before his involvement in the ABA, Mr Greco served as the president of the Massachusetts Bar Associa- tion and as the president of the New England Bar Association. In addition to his years of service to the American Bar Association and ABA affiliates, he has also achieved great success as an at- torney. Mr Greco is a partner in the Boston office of Kirkpatrick & Lockhart, LLP and was gracious enough to share his time with The Affiliate. The Affiliate: You have served as the president of the Massachusetts Bar Association as well as the president of the New England Bar Association. flow has this serv- ice to ABA affiliates contributed to your successful legal career and prepared you for serving as the President of the American Bar Association? Greco: The relationships I de- veloped as president of the Massa- chusetts Bar Association (MBA) and the New England Bar Associa- tion helped to broaden the scope Matthew C. Stone is of my practice and legal expertise an assistant editor and, more importantly, showed me of The Affiliate and p t practices law with the power harnessed by the organ- Marshall, Dennehey, ized bar to address issues of great Warner, Coleman & importance to our profession and Goggin in Philadelphia, 5 Pennsylvania. the American people whom we 3,5 serve. My service as president of the MBA provided me with an excellent foundation in governance and a profound ap- preciation for the depth and breadth of work undertaken by bar associations. While it is the totality of one's life expe- riences that comes into play, these experiences in particular helped prepare me to serve as President of the ABA. The Affiliate: When did you first become active with your state and local bar affiliates, and how did your in- volvement progress? Greco: Ijoined the Massachusetts Bar Association and the Boston Bar Association shortly after joining the firm of Hill & Barlow in 1973, after I had completed a clerkship on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and a Fel- lowship on the Law Faculty at the University of Florence. I became active in several committees of both bar associa- tions, focusing on pro bono and legal services issues. As my involvement in the Massachusetts Bar Association deep- ened, I realized that I could be most effective in advocating for the issues I cared deeply about as president of the MBA. I also served on the Board of Trustees of Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education, later serving as president, an experience that allowed me to contribute to the growth of programs that help lawyers' professional development. The Affiliate: You co-founded and co-chaired Bar Leaders for Preservation of Legal Services for the Poor in the 1980s. Is that an area you hope to emphasize dur- ing your tenure as ABA President? Greco: Absolutely The preservation and expansion of legal services for the poor is a top legislative priority for the ABA, and will remain a top priority during my term as ABA Presi- dent. I will be a strong advocate for full funding of the Legal Services Corporation and of state and local legal services pro- grams. I have already appointed an ABA Task Force on Access to CivilJustice, which will promote the expansion of state ac- cess to justice commissions--an innovative and successful ap- proach that the ABA helped to pioneer several years ago. f have also asked the task force to discuss another con- cept ripe for consideration-a defined right to counsel in certain serious civil matters, such as those that threaten the integrity of family, shelter, or health. In Gideon v. Wainwright in 1962, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that an indi- gent criminal defendant has a constitutional right to coun- sel. But we have yet to recognize such a right for poor Americans facing equally serious civil legal problems that they cannot address without the aid of counsel and that can imprison one just as surely in poverty or discrimination. It is time that we consider providing such a right, just as many nations have already done. continued on page 8 A Sense of Idealism and Commitment to Service: An Interview with ABA President Michael S. Greco By Matthew C. Stone

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