Lawyers as Public Citizens

Get creative and use your personal and professional networks. The ABA Task Force is relying on its volunteers to identify most speaking opportunities.

There might be occasions when a specific subject matter expert is needed to speak at an event. In those cases, state leaders will match the event's need with a speaker in our database.

Speaking engagements can be events that the speaker was invited to participate in, or that the speaker requested to participate in. 

Other important information about speaking engagements:

• Everything counts. If you speak to 5 neighbors or to an audience of 5,000. If the message is delivered, you have completed an engagement. 
• Look for opportunities to speak at events you attend regularly. For example, Rotary, Kiwanis or like clubs; professional association meetings, social clubs and groups, religious gatherings, etc. 
• Offer public comment on proposed law, rule, and other changes at your local election board meetings; bring colleagues and friends to do the same.
• Host lunch & learns at your law firm/place of work and ask to host at other workplaces as well.
• Monitor community calendars for unique speaking opportunities; speaking opportunities don't have to be at law-centered events.  
• Seek hyper-local opportunities to speak whenever possible. Examples include county or community branches of organizations, neighborhood/ward associations, schools, community centers, etc.
• Invite a few neighbors and friends over for refreshments and conversation, then ask them to do the same with their connections.   

While there are no set rules or required topics, speakers frequently address the following:

• Local election law primers
• Local election administration, 
• Discussions about local and timely election law related news 
• Civics education
• Disagreeing better 
• Identifying deepfakes 
• Combatting mis and disinformation

If you are not sure what best suits your audience, we are happy to help figure that out.

Yes. While it is helpful to speak on a topic that you are familiar with, expertise is not a requirement. 

The ABA Democracy Task Force offers speakers resources including templates, downloads, links, talking points and other information to help build an effective presentation.

If there is a topic you need additional resources for, we are happy to help you find them.

Community conversations are larger scale events that are coordinated or planned by an ABA Task Force volunteer. These events feature multiple speakers and might address multiple topics. Audiences for these events might be comprised of a wider variety of participants.

Speakers' bureau events are typically hosted by another organization with participation from an ABA Task Force volunteer. 

Planning a community conversation is more involved than speaking at an event that someone else has planned, but with proper planning and coordination in advance, it should not feel like a burden.

Best practices for these events are for volunteers to identify and coordinate with larger law firms, law schools, universities, or similar organizations with like interests and with the resources to host and plan the event. 

Law schools and schools with  degrees or programs in election administration, democracy and citizenship, and related subject areas tend to be excellent partners for these events as they can typically engage students in the planning process, as well as providing a venue and speakers.

If you need help identifying a potential partner in your area, please let us know.

The Task Force will create two types of Rapid Response Teams: (a) a national one comprised of Task Force members; and (b) local ones potentially in all 50 states comprised of lawyers, retired judges and district attorneys, law school deans and community leaders. The Rapid Response Teams will provide real-time public responses to emerging or potential threats to American democracy, to free and fair elections, and to the rule of law as they arise on both national and local levels during the lead up to the counting of electoral college votes on January 6, 2025