What's Happening at Headquarters Sept. 2020

Welcome to ALA’s New Executive Director April Campbell, JD

The Search Committee and the Board of Directors are thrilled to welcome AprilL. Campbell, JD, as ALA’s next Executive Director. It was effective on August 24. We are proud to recognize that April is the first female Executive Director in ALA history. She has served as the Interim Executive Director of the Association since February 2020. 

After a thorough and thoughtful search process, including more than 100 candidates considered for the role, it became abundantly clear that April’s abilities best align with our ALA culture. Her passion and extensive legal management experience uniquely position her to attain ALA’s mission and reflect its values. April has been a member of ALA for 15 years and a part of the legal industry for 25 years. She previously served as a Regional Director, President-Elect, President and Past President from 2014 to 2020. 

Call for Volunteers 

ALA is seeking volunteers for some of our most critical roles. Please consider applying to boost your leadership bona fides, expand your professional network and help devise programming and strategy for the Association.

Applications due September 16: The Board of Directors, the Chapter Resource Team and the Foundation Board of Trustees. Click on the previous links to learn more about each role’s time commitment, responsibilities and expectations. Please note that Board of Directors candidates are required to include a completed questionnaire with their application.

Applications due October 30: Committees and project teams. Service is open to ALA members, business partners or other interested parties whose knowledge, skills and expertise are deemed useful to a specific project. Apply here.

You can also recommend a colleague for one or more of these roles. They’re not obligated to volunteer, but ALA staff will follow up with more information that may persuade them to take the leap.

Secure Your Compensation and Benefits Survey Report

You can preorder your copy of the Compensation and Benefits Survey or the Large Firm Key Staff Survey today! Get the information you need to ensure that your firm remains competitive in what you offer current and future employees. Compare your firm to the 850 firms in 7 regions of the United States that submitted data.

This year’s reports will come with a bonus white paper about the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on member law firms. Authored by regular Legal Management contributor, Phillip M. Perry, it will address discrepancies between the compensation data and the reality — including layoffs, furloughs and pay cuts — that many law firms have experienced since March.

Last Chance to Enroll in Organizational Pricing for 2021

ALA’s new Organizational Pricing model is now available for the 2021 membership term. This model allows firms, legal departments and other institutions to pay for membership on an organization-wide basis, expanding access to ALA’s services and resources to every eligible employee (each of whom is entitled to individual benefits). If your organization is already paying for multiple memberships across multiple office locations, this model may very well save your organization money. If your organization is only paying for one membership but wants to expand professional development opportunities for staff, this is a cost-effective way to do so.

Learn more about how this model works and how your organization can sign up. But make sure to do so before the enrollment period ends on September 30.