The ABA Governmental Affairs Office (GAO) serves as the focal point for the Association's advocacy efforts before Congress, the Executive Branch and other governmental entities on diverse issues of importance to the legal profession on which the ABA House of Delegates has adopted policy. The GAO concentrates its advocacy efforts on the Association's Legislative and Governmental Priorities that are selected annually by the ABA Board of Governors from a list of over 1,000 policy positions adopted by the ABA House of Delegates. When appropriate, the GAO calls upon the Grassroots Action Team for grassroots advocacy assistance. The GAO also works closely with ABA member entities to communicate the views of the Association to numerous governmental entities on a broad range of issues of concern to policy makers and the legal profession. In total, each Congress, the GAO lobbies on approximately 100 different legislative issues.

To learn more about the ABA's advocacy efforts, please go to:

• Legislative and Governmental Priorities
  Extensive, up-to-date information about each priority is available here.
• Letters and Testimony
  Letters, testimony and other official communications to governmental bodies on legislative priorities and other issues may be accessed here.
• Legislative Policies
  A summary of the Association's legislative policy positions on over 1,000 issues is available here.

A complete listing of GAO staff legislative responsibilities is available on our "Contact" web page.

Additional information on current legislative and governmental issues of importance to the legal profession, our justice system and the rule of law is available. Read the latest editions of:

• ABA Washington Letter, a monthly online legislative analysis service of the GAO that summarizes congressional, executive and ABA activity on critical legislative issues.
• ABA Washington Summary, a daily online publication that notifies the reader of recent and pending congressional activity on legislative issues of interest to the ABA.

Visit:

• The State Legislative Clearinghouse (SLC) provides extensive coverage of state-federal issues of importance to greater bar community and manages an annual State Legislative Workshop, complete with policy briefings and professional development opportunities for bar association government relations professionals.

• ABA Press Room for ABA news releases, opinion editorials, on-line resource kits, etc., on legislative issues and other public policy "hot topics."