National Office

2026 Annual Meeting in New York

Registration for the Annual Meeting at the Waldorf-Astoria New York, October 22-25 will open July 13 at 12pm ET. This meeting features a private event on Ellis Island, unique tours and activities – including optional Broadway tickets – and an exceptional speaker lineup, with a special panel presentation on the Business of Broadway. We anticipate this meeting to garner significant interest, so plan to register early. To avoid delays, make sure you know your actl.com login credentials and verify any credit card information on file is current. (*please note that you will be able to make your hotel reservation after completing registration)

National Office

Emil Gumpert Award

Decarceration Initiative Selected as the 2026 Emil Gumpert Award Recipient

The American College of Trial Lawyers has selected the Decarceration Initiative, a partnership of the Association for the Public Defender of Maryland (APDM) and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (MOPD), as the 2026 Emil Gumpert Award Recipient. The award, the highest honor conferred by the College on a single organization annually, recognizes programs whose principal purpose is to maintain and improve the administration of justice. The Award includes a $150,000 grant funded by the Foundation. To read the full press release, click here. 

National Office

Committee Interest

One of the greatest benefits of being a Fellow is the opportunity to contribute to the issues that matter most to trial lawyers. The College’s mission is carried out through the work of its committees, from state and province committees that support Fellowship and local outreach efforts to general committees that address a wide range of substantive and professional issues. For a list of those committees and their mandates, click here.

Whatever your interest, there is a committee that can benefit from your perspective and participation. Committee service is also one of the best ways for Fellows to build meaningful relationships with other Fellows.

Interested in joining a committee? Please complete our Committee Interest Form. Appointment letters for the 2026-2027 term will be sent in late summer, so you may not receive an immediate response.



If you have any questions, please contact Amy Mrugalski at the National Office, amrugalski@actl.com. 

In the Spotlight

Andy Coats

The University of Oklahoma College of Law celebrated the retirement of Dean Emeritus (and Past President of the College) Andrew M. Coats with a reception and this video tribute. Coats will conclude his full-time faculty service at the end of the Spring semester in May, but will continue as an Adjunct Professor during the 2026-2027 academic year. To read more, click here.

In The Spotlight

Sandra Forbes

On June 18, President-Elect Sandra Forbes addressed 1,500 litigators from across Canada at the End of Term dinner of The Advocates’ Society, earning a lengthy standing ovation. Her remarks highlighted the rule of law, judicial independence, Canada-US relations and the warmth for Canadians she has experienced on her trips to the United States. To read President-Elect Forbes' remarks, click here.

Heritage Committee

DID YOU KNOW

Did you Know that a retired Saskatchewan King's Bench Justice spends his winters in California helping Grade 2 children learn to read, and that a Coachella Valley school district has honoured him as Volunteer of the Year for that work?

Retired Justice Dennis Ball of Regina, Saskatchewan, inducted as a Fellow in 1998, has spent a lifetime thinking about how law can give people a fair chance. Now, at 80, he spends one morning a week in a classroom in a low-income neighborhood in the Coachella Valley, quietly working on something even more basic than legal rights. He sits at a tiny table with seven year olds, many of them from Spanish speaking families, helping them sound out English words and talking with them about their lives.

To read more, click here.

U.S. Foundation

Foundation Update

Dear Fellows,

As Fellows, we share a deep commitment to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and ensuring meaningful access to justice. The Foundation exists to advance those principles—and its work has never been more important.

At its most recent meeting, the Foundation reviewed more than twenty grant requests from highly deserving organizations. While many were funded, others—equally worthy—could not be supported due to limited resources. That reality underscores both the impact of the Foundation’s work and the urgent need to expand it.

To help meet that need, we are launching this year’s ACTL Foundation Giving Challenge—a friendly but meaningful competition among our state chapters.

Each state will compete based on the percentage of Fellows who contribute to the Foundation. The state with the highest participation rate will be recognized as this year’s leader. We fully expect some states to reach 100% participation and hope to see many achieve that distinction—perhaps even resulting in a multi-state tie for the top spot.

This year’s theme is: “Every Fellow Counts. Every Gift Delivers Justice.”

The strength of this effort lies not in the size of any single contribution, but in the collective commitment of our Fellowship. Every gift counts toward your state’s participation—and every gift helps the Foundation say “yes” to more organizations working on the front lines to protect the rule of law, safeguard judicial independence, and expand access to justice.

The Foundation is unique in that every dollar contributed is directed to charitable grants, supplemented by distributions from its endowment. Your participation directly translates into real-world impact.

I encourage you to support your state chapter, join your colleagues in this effort, and help lead your region to the highest level of participation.

Please make your contribution by clicking here.

Thank you for your continued dedication to the College and to the principles we serve.

Warm regards,

Susan Harriman, President of the ACTL Foundation

Furthering the Mission

General Committees

International: The International Committee is actively planning conferences in Portugal, Ireland, Argentina and possibly South Africa and the Bahamas for 2027. These conference faculties are open to all College Fellows. Please contact Chair Rick Glaser at Rick@rickglaser.com, or Vice Chair Scott Richardson at snr@snr-law.com, for more information.

Judiciary: The Committee held a CLE via Zoom for the US Virgin Islands Judiciary on June 26. The program was moderated by Committee Member Douglas Ress with presentations by two Judicial Fellows: Judge Christine O’Hearn on the use of AI in Chambers, and Senior Judge Jack Zouhary on case management. Laurie Besden, Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers PA, also presented on the organization’s alcohol and substance abuse and mental health helplines for judges, attorneys, and their families and staff. As a result of the CLE, the organization has expanded access to its helplines at no charge to the 1,200-member US Virgin Islands Bar Association and the Justices and Judges of the US Virgin Islands. 

Teaching of Trial and Appellate Advocacy: The 7th ACTL Trial Advocacy Program, hosted by Morrison Foerster, was held May 29-31 in San Francisco. The event was covered by AmLaw – read the article here. The 8^th ACTL Trial Advocacy Program will be held in Chicago on August 21-23, hosted again by Latham & Watkins. There are limited spots available for participants and faculty are still needed. Please alert any lawyers whom you believe might benefit from the opportunity and the experience and contact Program Chair Tom Heiden for additional information. 

Appointments and Designations

Elevated to the Bench

Michael P. Klein

Vancouver, BC

Mr. Justice Klein

Supreme Court of British Columbia

June 2026

Mark Your Calendars

View all upcoming events at www.actl.com/events