I am so honored and excited to serve this year as Chair of The Fellows of the American Bar Foundation. Last year, your extremely generous support and my predecessor David Houghton's leadership resulted in a record-breaking year of fundraising in support of the Foundation's research. We also welcomed a more diverse group of new Fellows, from across the country and abroad, than ever before.

As my term begins, I want to thank you for your generous support last year and challenge you to continue that support in the year to come. Let's build on last year's successes. Help us identify other lawyers worthy of nomination to The Fellows. Let's continue to diversify the ranks of The Fellows. And, of course, please remember to make your annual contribution to The Fellows.

In addition, help us introduce the ABF and the incredible research being done every day to your legal colleagues. An example of this invaluable research is the emerging set of findings from the After the JD project - Wave 2, a study that examines young lawyers' career choices and job satisfaction. By clicking here, you can download a snapshot of the results of the second wave of data collection, not yet available to the public. I hope that you - particularly those of you who focus heavily on hiring and retention within your firms - will take a moment to do so.

Thank you once again for your support and for the opportunity to serve as Fellows Chair. I am delighted to be working with Chair-Elect Doreen D. Dodson and Secretary Myles V. Lynk, and hope that you will feel free to contact any one of us with any questions or suggestions you may have.

With best wishes,






Kay H. Hodge
2010-2011 Chair of The Fellows