William C. Callaham to be Inaugurated as ABOTA's 50th President

    DALLAS, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --- The American Board of Trial
 Advocates (ABOTA) will inaugurate William C. Callaham as its 50th president
 on Jan. 26. This year marks the 50th anniversary for an organization whose
 members seek to achieve a higher level of trial advocacy and to educate the
 public about the vital importance of the Seventh Amendment right to trial
 by jury.
 
 
 
     For its 50th Anniversary celebration, ABOTA is returning to Los Angeles
 where it started in 1958. A small group of lawyers formed the organization
 to thwart attacks from California's then governor, who wanted to eliminate
 the jury system. Since then, ABOTA has grown into a national organization
 of more than 6,300 members with 93 chapters. ABOTA's charitable arm -- the
 ABOTA Foundation -- was formed in 1993 to continue ABOTA's mission through
 its professional education program and by promoting the concept of trial by
 jury in the nation's school systems.
 
 
 
     Callaham, of the Sacramento, Calif., law firm of Dreyer, Babich,
 Buccola & Callaham, was elected by the general membership of ABOTA. He took
 office Jan. 1 and will be sworn in by the Hon. Consuelo Callahan, appellate
 judge with the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San
 Francisco.
 
 
 
     "The challenges we face in the task of protecting and preserving our
 precious right to trial by jury are increasing dramatically," Callaham
 said. "We have all seen escalating attacks on the jury system and the
 judiciary. ABOTA has had some satisfying success in defending unwarranted
 attacks on the independence of our judicial officers, both nationally and
 at the local level.
 
 
 
     "I am proud and humbled to serve our organization during its 50th year
 as we continue to increase efforts to preserve the independence of our
 judiciary and our Seventh Amendment jury trial rights."
 
 
 
     Callaham said one of the attributes that makes ABOTA unique is the
 balance between plaintiff and defense lawyers.
 
 
 
     The other national officers to be sworn in are: President-elect John L.
 Holcomb, of the Tampa, Fla., firm of Hill Ward Henderson; Vice President
 Craig Lewis, of the Lewis Law Firm in Houston; Treasurer Michael P.
 Maguire, of the Costa Mesa, Calif., firm of Michael P. Maguire and
 Associates; and Secretary Michael T. Callahan, of the St. Petersburg, Fla.,
 firm of Callahan and Martinez LLC.
 
 
 
     ABOTA and its members are dedicated to the preservation and promotion
 of the civil jury trial right provided by the Seventh Amendment to the U.S.
 Constitution. The Foundation of ABOTA is an affiliated charitable entity,
 whose mission is to support the purposes of ABOTA through education and
 research. ABOTA publishes Voir Dire magazine quarterly. The award-winning
 publication features in-depth articles on current and historical issues
 related to constitutional rights, in particular the Seventh Amendment right
 to trial by jury.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

SOURCE American Board of Trial Advocates