Entry Details

About the Entry

Category: 
Overall Excellence > Magazine of the Year > 11 or Fewer Issues per Year

Title of entry: 
ABA Journal

Issue or Publication date:
August-September, October-November, December-January

Publication name: 
ABA Journal

Publishing/parent company: 
American Bar Association

View Website home page:
abajournal.com

Description of the enterprising work that went into this entry and its significance or impact on readers:

The ABA Journal is the flagship publication of the American Bar Association. Its mission is to cover legal affairs, the legal profession and to serve its members by being the premier magazine of the legal profession. While the Journal is considered a business/trade publication, it strives to provide compelling, interesting and important legal stories that are of interest not only to lawyers and ABA members, but to a broad audience and anyone interested in the law.
The issues we submitted for consideration for “Magazine of the Year” show the variety and scope of what the ABA Journal brings to its readers: stories of substance that address important issues such as how the legal profession is navigating the use of artificial intelligence, how libel law and the First Amendment are winding their way into politics and how law school rankings aren’t always the best way for students to choose their schools. We consistently provide stories that are useful to our readers, but also stories that are entertaining such as how elements of science fiction are becoming reality in the world of law or a feature about a senior lawyer who moonlights as a rock drummer. Our pages contain stories about lawyers who inspire others through their endeavors inside and outside the courtroom and about people who represent diversity within the profession. We are strengthening our connection with readers by offering them a column called “Your Voice” in which they can write first-person essays about legal topics. Our “Letters from Our Readers” section continues to offer readers a forum to share different points of view about our content.
Finally, the editors of the Journal made a bold move for our last issue of 2023 by dedicating the cover story to the tale of a distraught lawyer who attempted suicide and battled his way back from the brink. This compelling and brave first-person account opened the door to a vital discussion about mental health. While mental health issues affect people from all walks of life, lawyers are at least twice as likely as the general adult population to consider suicide. In a sidebar to the story, we shared information and resources to help those who may have suicidal thoughts. It’s the kind of journalism and public service that sets the ABA Journal apart by addressing an important public health issue head on and pointing the way out of the darkness.

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