The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL) is a

professional association A professional association (also called a professional body, professional organization, or professional society) usually seeks to further a particular profession, the interests of individuals and organisations engaged in that profession, and t ...

trial lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solicitor, ...

s from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...

. Founded in 1950, the College is dedicated to maintaining and improving the standards of

trial practice Trial practice is an upper-level course offered in most American law schools designed to teach future litigators the fine points of presenting a case to a judge and jury. Unlike most law school courses, a trial practice class has very little disc ...

, especially

trial advocacy Trial advocacy is the branch of knowledge concerned with making attorneys and other advocates more effective in trial proceedings. Trial advocacy is an essential trade skill for litigators and is taught in law schools and in continuing legal e ...

, the administration of justice and the ethics of the profession. Through its Board of Regents, its general committees and its state and province committees, the College engages in a wide variety of activities to further those purposes. The College also awards the Medal for Excellence in Advocacy on a yearly basis, as well as other awards presented at various events or competitions judged by members of the College.

Foundation

The Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL Foundation), established in 1965, and the Canadian Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers, established in 2010, are non-profit organizations founded to advance the initiatives and objectives of the College. The Foundation strives to improve the standards of trial and appellate advocacy, ethics of the profession and the administration of justice.

Publications

The College publishes the Codes of Conduct, papers, reports and other items that contribute to the administration of justice and the profession. Report may range from brief analyses of proposed amendments to the federal rules to a book-length manual on complex tort litigation. The College publishes a series of lectures from distinguished speakers who presented at previous meetings of the College in honor of Lewis F. Powell, Jr., the twentieth President of the College and the ninety-ninth Justice to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States.

References

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External links

Official website
Organizations established in 1950 Legal organizations based in the United States Law-related professional associations