Robert J. Grey Jr.: Leading the American Bar Association

Summary

Robert J. Grey Jr. is the current President of the American Bar Association (ABA). The ABA is a non-profit professional organization of attorneys with nearly 400,000 members in over 200 countries. Grey has held a variety of leadership positions with the ABA since 2006, and currently leads the Association to ensure that the legal profession is competent and accessible, and advocates for the public good.

Grey has a long history of involvement with the ABA, beginning with his election to the ABA House of Delegates in 2006. Since then, he has served on the ABA Board of Governors, as well as chair of the ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty. In 2010, he was elected to the ABA Executive Committee, where he held a variety of leadership roles, such as Chair of the Section of Dispute Resolution and Member-At-Large.

Grey was elected President of the ABA in 2018, and is currently leading the organization through a time of significant change and progress. Under his leadership, the ABA has continued to fight for access to justice, and to ensure that the legal profession is competent and accessible. Grey has also focused on expanding the ABA Reach for Justice program, which provides legal aid to low-income individuals, and has launched the ABA Legal Opportunity Scholarship, which provides scholarships to law students from underrepresented backgrounds.

Additionally, Grey has worked to improve the ABA's advocacy efforts in areas such as human rights, gender equity, and racial justice. He has also implemented measures to modernize the ABA, such as developing a more robust online presence, and enhancing the ABA's oversight and accountability.

Robert J. Grey Jr. is an influential leader in the legal profession and is committed to improving access to justice for all. Through his leadership of the American Bar Association, he has worked to ensure that the legal profession is open to all and that everyone has the opportunity to access the necessary resources for legal aid. He has also pushed for modernizing the ABA and strengthening its advocacy efforts for human rights, gender equity, and racial justice. His commitment to the ABA, and to improving the currently legal system, make him an inspiring leader who is committed to justice for all.
 

Robert J. Grey, Jr.

Robert J. Grey, Jr. is the author of the book The Good Lawyer: Seeking Quality in the Practice of Law and is a former president of the American Bar Association (ABA). Grey is a senior partner at the prominent law firm Hunton & Williams LLP, where he has been since 1974. At Hunton & Williams, Grey has served on the firm's Management Committee, chaired the Litigation Practice Group, and is a leader in the firm's Business Practice Group.
 

Legal Career and Recognition

Throughout his career, Grey has been the recipient of much recognition for his outstanding legal work. In 1999, he was elected by the American Bar Association as its president, making him the first African American to serve in that capacity. He has also had the distinction of being named one of the most influential lawyers in America by the National Law Journal and has been recognized by Black Enterprise magazine as one of the "75 Most Powerful Blacks in Corporate America."
 

Advocacy and Professionalism

Grey is passionate about advocacy and professionalism in the legal profession. He has testified before Congress on legal reform issues, served on the White House Conference on Small Business and the President's Advisory Board on Race, and has lectured at many of the leading law schools in the country. He is a past chair of the Consortium for the National Equal Justice Library and is currently on the Board of Directors of the America Bar Foundation and the American Judicature Society.
 

Leadership and Contributions

Grey is an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the legal profession. During his tenure as president of the ABA, he led the association in establishing a Commission on Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, as well as instituting the ABA Leadership Institute that focuses on the development of future lawyers. He is also a founder of the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession, a non-profit organization that works to increase the participation of under-represented groups in the legal profession.
 

Legacy

Robert J. Grey, Jr. is a leader in the legal profession, and his legacy of advocacy and professionalism is felt by many. He remains an active leader in the American Bar Association and the legal community, and his achievements and contributions to the field of law are unparalleled. Grey will forever be remembered for his commitment to justice, equality, and diversity in the legal profession.

Robert J. Grey, Jr., who took over as president of the American Bar Association on Monday, knew from an early age that he wanted to be a lawyer. He was inspired by his neighbors in Richmond: Doug Wilder, the first black governor of Virginia and Oliver Hill, the legendary desegregation attorney.

''Both of them were within walking distance of my home and so, consequently, I got to know them and followed their careers, which inspired me to want to be a lawyer,'' Grey told LawCrossing. ''Oliver Hill has a son that is my age and I probably spent as much time in his house as mine growing up.''

Watching the careers of those two men unfold changed Grey, who admired how they challenged the system ''to acknowledge that lawyers of color, or citizens of color, could assume leadership positions in the community that were traditionally for others.''

Grey, who also cites the never-losing Perry Mason as a role model, believes his election to the ABA presidency reflects a greater trend of diversity in the legal profession, as well as a trend for minority leadership. Grey replaced Dennis Archer (who was one of the very first attorneys profiled by LawCrossing), the first African American president of the association, and half of the new officers and outgoing officers are minorities.

''I think we still have more to achieve in terms of balance in our society and in this profession. But the fact that Dennis Archer… is being followed by me, and there have been two women presidents of the association — well, I think it signals the beginning of a new era where the opportunity for leadership is open to everyone in the American Bar Association,'' he said.

Grey, who assumed the ABA presidency in Atlanta at the annual meeting, made ABA history in 1998 when he became chair of the association's policy-making House of Delegates - the second highest ranking office in the association.

Grey is determined to reform and improve the jury system during his term as head of the ABA. He believes jurors should be treated with the same respect as lawyers and judges, and that the system needs to be ''re-energized.''

As partner in the Richmond office of Hunton & Williams, Grey's practice focuses on administrative matters for state and federal agencies, mediation and litigation. He credits much of his success with the three years he spent away from practicing law as chairman of the Virginia Alcohol Beverage Control Board. He got that job when he was just 31.

''It was a great time for me professionally,'' he said. ''I think I really grew up overnight doing that work. I sort of came in to my own and developed a second phase of confidence and maturity.''

Grey, who is 54 and says he's been too busy to get married, said it is crucial for young lawyers to have confidence in themselves.

He urges attorneys to join the ABA and other associations to learn new skills and network with their colleagues.

''I think the main thing is for people to persevere, to really stay focused and not to be discouraged,'' he said.