Membership FAQ

The election of individuals to the American Law Institute begins with a confidential nomination by an ALI member, who is well acquainted with the candidate's work, and supported by two additional ALI members. In sponsoring a candidate for membership, the ALI member affirms his or her personal assessment that the candidate meets the primary criteria of excellence and outstanding professional achievement in his or her area of expertise.

Members are encouraged to propose or support for election to membership in the Institute only individuals who have demonstrated excellence in the law, are of high character, will contribute to the work of the Institute, and are committed to its mission (which is "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice, and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work"). While much information about a candidate may be provided on the application form and in the accompanying curriculum vitae, the most important part of the package consists of the proposal letter and the two additional supporting letters. Those letters should be substantive and specific while addressing, from the author's personal knowledge, the candidate's:

Professional excellence;
Prior experience and involvement in activities that fall within the mission of the Institute;
Interest and commitment to participate in, as well as to make potential contributions to, the Institute's work and activities;
Achievement — or promise of future achievement — in the candidate's chosen endeavor in the law;
Professional recognition or standing among his or her peers.
 

It is the responsibility of the sponsors to make sure that, to the best of their ability, the candidate's nomination remains confidential until the proposer is advised of favorable action. At which time the candidate will be contacted to confirm that they (1) accept election to ALI; (2) are committed to its purposes and are willing to participate in the work of the Institute; and (3) are willing to complete and submit a membership biographical questionnaire and any other requested materials.

The election of foreign individuals to the American Law Institute begins with a confidential nomination by an ALI member, who is well acquainted with the candidate's work, and supported by two additional ALI members. It is imperative that sponsors do not inform the candidate that he or she is being nominated for membership.

In sponsoring a candidate for membership, the ALI member affirms his or her personal assessment that the candidate meets the primary criteria of excellence and outstanding professional achievement in his or her area of expertise and is likely to be interested in ALI participation.

Members are encouraged to propose or support for election to membership in the Institute only foreign individuals who have demonstrated interest in the development of U.S. law, are of high character and professional accomplishment, will contribute to the work of the Institute, and are committed to its mission (which is "to promote the clarification and simplification of the law and its better adaptation to social needs, to secure the better administration of justice, and to encourage and carry on scholarly and scientific legal work").

While much information about a candidate may be provided on the proposal form and in the accompanying curriculum vitae, the most important part of the package consists of the proposal letter and the two additional supporting letters. Those letters should be substantive and specific while addressing, from the author's personal knowledge, the candidate's:

Professional excellence;
Prior experience and involvement in activities that fall within the mission of the Institute;
Interest in the development of U.S. law and commitment to participate in, as well as to make potential contributions to, the Institute's work and activities;
Achievement — or promise of future achievement — in the candidate's chosen endeavor in the law;
Professional recognition or standing among his or her peers.
 

It is the responsibility of the sponsors to make sure that, to the best of their ability, the candidate's nomination remains confidential until the candidate is contacted by ALI staff to confirm that he or she (1) accepts election to ALI; (2) is committed to its purposes and is willing to participate in the work of the Institute; and (3) is willing to complete and submit a membership biographical questionnaire and any other requested materials.

The Regional Advisory Groups confidentially (a) identifies candidates for membership, (b) develops their membership proposals for consideration by the Membership Committee, and (c) reviews and investigates candidates proposed for membership within the region as requested by the Membership Committee.

The empha­sis of the Group is on fostering a membership that will reflect the broad diversity of highly capable and accomplished lawyers, judges, and aca­demics in the United States and abroad, including with regard to (but not limited to) age, gender, race, ethnicity, expertise, geographic region, and type and size of practice or other professional work. The overall goal, shared with the Membership Committee, is to ensure a membership that will keep the Institute a vibrant, relevant, and distinguished membership organization as it carries out its mission throughout the 21st Century.

The International Regional Advisory Group vets the membership proposals of foreign candidates and recommends to the Membership Committee only those who have demonstrated an interest in the development of U.S. law and who meet the qualifications and eligibility requirements established by the Council. In doing so, the Regional Advisory Group considers the desired characteristics of new members in light of the purposes and needs of the Institute as well as the current balance of members in a specific country. Candidates approved by the International Regional Advisory Group will be forwarded to the Membership Committee for consideration and if approved forwarded to the Council together with the candidates from the United States.

In addition to vetting foreign candidates, the International Regional Advisory Group is responsible for identifying and proposing for membership qualified candidates in under-represented countries as well as candidates from under-represented segments of the legal profession within a particular country.

The first step is to read the guidelines for proposing a candidate listed above. As the proposer, you are obligated to write a confidential detailed letter in support of your candidate and to organize and shepherd the proposal. You also need to find two other members to be "seconders" who must write confidential letters of support. In addition to the proposal and seconding letters, the proposer must complete a proposal form and submit it with the candidate's resume (CV). Last, make sure the membership proposal packet (three letters, your candidate's resume (CV), and the membership proposal form) are submitted to the Membership Committee, which reviews the materials. The Committee's recommendations are then submitted to the Council (or the Executive Committee) which decides the ultimate question of election to membership.

Access the Proposal Form

To be considered for membership, the proposer must confidentially submit a membership proposal packet on behalf of the candidate. A proposal packet consists of:

• Membership Proposal Form — completed by the proposer
• Candidate's current resume (CV or other detailed professional bio)
• A detailed personal letter from the proposer supporting the election of the candidate
• Detailed personal letters from two seconders supporting the election of the candidate

Access the proposal form

You can mail or e-mail your proposal packet to:

Attention: Membership Committee
The American Law Institute
4025 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-3099
E-mail: membership@ali.org

The required materials can be sent to ALI individually or together. All materials necessary to complete the proposal packet must be received by the deadline to be considered by the Membership Committee at its next meeting.

March 15 for spring consideration, June 15 for summer consideration, and September 15 for fall consideration.

Please contact Membership Director Beth Goldstein regarding the membership process at 215-243-1666 or membership@ali.org.

As the proposer, if you are unable to locate two ALI members with personal knowledge of your candidate, one such letter will suffice but an additional supporting letter should then be submitted by a non-member who is particularly well situated to opine on your candidate's professional excellence and achievement. If you are unable to locate a seconder, please contact Membership Director Beth Goldstein at 215-243-1666 or at membership@ali.org.

The proposer and seconders must be current elected or life members of the Institute. The Membership Committee, however, recognizes that there may be circumstances when it is necessary or helpful to enlist a current ex officio member as one of the two seconders and will accept the letter. An ex officio member cannot propose a candidate for membership.

Membership participation sufficient to satisfy Council Rule 4.01 includes, but is not limited to, the following activities:

• attending an annual meeting of the Institute's membership;
• serving as an appointed reporter, adviser, or consultant on an Institute project or as a member of a standing, special, or other committee of the Institute;
• serving as an Institute appointee on the Permanent Editorial Board for the Uniform Commercial Code or the Board of Directors of American Law Institute Continuing Legal Education (ALI CLE);
• participating in a members consultative group (MCG) meeting on an Institute project;
• participating in an invitational conference sponsored by the Institute;
• submitting written comments or suggestions on an Institute project draft;
• delivering invited remarks to an annual meeting of the membership or other Institute event;
• authoring an article for an ALI or ALI CLE publication; and
• planning, teaching, or preparing materials for a course, publication, webcast, or other educational program of ALI CLE.

You can assist in the work of the Institute in a number of ways. Probably the best way is to join one or more Members Consultative Groups (MCG) and offer your comments and suggestions to the project's Reporter either in person at an MCG meeting or via e-mail. A project's MCG members have access to early drafts, long before the work is presented to an Annual Meeting. Financial assistance is available to defray travel expenses to attend MCG meetings.

You can also offer comments and suggestions on Annual Meeting drafts in person at the Annual Meeting or in writing before or after the Meeting. Obviously, the earlier you participate in the process, the more likely it is that you will influence the project. Members, including very new members, are encouraged to speak up at project MCG meetings and the Annual Meeting, and to e-mail suggestions to the Reporter. Even if you are not an expert on the topic, the views of generalists are often helpful in making sure the Institute's work is clear and understandable to all.

If you have an idea for a new project, you should communicate it to the Director, Diane P. Wood (Director@ali.org). If you would like to be considered for an adviser slot on a particular project, particularly a new project, again contact the Director. If you are interested in serving on one of the Institute's committees, mention your interest to the President or the Director. A list of committees is found on our website; some are limited to Council members but some may also have non-Council members.

You can join an MCG by visiting the projects page on the website. Click the project you want to join and select "Join MCG" on the right hand side of the page.

Yes, a proposer may confidentially submit a membership proposal packet to the Membership Committee for consideration of current ex officio candidates in the same way as non-members.

Attorneys in the private sector (firm, solo, and corporate) pay $475 per year. Academics pay $300 per year. Judges and public sector attorneys pay $150. There are no mandatory dues for "Life Members," i.e., members for at least 25 years.

New members elected after December 31 of the calendar year will be billed for half-year dues, whereas those elected in the spring will not be billed until the new fiscal year in June.

Members for whom dues are a hardship may apply for a full or partial waiver.

Our membership (and fiscal) year is from July 1 through June 30. Members will receive an email with a link to their dues form in early July and payment is due by July 31. Dues statement are mailed in August. 

Yes, you can pay dues and make contributions on our secured website. Select sign in, then type in your username (e-mail address) and password. Click "Pay Dues" or "Make A Contribution" on the Members page. If you do not know your password, please reset your password by following these instructions.  You can e-mail membership@ali.org, or call 215-243-1624 or 215-243-1639 for assistance.