Minutes of the Law Division Annual Meeting (Virtual)
American Translators Association
October 7th, 2025
PRESENT:
Administrators
Outgoing Admin names
- Elizabeth (Liz) Herron-Sweet (Outgoing Administrator)
- Monique Longton (Outgoing Assistant Administrator)
Incoming Administrators
- Katja Gugelmeier (Incoming Administrator)
- Dmitry Beschetny (Incoming Assistant Administrator)
Leadership Council
- Carola Berger (Webmaster)
- Michael Crooks (Training & Education)
1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order at 12:00 pm ET by Elizabeth Herron-Sweet. She welcomed everyone to the meeting and thanked them for their attendance.
2. APPROVAL OF 2024 MINUTES
Members were asked if they had any comments or edits to the minutes of the 2024 Annual Meeting. Those present were informed that the Division’s 2024 Annual Meeting Minutes have been posted on the division’s website, and they will be considered formally approved if no comments are submitted by October 31.
3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF NEW ADMINISTRATOR AND ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR
Elizabeth announced that Katja Gugelmeier will serve as the new Administrator of the Law Division and Dmitry Beschetny will serve as the new Assistant Administrator. Katja and Dmitry then assumed leadership of the meeting.
4. INTRODUCTION OF LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Then Katja introduces the Leadership Council Teams and each member introduces themselves and briefly describes their work at the Law Division.
2025 LAW DIVISION OVERVIEW
The new administrators, together with Leadership Council members, provided a report on the division’s activities during 2025, and provide attendees with the recap post of those activities on our BlawG, including:
LawD Networking Event
Katja gave a brief overview of the two networking events we hosted this year.
- January 15: Welcome to the Law Division — an event to introduce the Law Division to both new and existing members and share upcoming events.
- June 4: Branding for Legal Translators and Interpreters — focused on branding in Legal T&I. Attendees received a worksheet they could use to start creating and organize their branding materials.
LawD Coworking:
Katja also shared highlights from our First Virtual Coworking Event on April 30. Attendees were provided with a sample to-do list if they didn’t have tasks planned and worked together for one hour using the Pomodoro technique.
LawD Webinar:
Katja and Elizabeth gave a brief overview of our first webinar, Crafting Your ATA66 Proposal (February 5), with guest speaker Lenny Yang, who is one of our active members, and shared his experience successfully submitting and presenting legal sessions at the ATA Conference. Attendees received important tips for the process.
Michael then gave an overview of the other webinars we hosted with well-known and respected speakers in our field, noting positive feedback and high registration numbers:
- June 19: False Friends in Spanish-English Legal Translation — Rebecca Jowers
- October 3: From Audio to Admissible: Forensic Transcription & Translation — Jason Knapp
LawD Marketing Work Groups
Monique shared her experience leading the Marketing Working Groups in March–April. She organized small groups to work together on marketing tasks, focusing on finding, reaching, and contacting potential clients in their specializations.
LawD Outreach & Advocacy
Elizabeth shared that the Law Division, together with the New York Circle of Translators (NYCT) co-sponsored a training session (Continuing Legal Education – CLE) hosted by the New York City Bar Association, for lawyers and judges on working with court interpreters. The event, held on July 15, received positive feedback from attendees.
Progress on the website redesign and other initiatives
We updated members on recent improvements to the Law Division website, including a new menu bar, updated homepage, reorganized BlawG categories, and clearer information about ATA membership and certification.
Carola, our webmaster, explained the challenges we face with the current website, which is built on an outdated WordPress theme that limits features and plugins. She shared that we have been advocating for a new template through emails, board reports, and ATA Coffee Breaks, and we are continuing to explore solutions within these limits. Members were encouraged to review the updated site and share feedback.
Law Division BlawG
Katja encouraged attendees to visit our BlawG, which is one of our main channels for communicating with members and sharing our activities and events with both members and visitors. We have been actively posting recaps of our activities and key takeaways. This helps promote the work of our Division and encourages visitors to become members by offering resources of those recaps available to members only.
Katja also shared a list of all our 2025 posts, which so far totals 20 posts.
Law Division Podcast
Dmitry gave an update on the Podcast Committee. He explained that the committee has been launched and currently includes roles for hosting, scripting, guest outreach, editing, and social media. The first episode is in progress and will focus on education and professional development for legal translators. The committee is using Zoom for recording and Audacity for editing. Guest outreach is already underway, following ATA branding and content guidelines.
Dmitry also shared that, as he is now taking on the role of Assistant Administrator, the committee will need a new chair to lead its work. Volunteers are needed to help lead and produce future episodes.
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR 2025 ATA ANNUAL CONFERENCE
Katja provided an update on this year’s ATA Annual Conference. We asked attendees if they are planning to attend, and several confirmed that they will participate.
First, Katja shared the link to the official Conference website. We then announced that this year’s Distinguished Speaker will be Toni Jaeger-Fine. We also shared our blog post with more information about her bio and the sessions she will present.
Next, we shared details about our off-site event. This year, we are organizing a happy hour at Legal Sea Foods in the evening. We encouraged attendees to join us and we shared the blog post link containing all the event details.
We also mentioned that, as in previous years, we will publish a blog post with a list of all legal sessions. We haven’t created this list yet, as the official conference schedule is still being finalized and continues to change. The list will be available closer to the conference date, and our goal is to provide our members with an overview of all legal sessions so they can take full advantage of the training opportunities.
Finally, Katja reminded attendees that after the Welcome Reception on Wednesday, October 22, they can find us at the “Divisions & Special Groups” event, where we will have a dedicated table and space to connect.
6. NEW BUSINESS AND PLANS FOR 2026
Katja then shared some of our plans for next year:
Networking Events:
We will continue hosting networking events in 2026, focusing on topics related to the business side of Legal Translation and Interpreting. From previous feedback, members enjoy events that focus on a specific topic and then allow time for breakout room discussions. We plan to repeat the “Welcome to the LawD” networking event to start 2026 and do something special for International Translation Day.
Coworking Sessions:
Given the positive feedback from members, we plan to offer more regular coworking sessions to help members stay focused, productive, and connected with other LawD members.
Webinars:
We are looking for speakers to present webinars on Legal T&I topics. Based on positive feedback, we want to repeat the session “Craft Your ATA Conference Session Proposal” to help members with submitting proposals for the ATA Conference, especially those under the “legal” category. We also want to help members improve their ATA profiles as a marketing strategy. We plan to ask ATA to update the legal sub-specializations, since many areas our members work in are not listed.
Marketing Working Groups:
We want to organize the second edition of our Marketing Working Groups, using the feedback we received from the first edition.
7. JOIN THE LAWD LEADERSHIP COUNCIL
Katja then shared that we are actively looking for new volunteers to join us. She talked about her positive experience as part of the Leadership Council, including developing her leadership and teamwork skills, working on projects that help shape the division, and connecting with professional colleagues she can trust and rely on for her own business. She encouraged attendees to join one of our teams and shared the email address to contact us.
8. CONTRIBUTE TO THE LAW DIVISION
Katja also shared other ways members can contribute if they don’t want to take on a leadership role but still want to help us. That is by sharing their knowledge and experience. She noted that this is also a way to stand out in our field. Katja encouraged attendees to consider being a webinar speaker, an ATA Conference speaker, posting or reposting a blog, or, in the near future, being a podcast guest.
9. CONNECT WITH THE LAW DIVISION
Katja pointed out that another great way to help us is by joining and actively participating in our social media channels. She shared the link to our social media, including our new public LinkedIn Group.
10. QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS AND CLOSING REMARKS
Katja then asked attendees if they had any questions and opened the floor for discussion. During this time, two motions were made, seconded, discussed, and adopted:
- Motion: That the Law Division consider renaming the blog during the course of 2025–2026.
- Motion: That the Law Division leadership explore the formation of a Public and Industry Affairs Subcommittee (which may include a recommendation to formalize a connection with the ATA or a similar body) and report back at next year’s annual meeting (or sooner) for a formal vote.
Since both motions were adopted, the Law Division leadership council will consider both of these topics over the next year and report back to the membership at the 2026 annual meeting.
Katja thanked everyone for their participation and support.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm ET.
Submitted by:
Katja Gugelmeier, Administrator
Dmitry Beschetny, Assistant Administrator
ATA Law Division
October 7, 2025
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