October 3:<\/b> From Audio to Admissible: Forensic Transcription & Translation \u2014 Jason Knapp<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nLawD Marketing Work Groups<\/b><\/h6>\n
Monique shared her experience leading the Marketing Working Groups in March\u2013April. She organized small groups to work together on marketing tasks, focusing on finding, reaching, and contacting potential clients in their specializations.<\/p>\n
LawD Outreach & Advocacy<\/b><\/h6>\n
Elizabeth shared that the Law Division, together with the New York Circle of Translators (NYCT) co-sponsored a training session (Continuing Legal Education \u2013 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.<\/p>\n
Progress on the website redesign and other initiatives<\/b><\/h6>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Carola, our webmaster, explained the challenges we face with the current website, which is built on an outdated WordPress theme that limits features and plugins.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.<\/p>\n
Law Division BlawG<\/b><\/h6>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Katja also shared a list of all our 2025 posts, which so far totals 20 posts.<\/p>\n
Law Division Podcast<\/b><\/h6>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS FOR 2025 ATA ANNUAL CONFERENCE<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h4>\n
Katja provided an update on this year\u2019s ATA Annual Conference. We asked attendees if they are planning to attend, and several confirmed that they will participate.<\/p>\n
First, Katja shared the link to the official Conference website. We then announced that this year\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
We also mentioned that, as in previous years, we will publish a blog post with a list of all legal sessions. We haven\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
Finally, Katja reminded attendees that after the Welcome Reception on Wednesday, October 22, they can find us at the \u201cDivisions & Special Groups\u201d event, where we will have a dedicated table and space to connect.<\/p>\n
6. NEW BUSINESS AND PLANS FOR 2026<\/b><\/h4>\n
Katja then shared some of our plans for next year:<\/p>\n
Networking Events:<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h6>\n
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 \u201cWelcome to the LawD\u201d<\/i> networking event to start 2026 and do something special for International Translation Day.<\/p>\nCoworking Sessions:<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h6>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Webinars:<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h6>\n
We are looking for speakers to present webinars on Legal T&I topics. Based on positive feedback, we want to repeat the session \u201cCraft Your ATA Conference Session Proposal\u201d<\/i> to help members with submitting proposals for the ATA Conference, especially those under the \u201clegal\u201d 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.<\/p>\nMarketing Working Groups:<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h6>\n
We want to organize the second edition of our Marketing Working Groups, using the feedback we received from the first edition.<\/p>\n
7. JOIN THE LAWD LEADERSHIP COUNCIL<\/b><\/h4>\n
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.<\/p>\n
8. CONTRIBUTE TO THE LAW DIVISION<\/b><\/h4>\n
Katja also shared other ways members can contribute if they don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
9. CONNECT WITH THE LAW DIVISION<\/b><\/h4>\n
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.<\/p>\n
10. QUESTIONS FROM MEMBERS AND CLOSING REMARKS<\/b>
\n<\/b><\/h4>\n
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:<\/p>\n
\n- Motion:<\/b> That the Law Division consider renaming the blog during the course of 2025\u20132026.<\/li>\n
- Motion: <\/b>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\u2019s annual meeting (or sooner) for a formal vote.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Katja thanked everyone for their participation and support.<\/p>\n
The meeting was adjourned at 1:05 pm ET.<\/i><\/p>\n
Submitted by:<\/b><\/p>\n
Katja Gugelmeier, Administrator
\nDmitry Beschetny, Assistant Administrator
\nATA Law Division
\nOctober 7, 2025<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Minutes of the Law Division Annual Meeting (Virtual) American Translators Association October 7th, 2025 PRESENT: Administrators Outgoing Administrators 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 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"featured_media":1706,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[278],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-1687","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-2025-lawd-annual-meeting","8":"entry"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/LawD-Blog-43.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1687"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1708,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1687\/revisions\/1708"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1706"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1687"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1687"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1687"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Law](\"https:\/\/www.ata-divisions.org\/LawD\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Screenshot-2025-10-20-at-14.37.41-300x167.png\")
Minutes of the Law Division Annual Meeting (Virtual)<\/b>