RNLA Member Benefits

These Biographic webpages are consulted by potential clients, party officials, prospective employers and even the media. Many members have found new clients and been found by old friends. It is a great resource available to all members.

National Policy Conference
The National Policy Conference, always held in Washington, D.C. in March or April, is a one-day event held on a Monday or Friday at the National Press Club. A pre-Conference reception is traditionally held the evening before the Conference at a foreign embassy for Contributing and higher level members. The press is invited to cover any and all aspects of the conference. Members must be willing to allow their images to be taped and broadcast by the media, including C-SPAN, which has often broadcast this event.

In the past, the National Policy Conference has included presentations by the Vice President of the United States, leading White House officials; senators; White House counsels; former Attorneys General; Ambassadors; leading staff members from the White House, Republican National Committee, Congress and government agencies; personalities from major Republican Party-oriented think tanks; nationally-known election law practitioners; preeminent litigators of significant political cases; lawyers who lead the national practice departments of major law firms; and RNLA members with national-level credentials within their professional practice areas. For highlights of the most recent conference click here.

The event is scheduled in a manner allowing participants to choose from different program tracks, with multiple sessions taking place simultaneously. Members from outside Washington arrive the evening before, to accommodate the early starting time of the event.

For details on this year's Conference click here.

National Summer Election Law Seminar and School
The National Summer Election Law Seminar and School, always held outside Washington, D.C., is a two-day, two-night event in election years and a one and one-half day event in non-election years held at a hotel conference facility. In contrast to the National Policy Conference, the Election School is a closed event, open only to RNLA members and invited guests. Any other person who desires to attend the Election School must attend with the written certification of an RNLA officer. The attendance policy is strictly enforced. Persons should not arrive at the Election School without pre-registering and without the necessary written certification.

The Election School is designed to orient Republican Party legal professionals and volunteers to the election law systems utilized in the United States to encourage and protect open, fair and honest elections. Emphasis is placed on the need to preserve the rights of voters in a non-discriminatory manner. Beginner track topics include petition preparation and circulation, ballot access, objections to the legal sufficiency of petitions, pre-election planning, precinct election procedures, poll watching regulations, election fraud prevention, post-election counting procedures, post-election canvassing board operations, election challenges, and post-election court litigation.

Advanced election law training is also offered to those with a legal background or experience in the professional administration of election activities. This track emphasizes the lawyering strategies and techniques available to advance and protect ballot access of a candidate (or referendum committee), protect the integrity of the election day process through ethical and effective accessing of law enforcement and judicial authorities, defense or prosecution of post-election recount administrative and judicial cases, the filling of vacancies in public or political offices, the redrawing or consolidation of election precincts, the administration and counting of absentee, military, nursing home and other ballots not normally executed in-precinct, the operations of ballot counting and tabulation equipment, and the organization of non-lawyer volunteers in the provision of election services (such as volunteer assistance in a ballot recount).

All instruction at the National Summer Election School is provided by experienced lawyers, election administration officials, employees of Republican Party entities and others who have national credentials in election law and election operations. For details on this year's Election Law School click here.

Other National Events include an Annual Holiday Reception at a Foreign Embassy or place of renown in Washington, DC. Other occasional events such as a RNLA Members only White House briefing have occured in the past. The RNLA seeks to provide its members with the best in value for their membership.

Quadrennial Republican National Convention
The Association gathers during the quadrennial conventions of the National Republican Party to conduct a special RNLA reception and other gatherings to support the Republican Presidential ticket and the respective state tickets. RNLA members often volunteer with the Republican National Committee chief counsel to serve in convention staff positions, such as legal counsel to the convention committees and legal counsel to the various parliamentary functions of the convention.
2009 Lawyers Inaugural Event
The Association will host an inaugural event after the election of the next Republican President. The event will be open to members and their guests and held at a time not in conflict with the inaugural balls hosted by the Inaugural Committee.

The 2005 Inaugural event was held as a luncheon on January 19, 2005 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Washington, DC to celebrate the re-election of the Bush-Cheney national ticket in 2004. Of the Inaugural Luncheon, John Fund wrote in the Wall Street Journal's Political Diary on January 21, 2005 "Amid the inaugural celebrations in Washington, a quiet luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton stood out. The Republican National Lawyers Association may well have contributed as much as anyone to making sure it was George Bush, not John Kerry, who took the oath of office yesterday. . . . At the RNLA lunch this week, former Solicitor General Ted Olson, who as a private lawyer argued George W. Bush's Florida recount case before the Supreme Court in 2000, told the group: 'The strategy of delegitimizing election results didn't work in 2000 and it didn't work in 2004. Anyone who says lawyers don't make a difference in politics doesn't know what the people in this room did.'"

Local Chapter Events
Local chapters of the RNLA conduct activities allowing interaction among local members. Networking receptions and trainings for upcoming election activities are typical events. Not all localities have RNLA chapters, and any member is invited to investigate formation of a new chapter by consulting the local chapter operations guide in the Members Only section of this site.

Local events, including those organized in Washington, D.C. by the Washington, D.C. Operations Committee, are open to all members and their guests. To view the currently scheduled events click here.

Law School Events
Law students are invited to form chapters of the RNLA at their law schools, and are encouraged to follow the formation and program suggestions in the law school chapter operations guide. Law students are invited to participate in all RNLA activities and events. Law school chapters are encouraged to list their events on the Events and Education page by contacting the executive director.

The monthly RNLA web newsletter, The Republican Lawyer, updates members on RNLA organizational matters, includes articles written by members, and highlights upcoming events. The web site home page always includes current news items and a monthly column written by the RNLA President. An occasional executive director bulletin will transmit breaking news or requests for immediate assistance from members.

Members must have access to standard e-mail and Internet services in order to receive these services. The costs of fax and mail would cause unacceptable increases in member dues levels, and are therefore not used for normal communications.