Salus Populi Suprema Lex Esto

The welfare of the people is the supreme law

The Academy is an international fellowship of lawyers whose mission is to protect and promote the Rule of Law.

The Academy stands as the world’s foremost trial lawyer organization, dedicated to excellence, advocacy, and legal reform. Our membership includes 500 active trial lawyers in the United States and over 150 Fellows from 30 countries, representing both plaintiffs and defendants in civil cases, as well as prosecutors and criminal defense lawyers.

core values

ADVOCACY IN ACTION

Commitment to Justice and Integrity

We believe the Rule of Law is essential to a civilized society and democracy

We believe equal justice should be accessible to all

We believe in a legal profession where judges and lawyers are held to the highest standards of competency, integrity, and civility

core values

history

For 70 years, the International Academy of Trial Lawyers has stood as a beacon of excellence, integrity, and the Rule of Law. Established in 1954, the Academy was built on a single, powerful idea—bringing together the world’s most distinguished trial lawyers to learn, to mentor, and to drive justice forward. This timeline highlights some of the key moments in our organizations history.

1954

The Matter is Submitted! Conceptualized during the NACCA convention in Boston by Albert Averbach, Perry Nichols, and Gerald Finley to honor the best leaders of the trial bar

1955

First membership assembly is held in Miami Beach

1958

Membership surpasses 200 Fellows. Annual convention held at Hotel Del Coronado, San Diego

1960

The First International meeting is held in Jamaica

1967

Participates in Belgrade Conference, advocating for international court expansion

1971

The First European Convention is held in Marbella, Spain

1977

The Academy tours Africa, bringing together many of the leading trial lawyers from African nations to discuss World Peace through Law

1983

Secretary of International Relations position is created to expand global engagement

Academy Foundation is established to fund legal education and humanitarian efforts

1990

Academy decrees to assist Eastern European countries develop the Rule of Law following the fall of the Berlin Wall

1994

Launches the China Program, fostering legal exchange between Chinese and American legal professionals

1995

Joins the American Civil Bar (ABOTA) Roundtable, contributing to efforts that safeguard the civil justice system

1997

Executive office moves to Minneapolis, Minnesota

2002

Hosts its largest international meeting to date, traveling to Russia and Scandinavia to have candid conversations on the Rule of Law in contemporary Russia

2004

Celebrates its 50th Anniversary in San Francisco

2007

Launches the Ireland Program with the goal of preserving common law traditions and fostering mutual understanding and respect between the bars of Ireland and Northern Ireland

2012

Constructs the IATL health clinic to serve remote Amazon tribe

2013

Holds first International Collaborative in Belfast and in Dublin

2014

Hosts a second International Collaborative in Tel Aviv Israel

2016

Hosts Latin America Collaborative and meets with the Supreme Court of Argentina and the Constitutional Court of Chile

2017

Partners with ABOTA to build a dormitory for in the Berber Region of Morocco, providing educational and safe housing for girls

2018

Hosts Judicial Magistrate Training in Uganda.
Partners with Ride 4 a Woman in Bwindi, Uganda to build Noël’s Place in honor of past president Noël Ferris, a safe space for women in the region

2019

Commits to supporting Anti-Trafficking Organizations, Partners with Polaris

2021

Academy Foundation co-produces “A Once and Future Peace” documentary film with Richard and Suzanne Burbidge, promoting youth restorative justice practices

2022

Works with VECINA to sponsor four Afghan attorneys and their families for humanitarian parole

2023

Partners with the National Judicial College to host the first Judicial Independence Symposium

2024

Partners with the Alfred Friendly Press Partners to support their Journalists in Exile education and community-building program

2024

Formally defines The Rule of Law