The AIDS Coordination Project, under the auspices of the ABA section of Individual Rights and Responsibilities, provides staff support to the ABA AIDS Coordinating Committee and develops projects that address the complex issues that HIV and AIDS presents to the legal community. Since its foundation in January 1988, the Project has served as a clearinghouse for dissemination of HIV/AIDS-related legal informational organized education programs for the bench and bar at national, state, and local conferences, including ABA Annual Meetings; and consulted on planning legal workshops by identifying speakers for locally organized education programs and assisting in the development of appropriate written materials.

Through service on advisory boards, participation in national policy programs, and comment on policy issues on the federal and state levels, the Project also plays a substantial role in the HIV/AIDS policy community. It has developed a number of the Committee's legal publications, and convened the HIV/AIDS advocacy community for numerous meetings and conferences, including "HIV/AIDS and the Law: An Agenda for Beyond the Millennium" (January 1999); "A World AIDS Day 2002 Roundtable: Stigma, Discrimination, and the Future of HIV/AIDS Law, Policy, and Advocacy" (late November 2002); and national conferences on "HIV/AIDS Law and Practice: From Nuts and Bolts to Cutting Edge."

Established in August 1987, the American Bar Association AIDS Coordinating Committee is comprised of a chair appointed by the ABA president, a vice chair, and representatives of more than 20 section, commissions, divisions, and other ABA-affiliated organizations and bas associations. It is charged with organizing the ABA's HIV/AIDS-related activities, developing policy recommendations, and encouraging new ABA-sponsored HIV/AIDS-related programs.

Of particular note have been the Committee's continued contributions in establishing education and awareness programs for legal professionals and furthering a wide range of HIV/AIDS policy initiatives through its support of an participation in HIV/AID-related policy programs at the federal, state, and local levels. Through the ABA AIDS Coordination Project, the Committee also has been instrumental in broadening the base information available to legal professionals about the disease by the publication of a number of articles, position papers, reports, and conferences on current HIV/AIDS-related legal topics.