Like the United States, for at least the past decade, half of the graduating attorneys from law schools in Argentina and Peru have been women. However, female attorneys in these countries and across the hemisphere face challenges for career advancement.

Speaking at AS/COA's North American launch of the Vance Center's Pro Bono Declaration for the Americas, Brazilian Justice Luiz Fux recommended that beyond pro bono work—which is limited in Brazil because the government provides public defenders to those who can’t afford lawyers—the justice system needs to be accessible to every citizen through improved locations, lower costs, and by replacing legalese with simple talk.

Political assaults on corporation will likely rise as economic growth slows in Latin America, writes Richard Feinberg of the University of California, San Diego. In an Op-Ed adapted from an Americas Quarterly article, he writes that "the corporate social responsibility movement is a potentially important counter-punch to these anti-corporate fusillades."

In the next 25 years, the large scale retirement of baby boomers presents the potential for major shifts toward racial integration in the U.S. labor market, writes Richard Alba of University at Albany, SUNY.  Alba predicts that, as well-paid retirees leave the labor force, immigrants and non-whites could rise to fill positions, leading to "unprecedented diversification."

On November 30, AS/COA welcomed former Presidents José Sarney and Alejandro Toledo at the annual Latin America Conference. Panels focused on promoting social and economic development in the Americas as well as Venezuela's vote on constitutional reform.

At the 7th Annual Latin America Conference, AS/COA hosted former Presidents José Sarney of Brazil and Alejandro Toledo of of Peru. The event also featured panels on social development in the Americas and a second on Venezuela's referendum on constitutional reform.

Social programs in many Latin American countries require identification to access services, yet lack of documentation prevents those most in need from receiving benefits, writes Suzanne Duryea, a senior economist of the Inter-American Development Bank.