The American Board of Criminal Lawyers was founded in June 1978 by San Francisco attorney Nathan Cohn, who conceived the idea of an exclusive national, legal, honorary society for outstanding criminal trial lawyers, with admission to fellowship by invitation only. To possess sufficient qualification for admission to fellowship, members must have at least 10 years of criminal trial experience, and have had tried at least 50 trials of which 35 were felony jury trials. The primary concern of the ABCL is the preservation and the free exercise of fundamental freedoms for all those accused of criminal conduct. Over the years, ABCL Fellows have become regularly involved in high profile criminal cases throughout the country, where the principles of the Organization and the collective experience of the Fellows have made a worthwhile contribution.