Article by 2014 - 2015 CABA President
Posted December 2014Dear Fellow CABA Members,
Somewhere between 7:30 a.m. and 7:40 a.m. each school day, you will hear an exchange between my 7 year old daughter Amari Elizabeth and me as she departs the car and ventures off to another exciting day at school. Often our final departing words are “Have a great day, Amari, with high hopes” and her response “And great expectations, mommy!” And then we are both off to face the challenges of the day. Many of you, like myself, are anxiously awaiting year-end and are beginning your plans for a new year. I am reminded that this is CABA’s year of “high hopes and great expectations.” Whether your year is filled with daunting tasks such as trial preparation, negotiating a contract agreement, providing refuge to those less fortunate or seeking balance in your life, or exploring client development strategies, now is a good time to regroup and refocus your efforts and commitment to CABA.
Many of you began the journey with us in June and perhaps you thought “this will be the year of CABA”, “we will conquer great things in the community”, “we will become more active in CABA’s committee work” or perhaps you simply vowed “we will attend meetings and stay informed.” Along the way, you may have become overwhelmed with that pesky thing called life and failed to make it to every CLE meeting, tennis tournament or great CABA socials. But not to despair, you still have the opportunity to become more active in CABA and its committees. We are glad you are back…just in time to tackle those resolutions. For example, our committee chairs are working on CLE programs that offer coffee with the court, programs to feed and assist needy families throughout the state, Bench & Bar Relations seminars, continuing our commitment to the MS Volunteer Lawyers Project with its Golf Tournament, more opportunities to socialize with our judges with the Evening Honoring the Judiciary, sponsorship opportunities, ways to express yourself on the newsletter committee, and exciting monthly CLE programs throughout the tri-county area.
I understand you are very busy, so instead of opting to tackle a ton of CABA projects, just go ahead, commit to a special project and recruit a friend to help you. Our membership is steady, but we could always use a few more good members to bring fresh ideas and new perspectives. Included in this month’s newsletter is a listing of our CABA committees, so please send an email to the committee chairs and sign up to get involved. http://www.caba.ms/committees.html
We are gearing up for election of CABA officers for the 2015–16 year and I am excited to announce that all of our candidates have been dedicated to CABA for years through various CABA committees and some with board leadership. (It’s like choosing from a great dessert menu, you know you are going to get a great one no matter which you pick.) Look for your ballots via email and mail this January.
Yes, I still have high hopes and great expectations that we will wrap up our year with a blast—after all, we are just half way through the CABA year. And as we lawyers love to hear—there’s still time to just do it!! Thank you for your continued support of CABA!!!
Wishing you high hopes and great expectations,
Amanda