Article by 2014 - 2015 CABA President
Posted June 2014By the time this column appears, CABA will have a new president, and her predecessor will have fled the country, albeit for a family vacation. The CABA gavel is now in the very capable hands of Amanda Green Alexander, who became president effective June 1. Working with Amanda as an officer for the last two years has been a treat — one of the true privileges of holding this office. She has been a great vice-president and will do a great job as president.
Even Amanda could not tame the weather on April 28 — the originally scheduled date of CABA’s 22nd annual golf tournament. The date was reserved almost a year in advance and seemed ideal, until the 10-day forecast appeared. The dire predictions never relented and turned out to be no exaggeration. The Country Club wisely deemed the tornado hazards of the day unplayable, and the tournament was postponed until July 28. Amanda now must preside over two golf tournaments instead of one, but no one is better able to handle the extra duty without breaking a sweat than she is.
One faint silver lining to the postponement of the golf tournament is that anyone who had good intentions supporting MVLP by sponsoring the tournament, but who did not get around to it before, now has a second chance. Committee chair Brad Moody, committee stalwart Ben Piazza, and others have done a great job rounding up golf sponsors already — and our thanks go out to those who have already sponsored. Please remember that the sponsorships are for the benefit of MVLP. If you hear from Brad or Ben in July, please consider helping out.
Even with the golf tournament postponed, the end of the year was busy. Our experiment of taking a CABA monthly meeting out of downtown Jackson for the first time appears to have been a success. The April meeting drew a near capacity crowd and included a number of new faces, as hoped. Sherri Davis-Garner was an engaging speaker who offered practical advice for most everyone. The Hamil’s lunch was delicious. Our thanks again to Butler Snow for making their beautiful, comfortable conference room available for this special meeting.
The CABA/JYL Spring Social following the Spring Bar Admission Ceremony took place at the Manship. A lively crowd enjoyed the Manship’s sophisticated bar offerings and tasty hors d’oeuvres. Thanks to committee chair Margaret Smith for coordinating the event.
The year officially wrapped up with the Evening Honoring the Judiciary on May 6 at the Jackson Country Club. Chief Justice Bill Waller roused the crowd as keynote speaker with a perfect combination of thoughtful remarks and great humor. Kudos to Gretchen Kimble and Laura Glaze for pulling together a great evening. Our apologies to the federal judges who were unable to attend this year because of the unfortunate, but also unavoidable, scheduling conflict with the 5th Circuit Judicial Conference.
Thank you all for the honor and privilege of serving as CABA President this past year and as an officer for the last 3 years. It has been a great treat to get to know many of you better, and to work with CABA Executive Director Pat Evans and with a great group of fellow officers, board members, committee chairs, and other members. I’m grateful for the opportunity. Ciao.
Article by 2014 - 2015 CABA President
Posted June 2014I am delighted to have the opportunity to serve as the President of the Capital Area Bar Association (CABA) for the 2014–2015 year. We have a very exciting year ahead. This year’s theme is Leading & Inspiring Positive Change in Our Community and Our Profession. Gandhi once wrote, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” This year, CABA will be that change and its members will inspire great things in our community and our profession. The CABA board is busily preparing for the upcoming year and I am excited to receive the torch passed from my colleague, Collins Wohner, who has graciously served as our President this past year.
As I reflect on the importance of CABA, I am reminded often that our organization is the largest local bar association in the state and as a profession and an association, we have both a tremendous influence and an enormous responsibility to lead. This year we hope to reactivate and re-engage our members to work together towards a common goal. I am sure, like me, you are constantly inundated with membership opportunities by different organizations. It requires a constant assessment of “am I getting the bang for my buck?” With CABA the answer is, “YES!” Below are just a few reasons why joining CABA or re-activating your membership is so very important-personally and professionally.
Innovative and relevant CLE opportunities: Have you ever wondered “why the millennial or baby boomer in my office is not understanding what I am saying”, “how can I stand up for myself without alienating my colleagues”, “how can I convey my worth to my senior partners,” “why do some lawyers have more persuasive arguments than others” or “heavens, what happens in that jury room anyway?” This year’s CLE lineup will address communications across generation lines, tackling gender biases, and effective communications in and out of the court. We are exploring and developing CLEs to improve your business and professional development. We will examine those relationships and explore how to make them work for us. As a benefit of your CABA membership, each meeting will include an hour of CLE!!
CABA is for the busy and mobile lawyer: If you are traveling or just landed, CABA committees are developing FREE teleseminar CLE opportunities for members.
CABA membership makes good CENTS: Your CABA membership can be as low as $75.00 per year depending on your practice and includes 4–6 hours of CLE. It’s a bargain you should seize! The membership dues are minimal. However, the opportunity to visit with judges and local colleagues, earn CLE credit, and improve your business and practice is priceless.
Oldies but Goodies: We are continuing our commitment to the minority scholarships at MC Law, UM Law and the MS Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) with proceeds from our golf tournament. Plans to bring back the tennis tournament in the fall are underway.
In your mail, you received your 2014–2015 Membership Statement. Please take a moment and reactivate your membership for this year. Again, thank you for the opportunity to serve as your President. If you haven’t already, please join us and encourage others to do so as well. Each one of you matters and we need your support. It’s going to be a GREAT YEAR!