Article by 2023-2024 CABA President
Posted September 2023Dear CABA Members, We are off to a busy start of our CABA year, and hope that you will make plans to attend events, get involved, and encourage a colleague to join us! At our August membership meeting, a packed house at River Hills Club heard from an all-star panel of pro bono experts—Gayla Carpenter-Sanders of the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers’ Project, Stacey Moore Buchanan from the Mississippi Center for Justice, and Seth Shannon of Mission First, with Judge Tiffany Grove moderating. As the panelists noted, there really is a pro bono opportunity for everyone, regardless of your field of practice or how many hours you are able to commit. As one of my mentors, Wayne Drinkwater, always says, a license to practice law is not just a license to do well (financially), it’s also an obligation to do good.
On September 28, we welcomed new bar admittees and gathered for a social in their honor. Our October membership meeting will be back at the Capital Club and we will hear from Chip Glaze, former director of the Bar’s LJAP program and now a practicing attorney again. I hope you’ll join us to hear some of his insights on lawyer mental health. And that is just the beginning—we have a terrific slate of committee chairs (listed below) who are busy planning programs centered on diversity and inclusion, women in the profession, bench and bar relations, small and solo firm practice, pro bono and community outreach, the law-related education essay contest, and our annual golf tournament and Evening Honoring the Judiciary. I am so grateful to all these busy folks who have agreed to take the lead on these projects! Please thank them when you see them, and if you’d like to help with any of these committees or with this newsletter, let us know.
CABA membership doesn’t cost much, but its value is considerable, from free CLE and the opportunity to get involved to some great networking events. As one of our committee chairs noted, most of his cases come from referrals from other lawyers, and what better way to build those connections than at a CABA social, on the golf course at the CABA tournament, or sitting next to someone at a CLE presentation? Join us at one of these events, and bring a friend who isn’t a member to encourage them to join, too!
Bench & Bar Judge David McCarty
Community Outreach Melissa Malouf
Diversity Christina Nunez & Karmel Keeton
Golf Steve Montagnet
Judicial Dinner Leah Ledford & Mary Purvis
Law Related Education Lindsay Roberts
Newsletter Kate Margolis
Professionalism & Community Service Kaytie Pickett
Small Firm/Solo John Hawkins
Social Joint Effort with JYL
Women’s Initiative Susan Floyd