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"Membership in the bar is a privilege burdened with
conditions"
Benjamin N. Cardozo, In re Rous, 221 N.Y. 81, 84 (1917)
In late July, your newly appointed
Executive Committee held a retreat at the MSBA Offices to define
major initiatives for this Bar year. After a full day of discussing
Bar issues, I can say without any reservations that MSBA members
need not worry about any lack of diversity of personalities or
ideas on our Executive Committee. If our retreat is any indication
of what's to come, we will all have to fasten our seatbelts!
While I had planned what I thought would be a meaningful agenda
for the retreat, the day's discussion quickly turned in another
direction. Right away, our focus became: "How do we as bar
leaders enhance the vitality and perpetuity of the Bar Association"?
In answering this question, we concentrated on three issues:
1) promoting to the membership the advantages of belonging to
MSBA sections and committees; 2) providing a greater level of
meaningful, value-added services to practicing lawyers; and 3)
further strengthening the overall organizational structure of
the MSBA.
Based on these discussions, we identified four areas in which
the Executive Committee will concentrate its efforts. Each Executive
Committee member, as well as the MSBA Executive Director, has
agreed to take "ownership" for the implementation of
at least one of these initiatives.
Legislative Representation. First, to provide greater
value to the profession and to our sections and committees, the
Executive Committee is assessing the Bar's ability to continue
to provide adequate representation at the Legislature. The Bar
has witnessed a significant increase in legislative activities
by its sections, which is a good thing! The governor's recent
proposed sales tax on legal services also highlighted our need
to be sure all voices are adequately heard at the Legislature.
In this vein, we are considering whether the Bar Association
should have an in-house government affairs position responsible
for lobbying on behalf of the profession. Two Executive Committee
members, Phyllis Karasov from Moore Costello & Hart and David
Stowman from Stowman Law Office, are closely examining the feasibility
of this initiative.
Sections and Committees. In mid-August, I spent two days
meeting with section and committee chairs discussing issues impacting
the legal profession. These meetings provided me with a real
opportunity to hear what we are doing right and what we can do
even better as an association. One theme that constantly surfaced
was that the Bar should foster greater communication with its
sections/committees and also among the sections and committees
themselves. It was also suggested that we do more to promote
section and committee work and encourage members to become involved
in the committees and sections.
On the communication front, the Executive Committee is exploring
using a variety of low- and high-tech media to enhance section
communications, such as establishing a section chair listserve,
a section leadership newsletter, a section leadership advisory
conference, etc. To promote the good works of our sections and
increase their membership, the Bar is planning to launch a section-membership
drive. The MSBA staff is in the process of finalizing these plans.
Executive Committee members Brad Thorsen from Thorsen Law Office
and Mark Anderson, liaison to the New Lawyers Section, are heading
up our section-related initiatives.
Leveraging Technology. Another issue the Executive Committee
committed to explore is how the Bar Association can utilize and
leverage technology to aid attorneys in the everyday practice
of law. We plan to take a closer look at how lawyers can use
online technology to communicate, more cost-effectively and efficiently,
with each other, the court, their clients, and the public. In
order to succeed in this area, we will be soliciting your thoughts
and ideas on how online technology can be leveraged by the practicing
attorney. Executive Director Tim Groshens and his staff have
the primary responsibility for this ongoing initiative, together
with Executive Committee member Richard Burns from the law office
of Hanft Fride.
Organizational Vitality. Last year, at the direct request
of the Executive Committee, the ABA conducted an organizational
audit of the MSBA. The recommendations of the MSBA Team urged
the MSBA to consider taking certain steps to ensure the vitality
and continuity of the Association over the next decade. In this
regard, a subcommittee including the President-elect, Treasurer,
and Secretary of the MSBA will take a close look at the following
organizational questions:
1. How are other nonprofit organizations structured and what
can we learn from this?
2. What should be the overarching, ongoing, driving strategic
focus of the MSBA from year-to-year? and,
3. What structure and process are appropriate for determining
and assessing the annual goals, objectives, and compensation
of the Executive Director?
Executive Committee members Jon Duckstad from Jon Duckstad
Law Office, Jim Baillie from Fredrikson & Byron, and David
Stowman will lead this initiative.
Racial Disparity. Lastly, while I tried desperately to
delegate all Executive Committee initiatives to others for the
coming year, I nonetheless ended up leading the foray into the
murky area euphemistically called racial disparity. In
this effort, I will be working closely with Tom Johnson from
the Council on Crime and Justice. Tom and the Council have done
a significant amount of legwork in this area and will play an
invaluable role in keeping us on the straight and narrow.
I believe the above should keep the Executive Committee busy
and out of trouble for at least the next three months.
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JARVIS C. JONES is president
of the Minnesota State Bar Association. An attorney with experience
in business and in private practice, he now serves as an executive
with the St. Paul Companies, where he is responsible for a new
start-up business.
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