THE PRESIDENT'S REPORT
Staying
On Course By John F. Stroud. Jr.
On June 13, you permitted me to become the 89th president of the AIkansas Bar Association. It is a most sobering and challenging experience to follow the excellent leadership we have enjoyed in the Association. Congratulations to Dick Hatfield for leading us through a legislative session virtually unscathed from frontal attacks by the insurance industry on the basic concepts of tort litigation. His active and successful bar year was highlighted by a wellrounded program at the annual meeting and the second-highest attendance at an annual meeting in our history. Dick and Sue Hatfield have represented us well. Recognizing that "tort reform" and other attempts to usurp the legal profession are not over, a retreat
was held two weeks after the annual meeting in June by Association leaders to discuss legislation and other matters allecting this bar year. The group included our lobbyist. Martha Miller, the past officers who dealt most closely with the legislature and those of us who will have that task during the next two years. President Elect Phil Dixon has wisely chosen Jack McNulty to chair his Executive Council and he brought Jack with him. We agreed upon several ways to improve the ellectiveness of the bar in supporting or opposing pending legislation, inel uding several by-laws changes and new responsibilities for the Legislation Committee which Jim McKenzie will chair. That committee will work to establish a network of politically influential attorneys in each county who are willing to contact their state senators and representatives on a moment's
notice to express a unified voice for the bar. Our two-day retreat to review the past bar year and plan for l221Arkansas Lawyer/October 1987
and his committee have done an excellent job in preparing public service spots. presenting the "Symposium on the Judiciary" and organizing courthouse
ceremonies for September 17. Judicial Compensation Commission. We are in the midst of a campaign to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot at the general election in 1988 to create a Judicial Compensation Com路 mission. The commission is sorely needed to provide a mechanism to set and maintain appropriate salary and expense allowances for our judges. The Association's Judicial Compensation Commission Committee, chaired by Dennis L. Shackleford. has teamed up with our Senior Task Force Committee,
chaired by E. Charles Eichenbaum. to obtain the needed 87.000 signatures. It the coming one was most helpful and something I hope will become an annual event. The most exciting and rewarding thing about this job so far has been the satisfaction of appointing committees, naming chairmen and watching them function. It's great to see lawyers who care enough about their profession to give hours and hours of their time and expertise to improve it. As I write this report this Sunday night. I have just opened letters from Retired Justice George Rose Smith giving an interim report of his committee's work on gathering and preserving the history of the bar in AIkansas and from Tom Overbey on the first meeting of his committee to determine if our association should become incorporated and which category of tax exemption most nearly fits our needs. Other examples of our ellorts to benefit the profession and the public include: The Bicentennial of the U.S. Constitu路 tion. It is appropriate that attorneys take the lead in reminding the nation to
pause and appreciate our freedoms during this Bicentennial Celebration of the United States Constitution. John Gill
called upon, please lend your assistance by circulating a petition in your of-
fice and neighborhood. This is a task we, as practicing attorneys, need to accomplish for the judiciary.
We have an excellent state bar association, an envied bar center and a bar foundation that others have emulated. During the past 12 months. I have attended several meetings of the Southern Conference of Bar Presidents and the National Conference of Bar Presidents. At each of these meetings, discussion groups with other presidents of voluntary state bar associations having memberships of less than 5.000 were formed. It is extremely helpful to discuss our problems in Arkansas with representatives of states having similar memberships and problems and to piece together solutions. I am amazed at how much we've accomplished in Arkansas with a smaller budget and a much smaller professional staff than most of our contemporaries. We can be proud that our percentage of membership is one of the highest of the voluntary state bar associations in the country. I pledge to do my best during this bar year to keep our ship of state on course. With your help we can do just that. D