' A Monthly Publication of the Nashville Bar Association
Joycelyn A. Stevenson, Publisher William T. Ramsey, Editor-in-Chief ramseywt@nealharwell.com Eleanor Wetzel, Managing Editor eleanorwetzel@jis.nashville.org
E�������� C�������� Noel Bagwell Kimberly Faye Carline Sapp Hudson Tim Ishii Tracy Kane Everette Parrish Bart Pickett Matthew Pierce Bill Ramsey Mike Sandler Kristin Thomas Jonathan Wardle Victoria Webb Eleanor Wetzel David Winters
N�������� B�� A���������� S���� Monica Mackie Executive Director ----------Shirley Clay Finance Coordinator Wendy Cozby Lawyer Referral Service Coordinator Traci Hollandsworth Programs & Events Coordinator Malinda Moseley CLE Coordinator Judy Phillips CLE Coordinator Jill Presley Marketing & Communications Coordinator Vicki Shoulders Membership Coordinator • Office Manager The Nashville Bar Journal, ISSN 1548-7113, is published monthly by the Nashville Bar Association at 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 1050, Nashville, TN 37219, (615) 2429272. Periodicals Postage Paid, Nashville, TN (USPS 021-962). Subscription price: $25 per year. Individual issues: $5 per copy. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections to Nashville Bar Journal, 150 Fourth Avenue North, Suite 1050, Nashville, TN 37219 No part of this publication may be reprinted without written permission of the Nashville Bar Journal Editorial Committee. The Nashville Bar Journal is not responsible for the return or loss of unsolicited manuscripts or for any damage or other injury to unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. All Articles and Letters contained in this publication represent the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Nashville Bar Association.
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Nashville Bar Journal • April 2016
From the President
A Day in the Life of the NBA President By Joycelyn A. Stevenson (Okay… Three Days) I thought I would give our readers some insight into the life of an NBA President. I am often asked what a typical day is like and—given my activities in recent weeks—I thought this theme would be a good way to give an account of what we as an association are tackling in relation to other associations around the country, especially in light of where I wrote this article. Along with our Executive Director, Monica Mackie, I attended the Bar Leaders Institute in Chicago, Illinois, sponsored by the American Bar Association (ABA) the week of March 14. This conference is typically attended by presidents-elect but I decided to attend again this year to strengthen relationships with other associations and to gain ideas on how to grow our own. During our three days at this conference, we learned a great deal about some of the common concerns among bar leaders related to how to stay relevant and have a critical impact on our membership. Day 1: March 16, 2016 On the first day, I attended a large dinner for the executive directors and officers of bar associations around the country. My table mates included representatives from the Cincinnati Bar Association and the Virginia Bar Association. We then attended an Improv show at Second City, which is a famous club where many talented people like Stephen Colbert, Tina Fey, and others got their start. Luckily, I was not pulled on stage, but did enjoy watching another audience member have his text messages read aloud in front of his parents at the next table. Day 2: March 17, 2016 The ABA President, Paulette Brown, addressed the crowd and provided an overview of the program for the week. We heard from four former bar presidents from New York, Louisiana, Massachusetts, and Ohio on their experiences, how they prepared for their year, and lessons learned. We heard from executive directors and past presidents on how boards should interact with staff, and how to handle unforeseen and controversial bar issues. We heard stories from the Louisiana Bar Past President on the plans he made for his year when Hurricane Katrina hit. It was insightful to learn how bar associations must adapt to what is relevant in the hearts and minds of its members, and that sometimes the board’s agenda must take a back seat to important events in our communities. This phenomenon is not foreign to the NBA and brought back memories of the courageous work of Jonathan Cole’s administration during the 2010 flood and how the NBA served as a thoughtful leader and community service arm for our city. Later in the day, we broke for concurrent workshops where we could choose what topic we preferred to explore in greater detail. Monica chose the “Bar Leader as Designer” program and I chose the workshop entitled, “Maximizing Member Engagement through Micro-Volunteerism.” My workshop supported my theory that in order to reach more members and gain new ones, we have to provide opportunities for individuals to get involved at different levels outside of normal committee work. The workshop provided some great insight into other bar associations and efforts to target individuals for small service projects in order to build a foundation for a larger relationship in the future. Many members are not able to commit to set meetings every month at the same time, but they can volunteer to clean the courthouse, build a home for a needy family, archive photos for the bar association, and work on web design. It was a very interesting dialogue and I look forward to working with our board on implementing some of the suggested strategies.