Jul., 2011 - Mecklenburg County Bar

From The President
Robert C. Dortch, Jr.
MCB President
2011 Annual Meeting
Remarks
Well, it’s here. I knew more than a year
ago that this day would come. When I was
asked if I would consider taking on the
position of President-Elect of the
Mecklenburg County Bar (which for some
reason results in that person becoming
President), I knew there was this thing
called the “President’s Column” in the
monthly newsletter. No matter how many
people I asked, they all had the same
answer: yes, Bob, the President actually writes the President’s Column.
Really? But many of those same folks also said: not that many people
actually read the columns. So, I’ve got that going for me.
The 99th Annual Meeting of the 26th Judicial District, Mecklenburg
County Bar was held on May 19, 2011. After several cool and shady
years at First Presbyterian Church, the meeting returned to sunny
Marshall Park this year. Unlike last year, there was no hot topic on the
agenda and attendance appeared to be a little down from the prior year.
Approving meeting minutes and an annual budget just doesn’t have the
same attraction that raising your dues did a year ago. Todd Brown
welcomed everyone in attendance and highlighted some of the Bar’s
many achievements during his year as Bar president. Those
achievements were due, in large part, to his insightful and steady
leadership. Thank you for your service Todd.
The Bar and its 4300 members are in the midst of some very
exciting and challenging times. The Bar celebrates its 100th
anniversary in 2012. Many of our members are hard at work to ensure
that 2012 is an event-filled centennial celebration. Mark R. Bernstein
and Ray S. Farris co-chair the Bar History Committee and have been
hard at work, among other things, raising funds for The History of the
Mecklenburg County Bar, a book that chronicles the Bar’s past 100
years. Mark W. Merritt and Shirley L. Fulton and their Centennial
Celebration Subcommittee are busy putting together a gala, lecture
series, museum exhibition and receptions that will include at least one
nationally recognized speaker. Thanks to all of you for your hard work
and commitment to the Bar.
If you’ve been to the Bar’s headquarters at the corner of Queens
Road and Luther Street, you probably noticed that we’re out of space. It
is not unusual for 2 or 3 members of our dedicated staff to work in
spaces intended for one person or in what was previously storage
space. If you have attended one of the MCB’s CLEs, then you know
that there is not enough parking available to accommodate everyone.
The building itself is in need of some significant repairs. Pender R.
McElroy and William H. McMullen Jr. co-chair the Future MCB/MBF
Facility Committee. They and their committee continue to tirelessly
research and investigate numerous sites that might be suitable for the
future Bar/Foundation Center.
The Bar remains committed to promoting diversity throughout our
legal community and the Bar’s Special Committee on Diversity is one
means of doing so. One of the great successes of the Special Committee
is the Charlotte Legal Diversity Clerkship program. This year, more
than 300 first year law students from across the county applied for
seven summer clerkship positions. Their resumes are truly remarkable.
These young people spend half of their summer clerking with one of
the participating law firms and the other half clerking for the law
department of one of the corporate partners. This is a huge
undertaking by the law firm and corporate partners. Thank you for
your tremendous commitment of time, energy and funds to the
program.
Thank you to our public interest attorneys. To many of our citizens,
you are their sole definition of “lawyer”. You were not very happy with
the MCB Board when the dues increase was put to a vote at last year’s
Annual Meeting. Admittedly, the Bar has struggled in the past with
how to increase its relevance to the public interest attorneys. We’re
striving to do better and we will continue the dialogue with Public
Defender Kevin P. Tully and District Attorney R. Andrew Murray on
how best to serve you. It may help that four of your co-workers were
elected to the MCB Board of Directors at this year’s Annual Meeting.
Over the last few years, the Bar has taken significant steps towards
getting its administrative house in order. Past President John W.
Lassiter made it a priority to get a strategic plan in place. The strategic
plan has now been approved (and can be found on www.MeckBar.org)
thanks to the hard work of the Bar’s staff, Strategic Planning
Committee Co-chair Carla N. Archie and the Committee itself. The
plan sets out a road map on a broad range of topics that include board
governance, member services, communications and technology,
financial management and the future bar/foundation facility. The
Strategic Planning Committee is in the process of implementing best
practices for MCB committee structure to establish a more uniform
approach in establishing and maintaining committees with regard to
purpose, effectiveness, reporting, accountability, etc.
The economy remains a major concern to most of us. Budget
deficits are impacting an already underfunded judiciary. The NC
Administrative Office of the Courts issued a Voluntary Reduction in
Force Plan in January 2011. The Office of Indigent Defense Services
recently notified NC attorneys, judges and clerks that hourly rates for
court appointed counsel were reduced, effective May 2, 2011. Who will
continue to do court appointed work for $55-$70/hour? The answer
may be all of us if those already on the court appointed lists choose to
drop off those lists. It was recently reported that drug courts may very
well lose their funding. These are very challenging times for our friends
who work at the courthouse. We need your help in advocating for the
judicial branch of government.
We’re very fortunate to belong to a strong and respected Bar. We can
always make it better. Let us know how we can become more relevant
to you or your practice. If you are already active in Bar activities –
thank you. If you aren’t involved, I encourage you to call the Bar or me
and let us know you want to get involved. Let us hear from you. This is
a great Bar. You can make it better. If you have read this far – a special
thanks to you.
2 July 2011 www.MeckBar.org