Massachusetts Bar Association officers
recently completed a two-and-one-half-day planning retreat, which
was led by a wonderfully skilled facilitator. We benefited greatly
from many insightful responses to a survey we conducted of some of
our broader leadership last month, and we have formulated action
plans which will move the MBA forward visibly and dramatically this
year. As we enter the year before our Centennial
Celebration, I share a common vision with my fellow officers,
who are all extremely dedicated, talented and generous with their
time and energy. I hope that you feel welcome to contact any of us
throughout the year with your input and suggestions.
Before talking about the future,
please allow me to take a moment to reflect on the many efforts of
our outgoing president, Edward W. McIntyre. Ed is one of the most
decent, kindhearted and gracious people I have ever known. He
enlisted a collaborative, nonhierarchical leadership style,
operating out of mutual respect and looking for partnerships
whenever possible. He is that rare person who listens more than he
speaks, and is always looking for ways to engage others in
dialogue. His love of books is legendary, and it was through that
common ground that we decided to establish MBA Monthly Leadership
Roundtables, a book group of sorts for current or potential MBA
leaders. Consistent with Ed's philosophy of collaborative
leadership, he and I co-chaired the group as equal partners.
There is no denying that it was a
year full of challenges, yet I believe when we look back, we will
see that it was a pivotal year with many important events that were
necessary to move us ahead. Under Ed's leadership, we set up an
Education Committee, a Membership Committee and a Technology Task
Force. We purchased a system with the capacity for producing the
best quality of online educational programs available in the
commonwealth, which we are in the process of installing (more to
come on that soon). Ed led the way in mobilizing support to restore
court and legal services funding in our state budget, working in
close partnership with the Boston Bar Association. It is clear that
without these efforts, we would be faced with far deeper cuts and
loss of services in the commonwealth's budget than those we are
dealing with now.
Ed is passionate about assisting
veterans and their families, and so the MBA Veterans Initiative was
launched to help men and women who served in the armed services
obtain legal services and benefits. Ed moved bravely ahead with
technology and enabled the Mass. Bar to have a presence on Twitter
as an additional way of communicating with our members and beyond.
As a result, our Summer Social on the waterfront in Boston enjoyed
triple the attendance compared with what we have seen in the
past.
It is in the MBA section councils
and task forces that the day-to-day work of the organization is
accomplished. I am delighted to share with you that requests for
appointments to these section councils and task forces increased
significantly this year. To give one example - in just one of our
18 section councils, we had 74 requests for 15 appointments. This
is a sign of a healthy organization, and it is fabulous to see such
a response and commitment to the future success of the MBA.
Looking over the years of Ed's
service to the Mass. Bar, it is clear that he has devoted literally
thousands and thousands of hours to this organization, which he
holds so close to his heart. We are better as a profession because
of Ed's generosity and vision. I am deeply grateful to him for the
paths that he has opened through all of his hard work and belief in
collaborative leadership.
Looking ahead to the future, we are
delighted to announce that retired Supreme Judicial Court Justice
John M. Greaney has agreed to chair the MBA's Centennial
Commission, which will be planning a year of celebrations and
reflections during the 2010-11 association year, when
President-elect Denise Squillante will serve as president. Douglas
K. Sheff, vice president, has concluded his leadership of an
outstanding multi-year Strategic Planning Task Force and will now
move over to chair the Membership Committee, which will be
instrumental in implementing many of the task force's suggestions.
Richard P. Campbell, also a vice president, will be leading a Task
Force on Peremptory Challenges (see related article), with
some of the most highly respected lawyers and judges throughout the
state. This task force is a follow-up to the front page story in
Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly a few months ago in which prominent
voices from the bench were urging the bar to make its views known
in light of recent court decisions. Treasurer Robert L. Holloway
Jr. is setting up various groups within the MBA Budget and Finance
Committee to look at new ways to continue our fiscal responsibility
to provide members with the most high-quality services at the most
reasonable price possible. Jeffrey N. Catalano, secretary, will be
leading a special task force on volunteer recognition in order to
raise the profile of our many wonderful members who contribute
their time and energy to this organization, the legal profession
and the larger community.
Thank you for the privilege of serving as your president this
year.