A Message from the Chair of the NCBA Business Law Section
By Ben Baldwin, NCBA Business Law Section Chair
Hello, fellow Business Law Section members.
I want to pass along three things (two of which are related).
First: An enthusiastic word of gratitude to Ritchie Taylor, who planned and organized (and was also a presenter for) this year’s Business Law Section annual CLE program, which was held last week. Thanks to the pandemic, the program was a deviation from the norm (what isn’t these days, after all?), in that it was of course all online and consisted of a single day program, as opposed to the customary day-and-a-half affair. But the course topics were very much on point for a large percentage of our membership, and the speakers were also high caliber.
Big thanks, too, to Ritchie’s committee: Brooks Bossong (who was also a presenter), Kimberly Zirkle, Jennifer Weaver and Donna Berkelhammer.
This pandemic (though admittedly bearing some fruit, such as last week’s uproarious Zoom feline filter fiasco) has made each and every task so much more taxing, and we should all be very appreciative of all of their efforts in putting on such an excellent program that was very much in keeping with our section’s customarily high standards, despite the circumstances.
Second: One of the most valuable resources that our section has made available to its members is our database of business law form documents. Our section council recently discussed the utilization of our forms, and based on the information available to us, it doesn’t appear that this resource is being used with the frequency that we would like or expect. This may well be because either (a) members are not aware that the database exists, or (b) members are not able to find it.
So, please know that there is a readily accessible business law form database!
How to Find the Business Law Form Database
Go to www.ncbar.org and click on the third box, “Communities.”
This will take you to the Community platform where you will need to log in.
After logging in, you will be taken to your communities. Click on “Business Law Section.”
At the top of that page, click on “Library,” which will take you to various “Folders,” which includes a folder for the forms.
Voila.
After clicking on “Forms,” You will see an alphabetically arranged list of all kinds of forms ranging from articles of incorporation, to asset purchase agreements, LLC operating agreements, to supply and software license agreements.
If you have any questions about the forms database, please feel free to contact Carolyn Minshall, who chairs the section’s Forms Committee.
Third and Last: Also related to the forms database, some of the forms in the database are in need of refreshing and updating. This presents an excellent volunteer opportunity!
If you have any desire to contribute to the section’s activities, or want to connect with other Business Law Section members on a worthwhile endeavor, or are simply looking for a way to kill some pandemic leisure time, we would love to have your time, talents and energy in this important undertaking.
If you are so interested, please contact, again, Carolyn Minshall.
Thanks for taking the time to read this, stay safe and best wishes for a healthy rest of February.