Chair’s Comments + Section Events This Fall
By Dear Members of the Sports & Entertainment Section:
I am so honored that you have given me the privilege to serve as chair of the Section this bar year.
It’s an interesting time to be chair. Younger attorneys (I still think of myself this way) are often looking to technology and other avenues for the camaraderie and resources for which they might previously have looked to a bar association section.
The Sports and Entertainment Law Section has always been a little bit different. We aren’t a homogeneous group, and there is no substantive area of law that unites us all. Instead, it is a shared passion for the work we do in these fields (whether it is litigation, IP, regulatory, employment, real estate, or something else entirely).
As they say in the racing industry, this year, I plan to lean the Section into both curves.
We will invigorate the Section with more frequent and more diverse events. I’ve already asked each committee chair to propose an event during the bar year. Through these events, we will build upon the community we have all come to love and – I hope – reach new audiences with activities beyond the geographies and standard activities the membership has come to expect.
We had our first event Aug. 15 in Greensboro. Following the council meeting, we gathered for a minor league baseball game and networking event. In September, we will meet in Durham for a virtual reality experience (a first for an NCBA Section). Later this fall, we are hoping to bring everyone to a golf simulator, likely in Cary, Charlotte or Wilmington. This coming winter, we will hopefully explore other new adventures in other parts of the state. And finally, next spring, The Racing Attorney Conference (TRAC) will return to Charlotte.
An event a month is an ambitious goal. Even if a particular event is outside of your city, or your comfort zone, I encourage you to come out. I hope each of these events will bring interest from a new group of people.
You will get reminders of all of these events by email – so make sure you are signed up for the Section when you renew your membership.
Even beyond our Section, the NCBA is changing. As you may be aware from various announcements by the NCBA, it has a new dues structure which includes 12 hours of CLE and one section membership in the base price. I encourage Section members to invite those who may not be members of the Section to use the included section membership to join the Sports and Entertainment Law Section and see some of the new things we are up to.
I would also urge you to get involved – if you are not already – by going to the Section’s webpage and submitting a committee sign-up form!