Happy Fall from the Chair!

By Sarah Kromer 

It is a privilege to serve as your Section Chair for 2021-2022, particularly with our team of officers this year: Vice-Chair Jim Cooley, Secretary Jim Oden, and Treasurer Denise Cline. Many thanks go to Kate Deiter-Maradei, our Section Chair last year, who worked very hard for all of us. I also want to thank all those who are generously sharing their time and talents with us by serving on our section’s Council, chairing a committee, working on our Nominations Committee, or serving as a section liaison this year.

A lot of the work of our section is conducted through committees. As a member of the section, we encourage you to explore the current list to see if there is a committee you would like to join:

  • Arbitration
  • Continuing Legal Education
  • Collaborative Law
  • Communications
  • Ethics & Practice
  • Legislative & Rapid Response
  • Membership
  • Pro Bono
  • Race & Equity

If you have an interest in working on any of these committees or have other ideas for our section, please do not hesitate to reach out to me ([email protected]) or our NCBA liaison Lauren Colvard ([email protected]).

I also want to share some of the exciting things our section is doing this year:

  • Our newly re-commissioned Ethics & Practice Committee is focused on how to support dispute resolution efforts in different practice areas. Specifically, the committee is examining whether current mediation and other ADR rules could be improved by amendment or legislation to better serve the particular contexts and needs of each practice area. In addition, the committee is creatively exploring how specific practice areas could benefit from the use or tailoring of ADR methods that may currently be underutilized in that area of practice. If you have suggestions or ideas for rules that could be improved or ADR methods that could be better tailored to a particular practice area, please reach out to our Ethics & Practice Committee co-chairs, Danae Woodward ([email protected]) and Tom Clare ([email protected]).
  • Our Communications Committee is working hard to help our section more fully utilize our ListServ for inquiries and discussions. If you have ideas or need assistance, please contact Ketan Soni ([email protected]).
  • Our CLE Committee is busy planning another great event for our Annual Meeting and CLE/CME on Friday, March 18, 2022. This year’s CLE theme is “Strategic Choices: Picking Your Playing Field.” Following an extraordinary keynote address last year, our CLE Committee is finalizing arrangements for another exciting keynote speaker, plus other helpful updates and practical advice. In addition, we are working this year to be able to offer a choice between attending in-person at the Bar Center and joining via livestream. Please save March 18, 2022, on your calendar and keep an eye out for more information.

Our section is always looking for feedback and new opportunities to serve our members. If you have thoughts or ideas, please reach out and let us know.

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