CHAIR'S MESSAGE

Last Fall, I said what I thought would be happening in the Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice during the coming year. I titled that column the Chair= s First, Last and Only Message. As you might surmise from this message, I lied. Not boldly C I = m not enough of a politician for that Cbut only in one relatively minor respect: it was not my last and only message, though close to it. Having come nearly to the end of my year as Chair, I am succumbing to the temptation to offer one last message.

This has been a gratifying year for me. The Section has kicked off the APA Project, with work underway to state clearly the law that governs administrative procedure today and to recommend improvements to it. Paul Verkuil, as Chief Reporter, has assembled a terrific team of administrative law experts to oversee the different parts of this project. The substantive work of the project will be presented to the Section starting with the Annual Meeting in Atlanta this summer. The project is an important one and will occupy us for several years. I =m glad to see it off and running.

We also had our usual share of good programs and Section recommendations this year, for which special thanks go to Peter Strauss, Ernie Gellhorn, Sid Shapiro, Dan Troy, Barbara Olson, Jack Young, Michael Asimow, Chris Franklin, David Cardwell, Richard Blau, Jim Rossi, Randy May, George Shepherd, and the many others who did the hard work that makes the Section run. Speaking of hard work, I =m delighted that we have landed in the good hands of Leanne Pfautz, our Section Staff Director, and Cindy Burns, our Staff Assistant, two people it is a pleasure to work with, not least because they do so much of the work. Finally, I count myself fortunate to leave the Section in good hands, with Jack Young as incoming Chair, Ron Levin rising to Chair-Elect, and a wonderful group of Council members and officers. Thanks to all of you who made this year a success and who make this Section so rewarding, both personally and professionally.