Thirty-nine state bars and 63 local bars have a strategic
planning process, according to the 1998 Bar Activities Inventory, compiled
by the American Bar Association Division for Bar Services. That process often starts with
a retreat or meeting that seeks input from facilitators, current and past officers, staff
and volunteers and, sometimes, bar leaders from other states.
The Maryland State Bar Association has used various plans for
at least 14 years, according to Executive Director Paul Carlin of Baltimore. "We have
not relied on a single method, but have used a variety of methods to gauge our
members’ needs, the professional environment and the future of our association and
its activities," he notes.
Last year, bar leaders held a few planning conferences and
conducted a membership survey. They also reviewed plans from other state bars. The
planning process begins with a Members Needs Assessment, gleaned from a membership survey
or through focus groups. After this, the
planning group assesses SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Trends). From this
analysis, the group devises goals, objectives and the tactics for achieving them.
Maryland bar officials believe their system works and forces
them to evaluate where they are and what they are doing. "As my president stated, the
effort ‘postulates the obvious.’ But even that is important, since it validates
where you are and where you should be going. So from our experience, it is certainly worth
doing and even necessary," Carlin says.
In early 1999, the bar’s House of Delegates was polled on
issues that will have a long-term effect on the legal profession. What emerged were image
of the profession, membership, multidisciplinary practice and the judicial system. During
a retreat with board members, committee and section chairs, and senior bar staff , those
issues were used as a starting point to create a Strategic Outlook, Grant notes.
About three years ago, Colorado bar leaders hired a consultant
and used focus groups to create a three-year plan. The process cost about $25,000.
"The plan has been useful, but needs to really be done on
a constant basis. The buy-in is only with people who do it, and not necessarily with later
regimes," Turner explains.
The faster the pace of change, the shorter the effective time
frame for what a bar defines as "long term," says Denny Ramey of Columbus,
executive director of the Ohio State Bar Association. And technology, in particular, has
impacted how the Ohio bar plans ahead.
"I think that developing a long-range plan should be an
effort to shape the future and should only partly be an attempt to be prepared to be
affected by the future," Ramey says. New leadership, new board members and even new
staff must buy into the plan, he adds.
For about 20 years, Ohio has used an annual Operational Plan to
guide it. The current effort, called BHAG (pronounced bee-hag, and meaning "Big Hairy
Audacious Goals"), started in 1998 and runs through 2003. This plan was designed to
focus on making bar membership indispensable to Ohio lawyers and to the profession. It
includes the development of various technology-related tools for members.
Before it was unified in 1989, the Hawaii State Bar Association
existed for 90 years without a mission, goals or plan. Shortly after unification, Hawaii
bar leaders and those from state bars and the ABA participated in a two-day retreat, where
they forged a mission and goals. In 1993, the bar created the first strategic plan to
ensure that every expenditure was tied to a goal and to a specific objective under a goal,
explains Executive Director Coralie Chun Matayoshi.
Every year, Goal Groups (committees interested in a particular
goal) re-examine their goals, objectives and projects to see how they fulfill the plan.
Then a current three-year strategic plan is projected out one more year at a time. Every
year, bar leaders go through a strategic planning process to re-examine the goals and see
whether objectives are met. This is the basis for the annual budget since every budget
item must be tied to an objective under a goal. Staff, volunteer time, and monetary
resources are allocated to goals that are most important to members.
The strategic planning process should be institutionalized,
says Joe Crosthwait Jr. of Midwest City, president of the Oklahoma Bar Association.
"By institutionalized, I mean that the leadership must
refer to (the plan) in undertaking its projects and initiatives. Since bars rotate
leadership so regularly, a strategic plan is essential to foster continuity in purpose and
programs," he says.
As a bar president, Crosthwait views the plan as a large part
of his job description. "By undertaking to accomplish the goals and objectives set
out in it, I am reasonably assured that what we are doing this year will be seen through
next year," he adds.
Crosthwait was on the Long-Range Planning Committee in 1983
when bar leaders approved a plan that was eventually shelved. He used that 12-year-old
plan as a starting point for the 1995 effort, used a facilitator, and developed a
five-year plan. The process cost about $10,000.
The planning conference helped bar leaders define the mission
statement, the vision, the objectives and proposed strategies. Afterward, the committee
refined the plan and held about a dozen forums statewide to discuss it with members.
Now, the bar is undergoing Strategic Plan 2000. Committees
report to Crosthwait on their progress and how they will accomplish the plan’s
objectives. "I have told the (committee) chairs that my goal is to make the folks in
2004 start from scratch because we will have accomplished everything set out in our
plan," he notes.
While some bar leaders believe an annual evaluation is
necessary for plans, Louisiana State Bar Association officials do the opposite. Planning
should be done every five years, says Executive Director Loretta Topey of New Orleans.
"Because we have done it so frequently, many of the goals
are the same from plan to plan. We have, however, included goals that involved specific
presidential initiatives, which were brought to fruition within a year or so and then
deleted from subsequent plans," she explains.
The bar’s current plan involved a two-day retreat with
about 50 lawyers who represented a variety of practice and geographic areas, as well as
racial and ethnic backgrounds. The retreat and planning process cost about $20,000.
"I think it is definitely worth doing, but encourage
others to control the frequency. Also, it is good not to limit participants to those who
have been very active in your association, but to get a wider range of opinions by
including a diverse group of members," Topey notes.
The West Virginia State Bar includes past presidents in the
planning process. The Long-Range Planning Committee consists of about 40 past presidents
who work in four sub-committees. After receiving the sub-committee reports, the committee
develops the five-year plan that is approved by the bar’s Board of Governors at the
annual meeting.
These past presidents have either returned to their law
practices, retired or are doing work outside of the bar world. Yet their input in the plan
has successfully kept the bar on track precisely because they are away from the day-to-day
operations and have a more detached, objective perspective, says Executive Director Thomas
Tinder of Charleston.
"It has worked well for us. These people have a
long-standing interest in what the bar is doing," he says.
The plan includes general goals and objectives rather than
specific items. The committee reviews existing programs, offers improvements or new
projects where necessary.
West Virginia’s plan from 1990 to 1995 focused on
technology, including the introduction and use of the TechNet database system. The 1995 to
2000 plan dealt with the development of a Web site. The committee is currently working on
the 2000-2005 plan, which should be approved by the Board of Governors this summer.
"People snicker because we use our past presidents on this
committee. They say it doesn’t make sense, that these people are out of the loop. But
my experience has been very positive. It helps keep them involved in the bar and helps us
to use their advice and guidance," explains Tinder.
About five years ago, the State Bar of New Mexico Board of
Governors created a mission and seven goals, with the help of a facilitator and management
staff. The bar president appointed a strategic planning committee, consisting of board
officers, the executive director, a staff person chosen by the executive director and two
members of the Young Lawyers Division. The committee refined the mission and goals and
identified objectives for a three-year plan. Bar leaders refine the plan annually with a
facilitator at a retreat.
The strategic planning committee presents recommendations for
modifications and new objectives to the board. The mission and goals are published in bar
publications to keep members informed.
The Multnomah Bar Association works with a three-year strategic
plan, which is reviewed annually, as well as a five- to 10-year vision document, says
Executive Director Mona Buckley of Portland, Ore.
"We don’t do long-range plans because a consultant
advised us several years ago that you can’t plan more than three to five years out
because of board member turnover and new issues emerging," Buckley explains.
The bar’s current five- to 10-year vision document was
created in June 1999. From this vision document, a plan is developed.
"We will do a check-in and/or an amendment of any changed
priorities at this year’s annual retreat. But I don’t see any dramatic moves off
course," Buckley adds.
The Middlesex County Bar Association in New Jersey developed a
three-year plan in 1994. A committee developed a mission statement, specific goals and a
plan of action. An initial plan was approved by the bar’s Board of Trustees in 1996
and monitored annually. In 1999, the board re-examined the bar’s mission statement
and goals, then modified and updated the plan.
"The plan has worked. We have accomplished most of our
goals, but not all of them. The plan has served as an excellent tool in helping to focus
the board on what we do and how we do it," Cowles says.
In 1998, the Dallas Bar Association created a plan with an
indefinite time period. The open time frame provides flexibility for bar leaders,
especially new presidents.
"It is not intended to be a three-, five- or a 10-year
plan, as we find that people do not stick to them. So this gives us the freedom to always
have it in front of us and to keep striving to complete the goals as we are able,"
notes Catharine Maher, executive director.
The planning group consisted of the executive director, bar
members, committee and section chairs. They identified targets, such as membership,
communication, facilities, education and professionalism, and appointed a committee for
each to suggest goals within a target area.
"I keep it on my desk at all times and reference it to
make sure we are accomplishing our goals, or try and head people in that direction,"
Maher says.
In 1990, the Lancaster County Bar Association adopted a
planning policy that defines how to plan. First, a one-year Plan of Work is developed.
After the Board of Directors meets each February, the Long-Range Planning Committee begins
to update the Plan of Work for the next calendar year. By May, each bar committee and
section must describe their objectives and the action steps necessary to achieve their
goals.
Next, a three-year Planning Cycle is created, which requires a
full review and update of the Plan of Work. The Long-Range Planning Committee then works
with the Board of Directors and committee chairs to adopt new goals, which are the basis
for the Plan of Work. The bar has not adhered to the plan word for word, but it conducts
an annual review and highlights specific goals with objectives to accomplish each year.
"It certainly provides continuity when the president
changes on a yearly basis, and we have direction so that the board isn’t being pulled
in a thousand different directions at once," says Evelyn Sullivan, executive
director.
While the Columbus Bar Association works with five-year plans,
bar leaders accomplish their goals in much less time, according to President John
Hartranft.
In 1995, bar officials incorporated specific goals--increased
membership, creating various programs and including women and minorities as bar
presidents--in their first five-year plan. After four years, those goals were accomplished
and the bar was ready to move ahead. Since the plan was accomplished in less time, the
planning committee pondered a shorter time frame for the next plan. After much discussion,
the committee opted for another five-year plan.
This plan includes three levels of goals: immediate,
intermediate and long-range. Immediate goals can be addressed within six months to a year.
For example, a Minority Clerkship Program fell under this category because bar leaders
wanted to improve the program within a year.
Intermediate goals would be accomplished within one to two
years. Long-distance learning and other continuing legal education programs were included
here as the bar hopes to develop additional opportunities and various forms of delivery.
Long-range goals, such as improving issues related to the
judiciary, will take an indefinite time. "These are issues that cannot happen over
night," Hartranft adds.
On the other hand, a goal such as technology is part of all
three categories. One immediate goal is to open a technology center; an intermediate goal
is to change the bar’s software; and a long-term goal is to purchase new hardware.
The Columbus bar spent under $10,000 for a consultant and other
expenses related to the work of the Long-Range Task Force. During a two-day retreat, bar
leaders looked at the five-year plan and reviewed accomplishments and goals.
"Would we feel comfortable without a plan now? I
don’t think so. Once we adopted it, we saw how well it has worked for us. We’re
happy with its success and not about to abandon it," adds Hartranft.
