|
membership update
By Andrew "Josh" Markus,
Chair, SOC Membership Committee
The SOC Membership Committee met at the ABA Midyear Meeting on February 8, 2008. The discussion was lively and very helpful to the assembled members. Eleven ABA Sections, Divisions and Forums (collectively, "Sections" and individually, a "Section") were represented. Section representatives who could not be in attendance in Los Angeles were able to attend by phone. The highlights of the meeting were the discussions of the best recruitment practices of Sections, the desire of the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) to be a primary contact point to develop new ABA and Section membership, a proposal from the Section of International Law to institute a Student Associate category of ABA membership, and a presentation of pertinent aspects of the ABA’s "Pulse of the Profession" study by Laura Metzger.
This year, the SOC Membership Committee is dedicated to increasing Section and ABA lawyer membership and including all Sections in active participation and sharing of ideas in this important forum.
We were particularly gratified to have the YLD highlight its increased emphasis on active and collaborative interaction with Sections at our meeting. Michael Pellicciotti and other YLD members and staff spoke about increasing its practical skills library of articles for young lawyers, with the help of other substantive Sections, and to develop more advanced articles in the coming year. YLD has already established its 101 Practice Series. The Sections, in collaboration with YLD, will now be able to provide a 201 Practice Series. In addition, we were excited to learn that YLD is going to make suggestions for membership growth to be presented to the Standing Committee on Membership (SCOM) at its Spring meeting.
In addition to the YLD’s emphasis of its initiative, the Sections shared their "best practices" in growing lawyer membership. Among the "best practices" shared were:
(a) Antitrust: Providing high-level education programs (Masters Program) targeted at lawyers with more than 10 years experience;
(b) Business Law: Using substantive committees as the foundation for targeted recruitment campaigns; and
(c) Health Law: Conducting exit surveys of members not renewing Section membership;
(d) International Law: Growing focused partnerships with related organizations;
(e) Labor and Employment Law: Supporting participation of non-members in programs and projects to give exposure to the ABA.
(f) Real Property, Probate and Estate Law: Providing low-cost CLE using young lawyers as speakers;
The minutes from the meeting discussing much of what occurred in more detail are available on the Committee's website.
Additionally, we have constituted a steering committee of the SOC Membership Committee comprised of myself as Chair, and the following members: Phil Cutler; Trish Sexton; Steve Gorin; Margaret Guerin-Calvert; Louis Dempsey; David Hernandez; and Marcus Fernandez. Each month, on the first Tuesday of the month, the Steering Committee will meet and discuss the "Membership Idea of the Month" plus other topics of interest. The idea of having a steering committee is to have membership be at the forefront of all Section thinking and activities during the year. Since the SOC Membership Committee meets only three times a year, at the Fall SOC Meeting and the ABA’s Midyear and Annual Meetings, it is important to have a way to keep the momentum of our meetings moving forward. The members of the Steering Committee are self-selected and comprise a good cross-section of Sections. Results of Steering Committee meetings will be posted on the Committee website also. We invite each Section to provide ideas for discussion topics and inform us of current issues as they arise. They will be addressed quickly and easily at our monthly meetings avoiding the need to wait until the next scheduled meeting of the entire Committee.
Finally, to all Section officers, a plea from me as Chair of this Committee. We need and want your membership chairs and membership staff to be fully engaged in the work of this committee. Membership efforts are like the tide. A high tide raises all vessels. We want the highest tide for Sections. That tide will also raise ABA membership to a higher level. Sections are the vanguard of membership. Please have your membership chairs and membership staff come to our meetings and fully, actively, participate and share what you are doing with all of us. Membership is also not a zero sum game. Let’s all work together to make this a great year for ABA and Section membership.
P.S. Notwithstanding the metaphor and the fact that our President-Elect is a native son, I will resist making the slogan of the Committee this year: "Roll Tide."
©2008 American Bar Association. All rights reserved.
|
»