What I Wish . . .
Perspectives from a Past Chair
Kim J. Askew
Immediate Past Chair, Section of Litigation
My year as Chair passed far too quickly and at times not fast enough. It was a year that changed my life and practice in many ways. I am honored to have served. Here are a few of my reflections!
- Most of your planning has to be done long before your leadership year.
Chairs in the Section of Litigation get a two year lead-in before they begin their leadership year. Invaluable ground work and planning were done during my years of service as Vice-Chair and Chair-Elect. During these years, chairs select leadership meeting sites, begin planning for their leadership year, and make appointments. As I reflect back on my leadership year, I realize just how much that work counted. Use that time well. It gives you a comfort level. Although plans changed, we had the flexibility to do so because of the detailed planning we had done. We were able to deal with any emergencies and late breaking events with ease. A successful year requires long and detailed planning. If nothing else, the chair’s nerves are less jittery.
- Stay organized.
A successful chair is well-organized. There are many ways to do that. I held regular meetings with my managing directors, key Section leaders, and the staff. This allowed me to keep up with some of the work being done throughout the Section.
I also kept a portable rolling file cabinet in which I maintained files on all of my key activities for the year, i.e. chair’s columns, meetings, diversity, appointments, and special projects. I was able to immediately access information. Notes from meetings and calls went into the right file and I could actually find them later. It was so effective, I sent the cabinet to the Chair- Elect to help with his organization.
- It is all about our members.
Chairs become leaders of their Sections because we all fundamentally understand that we exist to serve our members. Membership is the mantra of an effective chair. You are always focused on how to make your Section stronger and how to better serve members.
- Be willing to change the process if it will create stronger leadership on the future.
Just because your Section has always done it a certain way does not mean that there is not a better way to do it in today’s ever-changing legal market. As our Section intensified its focus on members and how we could provide better benefits to our members, we took a look at some of the processes we used. We asked the tough questions – is this the best way to do reach our members? Is yesterday’s process the optimal one today. We asked tough questions about our mission and how we wanted to accomplish it in the future. The Section had to rethink how we conducted some of our business. It did so through a new strategic plan.
- Pick the right leadership team!
The leadership team that works most closely with a chair should be well-chosen. In our Section, the Chair works most closely with two or three leaders known as managing directors who function much like chiefs of staff. These leaders must share a chair’s overall goals for the year and be willing to work to implement them. These folks can be as different as night and day, and mine were, but they must respect each other and work well together. They must know the Section and its leaders and how to get the work done. They must be respected in the Section. You will delegate a lot to them. Once you delegate, trust them to do the work. One of the joys of my year was working with two leaders who themselves were capable of leading the Section.
- Diversity Matters
This is self-explanatory. If a chair makes diversity a priority, it will become a priority for the Section. Luckily for me, this had long been a priority for our leadership. You can demonstrate your commitment through your appointments and programming. Set an example.
- Your leadership team leads with you.
Understand that you do not lead alone. I was simply amazed at the level of support from leaders throughout my Section. We spent a lot of time trying to select the right lawyers for the right positions. I knew that our leaders worked hard, but nothing prepared me for their dedication and willingness to take on the tough tasks. I received many calls and emails from busy lawyers volunteering to take on a task that I had mentioned during a leadership meeting. I came to understand that I had a lot of friends out there. Importantly, it was clear why they were leaders – we all shared the same goal - a successful Section with many members.
- The involvement of the chair matters.
I spent time personally interacting with and working with many members of our Section’s leadership. When a task was done well, I picked up the phone to give praise. If I wanted to know about a project, I called the committee chair. My managing directors and I decided when it was time for me to give a tough message. Sometimes, I just called key leaders to get their sense of how the Section was doing. More often than not, leaders were surprised that I was on the other end of the phone. I found that it mattered to people that I had shown a personal interest. I figured if some of the busiest lawyers in America were taking the time to work on projects of interest to me, the least I could do was call them.
- Your Section is a part of the ABA — use its valuable resources and support its work.
I had always been involved in the ABA and was pleased to see the involvement of the Section of Litigation in the ABA. The ABA has many resources available to Sections. Work closely with your Section Delegates. If a chair is not a member of the House of Delegates, just sit in and watch the process. Get to know the leaders in the House.
I enjoyed the work of the SOC. It gave me the chance to learn about the work of other Sections and to know its incoming leaders. I really did feel that I was a part of a "leadership class." I vetted ideas and concerns with the chairs of other sections and learned a lot from them. I came to appreciate that each Section has its own traditions and culture and they all work very hard to serve their members.
- It is a big job that will take more time than you think.
One of the things that I learned from talking with other chairs is just how much time the work of chair takes. For some of us, it was almost a full time job. I fretted about the amount of time that I had to take away from my practice. Each time I assigned a case to another lawyer in my firm, I worried a little. As I look back on that, I realize that I fretted a little too much and I wish I had listened to those chairs who told me to expect this. Your leadership as chair is a once in a lifetime opportunity. It requires a command performance. I am a better lawyer and leader because I took the time to do a good job, and I feel more connected to the Section of Litigation and ABA than ever.
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