NOTE: The following contributors were active in CASA in its formative years. David Gunkel may hold the record for most CASA seminars attended. He has served on the Executive Board, and on the Education, Membership, and Twentieth anniversary committees. In addition, he is responsible for naming the CASA Quarterly (CQ). Norm Vance first attended a seminar in 1983 and was on the executive committee from 1985 through 1989. He was chair in 1988-89. George Fowler first attended a seminar in 1980. He served on the executive committee from 1982 through 1986 and was chair in 1985-86.

David Gunkel
North Dakota Supreme Court

I attended my first CASA seminar in April 1980 at Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mary Ellen was there, of course, and one of the first prime movers of a national appellate lawyer's organization, Frederick Griffith was also there. He was at that time a Commissioner with the Michigan Supreme Court. I believe he left for private practice a few years later, but he might be an excellent source of CASA history and anecdotes. I have attended twenty-one CASA annual seminars. How does all that time go so fast?

What I remember most from the early seminars was that much of the time, both formal sessions and breaks, was spent asking and answering the question what do appellate staff attorneys do and what is and should be our proper role in the judicial branch. We were really quite occupied with that entire subject. There was an air of anxiety about judges thinking appellate staff lawyers were usurping their function and that if the public were to find out we actually did legal research and drafted court opinions all hell might break loose. There was paranoia on both sides…appellate judges and appellate lawyers, but I think time has done much to settle the issue. As appellate court lawyers, we are professionals helping the courts more efficiently and effectively render justice for all. I think as a group judges are more comfortable with our roles and the professional assistance we provide them, and, in turn, we can be more relaxed and secure in what we do and how we do it.

Not much time is spent these days at CASA seminars trying to figure out who we are. We know that. Now, we concentrate on enhancing our knowledge of the substantive law and on better administration of our staffs and the tasks assigned.

I'm not much for anecdotes. However, I will never forget the annual dinner in Chicago many years back at a Greek restaurant, where pretty much all in attendance were downing shots of ouzo and singing 60's songs until early in the morning. You simply can't make plans for that much fun…it just happens.

To be very candid, I go to CASA meetings now not so much for the substantive law sessions (however, I do faithfully attend them), but for the camaraderie and sense of belonging to something that is bigger than yourself and your job…that sense of group connection that affirms and even commends what you do on a daily basis as something that matters, is important, and is recognized by others.

Norman Vance
California Supreme Court

I first attended a CASA seminar in 1984, because my boss at the time, Ric Schickele, told me to. I recall there were a lot of fun people, and a lot of beer, too. I met Bill Lowe and Doug and Gail Bader, among others. I kept returning because of the camaraderie, the chance to be around people who did what I did for a living, the opportunity to tell jokes about pompous elbow clerks, the T-shirt contest (well, that came later, thanks to Bill), learning about new programs that I could put to work, sessions that helped me be a better (I didn't say "good," just better) manager, the free day outings (except the Flying W Ranch, or whatever it was called, which Jack Kleinheksel will never live down). And, of course, Mary Ellen.

In those early days, the seminars were a lot smaller and the tone was more casual. I felt I knew everyone-guess I pretty much did. Among my most enduring memories of those years are the Billy Goat in Chicago (and the ouzo); "no more ouzo" in Philadelphia (and South Street, South Street). Hearing Erwin for the first time. Hearing Erwin any time. The people.

I was chair after Dick Hoffman who came after George Fowler who came after Stevie Wonder, if I recall, and at least I didn't screw things up. I think I helped in getting more of the women members into leadership positions, but a lot of that was due to courts being willing to promote them, since the CASA leadership tended to draw from those in higher positions in their courts.

I haven't been as involved with CASA in recent years, in part because since I moved to the California Supreme Court we do things our own way. We're California. What can I say?

George Fowler
Kentucky Court of Appeals

I first found out about CASA (when it was called something else) from a seminar brochure shortly after I became Chief Staff Attorney. It looked like a good program in a place that I had visited before. So, I went to Santa Fe in 1980.

There are a couple of things that I remember clearly about the first seminar. One was a session on staff function that was intended to last one hour. The moderator asked the people in the room to state briefly what was unique about what they did in their office. About ninety minutes later, we were half way around the room. Most of us had never seen a staff attorney outside of our own offices and were really needing to justify our jobs which we were not sure were going to last long. Many of us were working on federal grant money and were uncertain that the States would pick up the tab when the grants expired.

Looking back we all seemed uncertain and very young. However, there were a very few long-serving staff attorneys present. At the time, I did not view my court employment as long term. It was only after a couple of CASA meeting and a growing awareness of the quality of the people interested in this work, that I became truly interested in pursuing this as a career.

I enjoyed walking in Santa Fe as I have enjoyed walking in almost all the places we have met. Among the best walks was with Henry Clay and the Lowes from Chinatown to the Top of the Mark in San Francisco (through some places we perhaps should not have walked). I also have vivid memories of being in a group that followed Cindy Lehr for miles in Boston because she KNEW where the restaurant was!