CHAIR’s Message

As we start the new year for the activities of our Section, I must thank our outgoing Section Chair, Patrick K. Arey, for all of his hard work during the last year. Pat presided over the Section very diligently and led the Section into the discussion and revisions to the proposed ABA Ethics Rules (Ethics 2000 Report). On behalf of the entire Section, I want to express our deep appreciation for all that he has done and look forward to his future contributions to the Section as Immediate Past Chair.

Also, with the election of new officers, we will be losing as an officer the good advice, leadership, and counsel of David Cardwell who has decided to retire as a Delegate, but still continue active in the Section. David has served in many official positions, including Chair of our Section, on the Board of Governors of the American Bar Association, and as a Delegate. His contributions to the Section and to the American Bar Association are many and he has been a great mentor to the newer members of the Section. We are pleased that he is willing to stay active in the Section so we can call upon his sage advice.

The Annual Meeting in Chicago was a great success with very good programs and an opportunity to mingle. Some of the highlights were the Jefferson Fordham Society Luncheon where Mayor Dennis Archer of Detroit and others were honored.

As for the coming year, we will continue to concentrate on a number of areas designed to build leadership for the future and an outreach to attorneys sharing our common concerns. We also will be stressing the activities of our committees. As of now, we have the following active committees chaired by very able chairs and co-chairs.

Carol Dorge caroldorge@aol.com

Joseph Fleming flemingj@gtlaw.com

Robert Brown rbrown@bhlaw.net

Doris Lum dlum@panynj.gov

David Caylor dcaylor@ci.irving.tx.us

Steven Stapleton stapletonst@plunkettlaw.com

Roy Koegen koegr@perkinscoie.com

Donna Pugh dpugh@vedderprice.com

Committees are active in preparing programs for future Section meetings, submitting reports for The Urban Lawyer, and some are planning teleconferences, such as the Public Education Committee’s upcoming one on Zero Tolerance.

If you are not already a member of any of the committees, we strongly suggest that you join one and that can be done by contacting Jackie Baker at 312/988-5652 or jlbaker@staff.abanet.org or the committee chair or co-chair.

Starting on October 12, the Section will have its Fall Meeting in Savannah, Georgia, where we will present three very interesting topics: Legal Education and Government Law— "Taking It to the Streets," "Gated Communities," and "Historical Issues." For further information and to register for this program, contact Lisa Allen at 312/988-5649, e-mail AllenLi@staff.abanet.org.

Our Spring Meeting will be held in the San Jose del Cabo/Cabo San Lucas area of Baja California, Mexico, on April 26–28, 2002. As with the Fall Meeting in Savannah, we are endeavoring to have current topical programs aimed at attorneys, addressing specific issues of immediate local concern, including the annual land use hot topics program. The Section year will end with the Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., presently scheduled for August 8–12, 2002, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

I am looking forward to working with all of you and hearing from many of you during the upcoming year. Please feel free to contact any of the officers of the Section, Jackie Baker, our Section Administrator, or myself if you have any questions.