January-February 2018

Professional Development

A resolution worth keeping: Growing your membership with young lawyers and law students

It's a new year, so why not devote renewed focus to your efforts to recruit and include law students and new lawyers? Young lawyers Christopher Jennison and Josephine Bahn offer practical tips and insights into what your youngest potential members need most.

Leadership Development

Climate change and a changing profession: What future will we choose?

by Jordan Yochim

The future of the profession is a hot topic at just about every bar-related meeting or conference. But there's one factor that's not often discussed, if ever: climate change and how it might change society. Guest writer Jordan Yochim shares some provocative ideas.

Leadership Development

Recently released 2017 State and Local Bar Benchmarks Survey report reveals declining numbers, bar associations trying new strategies

The ABA Division for Bar Services recently released its 2017 State and Local Bar Benchmarks Survey: Membership, Programming and the Legal Profession, and it seems to indicate a downward trend in bar membership and in the profession overall. What are some of the most important—and, in some cases, alarming—data points that emerged from this survey of the bar association community?

Lawyer Wellness

Bringing people together: The bar’s role as a convener

by Dan Kittay

Who is in the best position to bring lawyers and members of the public together to discuss important, and sometimes uncomfortable topics? In many cases, it's the bar association. How have some associations and leaders fulfilled this vital role? Find out in this recap of a plenary at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.

Leadership Development

Many challenges over many years: Unified bars face ups and downs

by Dan Kittay

Whether from members, legislators, or others, over the years, many unified bars have faced what one bar executive calls a "smorgasbord" of challenges. At the 2017 Annual Meeting of the National Conference of Bar Presidents, representatives from several unified bars discussed these challenges and what they mean for the bar and its mission.

Leadership Development

Quick! How fast is your website? And how can you help it go faster?

by Marilyn Cavicchia

Sometimes, your bar's website loads so slowly that you want to abandon it and never come back. If there's a grain of truth in that, imagine how your members and other visitors feel. At the 2017 NABE Communications Section Workshop, two speakers from the Kansas City Metropolitan Bar Association shared how they've made their website faster and less frustrating with some simple tips and tweaks.

Leadership Development

Where do you find a good lawyer? Lawyer referral trends and how to stay relevant

by Karen Korr

Remember when the bar association's lawyer referral service (or lawyer referral information service) advertised in the Yellow Pages … and that was pretty much it? Those days are over now—and many bar associations are coming up with some innovative new ways to help people find a lawyer. Guest writer Karen Korr shares what she heard at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the National Association of Bar Executives.