Bar leadership during COVID-19: A Bar Leader video project

Some things about bar leadership are almost universally true: The year you expect and plan for is seldom the year you get. It’s over before you know it. No one gets a do-over. But what if your presidential term has been affected by the pandemic—or you’re anticipating starting your term soon, with COVID-19 still active and issues of racial inequity roiling the nation and your community?

In this first-ever video project for Bar Leader, we hear from three seasoned bar presidents and frequent faculty members at the ABA Bar Leadership Institute. What advice do they have about how to make the most of a leadership experience that’s occurring at such a challenging time? We also hear from two current bar leaders whose terms have been directly affected by COVID-19 and by the ongoing discussion sparked by the shooting of George Floyd. How have they embraced this moment and found meaningful ways to serve?

Here’s an introduction to our panel:

• Carl Smallwood is co-director of the Divided Community Project at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law after retiring as partner at Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP. He is a past president of the Columbus Bar Association and of the National Conference of Bar Presidents.
  
• Bonnie Lee Wolf is associate vice president of personal lines contingent litigation at Nationwide and current president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association. Her term began in November 2019. When it became clear that news of the pandemic and its apparent origin in China were prompting racism and hate crimes, Wolf initiated NAPABA’s Stand Against Hate Campaign, which included video statements by Wolf and by leaders of six other national bar associations.
  
• A.B. Cruz III is senior advisor at BarkerGilmore LLC, a retired rear admiral in the U.S. Navy, and president-elect of NAPABA. He will become president in November 2020 at NAPABA’s virtual annual convention. He intends to focus on NAPABA’s strategic plan and on making sure his organization is a welcoming place for all.
• Marta-Ann Schnabel is managing director of O’Bryon & Schnabel PLC and a past president of both the New Orleans Bar Association and the Louisiana State Bar Association. This project has special relevance for her because she became president of the LSBA in 2006 and found that her plans had to be adjusted because of hurricanes Katrina and Rita and the many pressing needs among the public, lawyers, and the court system.
• Christine Hayes Hickey is managing partner at Rubin & Levin. She is past president of the Indianapolis Bar Association, the Indianapolis Bar Foundation, the National Conference of Bar Presidents, and the National Conference of Bar Foundations. She currently serves on the ABA Board of Governors.

Bar Leader wishes to thank all of our participants for the guidance, experiences, and insights they shared and for being flexible and generous in assisting with this new project.