Message from the Chairs
We look forward to another great bar year. Our Committee has several key initiatives.
First, we plan to focus specifically on diversity and inclusion in the legal industry, attorney retention issues and the intersection of these two important topics. Legal employers have long struggled to recruit and retain attorneys from diverse backgrounds; this challenge has been exacerbated by the current pandemic. We are planning several events focused specifically on strategies our members can employ to better attract and retain attorneys of all backgrounds amid the unprecedented challenges and pressures now facing the legal industry.
Second, we have already implemented our plan to increase diversity and add new members to our Committee’s leadership roster. We will continue this commitment to diversity and recruitment of new members to the Committee and welcome your continued help and support. If you know someone in your firm or in your network that may be interested in joining the Committee, please let us know.
Third, we welcome any new ideas that you may have for the Committee. We want to make this the best bar year yet for Business Torts.
Finally, if you are not a member of our Committee, take a look at our website and please consider joining us. There are numerous ways for you to get involved:
- Monthly Calls: Join our calls and get introduced to members of the Committee. We hold our monthly call the third Tuesday of every month at 4:00 p.m. EST. This is a great way to learn what is happening with the Committee and introduce yourself to the group. Email one of the co-chairs to get the dial-in number.
- Write a Practice Point. Contact one of our web editors and get published. These can be as short as 200 words.
- Prepare a Sound Advice/Audio Content Podcast. Have a practice tip to share? Record a Sound Advice. These are short, five-minute quick tips that can be recorded from your phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop. Five minutes of recording will get you posted on the Section’s website and, again, give you a national audience. Contact one of our Sound Advice Subcommittee Chairs, whose information is on our website, for more information.
- Business Torts Newsletter. Want to write an article for the Business Torts Journal? These longer articles—usually running between 750 and 2,500 words—may be a bit more of a time commitment, but the reward is publication in a highly respected, go-to resource for the best litigators in the country. Articles can lead to speaking opportunities at Roundtables and CLE programs during Section conferences. Take a look at our journal archive to learn more.
- Develop a CLE program. Our Committee presents CLE programs at established meetings (Section Annual Conference, ABA Annual Meeting) and through webinars. If you have an idea, we have a platform for you to find speakers and large audiences. Contact any of our Programming chairs to learn more.
- Develop a Virtual Non-CLE Program. These are programs that focus on interesting topics of discussion. They do not require CLE programming. If you have a great idea for sich a program, please let us know.
We thank you for your support of the Committee’s work and look forward to working with you this year.
Brian Esler
Brian Hill
Ali Razzaghi
Cochairs, Business Torts and Unfair Competition Committee