President’s Message

From the President

I am proud to be a lawyer and consider it a privilege to be able to represent and advocate for my clients.

I enjoy the strategizing, the continual learning and the problem-solving that are integral to being a lawyer. I appreciate and uphold the highest standards of professionalism, integrity and respect demanded by our ethical code.

But one of the things that I value most about my career as an attorney is the opportunity to work with and get to know each of you — all of the lawyers and judges who I am pleased to call my colleagues.

Interacting with lawyers and judges is one of the things that I am enjoying most during my tenure as President of the BBA. Each of you is an important part of our legal community, and I appreciate all that you do for your clients, for the Bench and the Bar, and for the Birmingham community.

At the BBA, we plan events and programs based on what we believe lawyers want. It is with you in mind that we have hosted a number of unique events and programs that I hope you have been able to enjoy.

► On May 6, we celebrated Law Day 2021 with guest speaker Attorney Fred Gray in conversation with long-time BBA member and Past President Bill Clark. Attorney Gray discussed the Law Day theme, “The Rule of Law,” describing his tireless work of using the legal system to “demolish segregation in all of its forms.” If you missed the live version of our program, you can watch it by visiting this link on our website: https://birminghambar.org/ page/oral_history ► Teaming up with the Magic City Bar Association, the BBA’s Birmingham Connection Committee hosted a highly successful School Supplies Drive. Together with the MCBA, we raised about $5,000 in supplies and funds and were able Birmingham Bar Association President Lanier Brown.

to provide items to every second grade student in the Birmingham City School System. Thank you to Sidney Jackson, MCBA’s President this year, for partnering with us on this project. Thank you to everyone who donated. Our very generous members helped make this community outreach project such a success. We have recognized you on pages 34-35 of this issue. ► In conjunction with the School Supplies Drive, we jointly hosted a summer social in the courtyard along with the Magic City Bar Association. This was a way to thank you for participating in the drive. We were honored to have District Attorney Danny Carr, whose Helping Families Initiative distributed the school supplies that we collected. In addition, Terri Lovell, the Alabama State Bar’s new executive director, attended to support our efforts and to get to know some of the lawyers practicing in the largest judicial district in the state.

District Attorney Danny Carr, above, and BBA President Lanier Brown, top, with some of the results of this year’s enormously successful school supplies drive. From left: Roderick van Daniel, Merika Coleman, Judge Sherri Friday and Lanier.

Throughout the summer, we hosted smaller social events to keep our members engaged and connected, taking advantage of our beautiful courtyard or Zoom to maintain a pandemic-safe environment. Some of these networking opportunities included the following: ► Our In-House Committee hosted a highly interactive virtual networking event, with Committee Chairs Al Vance, Ruby Jackson and Erica Sheffield leading a lively get-to-know conversation with a group of BBA members who work in corporate settings. All attendees were able to go to Homewood Bagel Company (a hotspot owned by two local lawyers) for free coffee and bagels, compliments of the BBA. ► Court Liaison Committee Chairs David Fawal and Matt Moneyham coordinated a meet-up in the BBA courtyard for committee members to get together in person and enjoy drinks, snacks and fellowship. ► Because our first Virtual Coffee with the Judges was so popular, Rebecca Beers and Karli Guyther, two members of the Court Liaison Committee, organized a second Virtual Coffee with guest judges Presiding Judge Elisabeth French, Judge Marshell Hatcher, Judge Janine Hunt Hilliard, Judge Jim Hughey, Judge Javan Patton and Judge Chuck Price. Free coffee and bagels were available for attendees to pick up and enjoy while spending social time with judges and colleagues in Zoom breakout rooms. ► BBA member Price Evans organized and held the annual Skeet Shoot, a time-honored tradition that, for the past 26 years, has been held the morning of the BBA’s annual picnic. Even though we could not host the picnic this year, Price returned the Skeet Shoot to us, bringing back a sense of normalcy to our Bar year. Thank you Price and everyone who participated! ► Pooja Chawla, Tom Walker and Richard Whitaker, Chairs of the Mentoring Program Committee, hosted a lively and fun social in the courtyard for all mentors and mentees who are participating in the Mentoring Program this year. ► The Probate Section has held two Virtual Coffee with the Judges events, both of which were organized by Section Social Chair Amy Osborne and very well attended. Joi Travis is chairing the Probate Section this year and has accomplished a number of other important initiatives, including starting a Section listserve, providing special treats for the Probate Court staff on several occasions, leading regular meetings of the Section’s Board, and Cinco de Mayo lunch. ► The Workers Compensation Section held a networking social in the BBA courtyard complete with jambalaya, beignets and a spectacular jazz band — all organized by Ed Berry, this year’s Section Chair. The event was so much fun that people walking by the courtyard on their way to dinner stopped in to enjoy the band! ► Members of the Business Law Section, chaired by Norman Orr, gathered

at the new local wine bar, Aviné, to enjoy wine, cocktails and charcuterie while socializing with colleagues. This was a great spot for Section members to catch up outside of the office. ► The Young Lawyers Section’s 13th annual Golf Tournament and Social had to be postponed to avoid thunderstorms, but it went off without a hitch on the new date, and Section Chair Al Teel has more events planned for Section members this year. ► In addition to hosting its monthly CLEs, the Solo and Small Firm Section, with Alan Duke serving as Chair this year, held a Member Drive and Social at Monday Night Brewing. ► Criminal Justice Section Chair Lauren Breland organized a morning of volunteering at the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama, which was so much fun that the Section plans to make it a more regular event for its members. ► Tina Lam has led this year’s Women Lawyers Section in numerous events and programs, most recently a Zoom Game Night Social. In addition, the Section was pleased to be able to award funds to the Family Court in support of its programs to help kids whose families are transitioning through the court.

The BBA has also continued to provide quality CLEs for our members to learn and grow in their practices. There are too many to describe here, so I will highlight some of the standouts: ► The Federal Practice Section hosted a virtual panel discussion of U.S. District Court Judges in a CLE entitled “Northern District Stories from the Pandemic and the Eventual Return to Normal: An Update from the Federal Bench.” Moderated by Section Chair Michael Walker, the CLE featured Chief Judge Scott Coogler, Judge Annemarie Axon, Judge Liles Burke and Judge Anna Manasco sharing their experiences with court proceedings during the pandemic and describing what lawyers might expect in the near future. ► The Probate Section and the Women Lawyers Section teamed up to provide their members a very informative CLE on general matters in Probate Court with experts in this field, Cedrick Coleman and Shannon Dye. Law Day: A Conversation With Legendary Attorney Fred Gray was May 6.

► A recent Criminal Justice Section CLE with guest panelists Judge Maria Fortune, Judge Alaric May, Judge Shanta Owens and Judge Stephen Wallace focused on do’s and don’ts in circuit and district Criminal Courts. ► Attorney Kameron Buckner led an extremely informative and interesting CLE on representing market influencers and provided guidance on issues ranging from contract negotiation to protection of intellectual property. You can take this and other BBA CLEs on our on-demand CLE platform at: https://bhba.vocalmeet.com/ home/ ► We provided education on financial fraud for our members featuring Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Mark, Georgia Hendrick of Regions Bank, and Immediate Past President Andrew Nix. ► Michelle Clemon of the Clemon Consulting Group led an excellent discussion on Title IX’s impact in women’s athletics with Katreshia Louis-Varrett, who is on the frontline of Title IX issues as the senior associate athletics director for UAB, and Arthur Bryant, who is a pre-eminent Title IX attorney representing clients across the country to ensure that colleges and universities are complying with the requirements of the law.

As the summer winds down, I know that your law practice is becoming busier and that family and other personal commitments are filling up your days more and more. So thank you for taking the time to review this issue of the Bulletin magazine to see what the BBA has been up to. I hope to see you at all of our upcoming events.

In the meantime, I am always available to receive your suggestions and ideas. If you would like to share your input or feedback, please contact me.