President’s Message

From the President

This year is off to a great start, thanks to all of you, our members! With COVID hopefully waning, more of our members have been eager to return to in-person events and to reconnect with colleagues and friends.

We have been hosting lots of fun gatherings around town where all of you can build your networks, expand your business relationships and become acquainted with some of the wonderful spots Birmingham has to offer.

Also, for the third year in a row, the Birmingham Bar Association is providing high quality, informative virtual CLE programs ... free for our members.

I want to highlight a few of our events and activities from the first part of 2022 and preview some of the don’t-miss events coming up this fall.

FUN EVENTS I HOPE YOU ATTENDED

► “Get to Know Birmingham” series: I am thrilled that our series of 1-hour events at Birmingham businesses have been so well-attended and well-loved. In February, we visited Urban Impact; in March we visited the Birmingham Museum of Art; in April we visited the Freshwater Land Trust; and we have more planned throughout the year. Birmingham Bar leaders Ruby Jackson, Breauna Johnson and Emily McClendon have made these events such a success! I encourage you to attend all of our future “Get to Know Birmingham” events. ► Happy Hour Socials: In January, February and April, we hosted happy hours at local bars, and these fun events allowed our members to have a drink or two on the Birmingham Bar and enjoy one of Birmingham’s many fantastic gathering spots. In March, we opted for coffee or tea at a local coffee shop near Railroad Park. ► Law Day Celebration: This year’s signature event was our day-long observance of Law Day, when organizations around the country engage in discussions about the importance of the law and government in our society.

Our day of recognition featured an in-person luncheon at The Florentine, followed by a CLE program about the state, national and global economy with speakers Michael Davis and Harrison Proctor and moderator Alabama Supreme Court Justice Sarah Stewart.

Later that evening, we danced the night away at a band party at The Fennec featuring the fabulous eight-piece band, Nationwide Coverage.

Thank you so much to Law Day Chair Beth McElroy for a tremendously successful day of fun! ► The World Games 2022: I am so proud to have been able to offer our members the chance to volunteer with

Above: Allison, Connie Ray Stockham and Keith Andress. Below: BBA members have the opportunity to volunteer for The World Games 2022 or attend the Opening Ceremony.

TWG2022. This will be a historic moment for our city, and Birmingham Bar members will be a part of it.

We are also offering our members the

opportunity to purchase a ticket to sit together as a group at the Opening Ceremony on July 7. This unique experience will rival a Super Bowl halftime show, and you will want to be there for it.

Joi Travis is our coordinator for all things TWG2022, and I am thankful for her engagement and leadership with the Birmingham Bar and with our community. ► In-House/Corporate Members Event: As we have done in the past three years, the Birmingham Bar is continuing to offer our members who work in a corporate setting — rather than for a law firm or government entity — the opportunity to connect with one another at a breakfast social and CLE program. Huge thanks to Ruby Jackson, Justin Kelly, Erica Sheffield and Al Vance for leading this committee and to Bill Athanas who presented an informative CLE and whose firm, Waller, served as the breakfast sponsor. ► Project to Track the Participation of Women in the Courtroom: In the Fall 2020 and Winter 2021 issues of the Bulletin, I hope you read the eye-opening data about the paucity of women and minorities who have speaking roles in state and federal courts in Birmingham. The information shared in those articles was so revealing that we wanted to be sure to present it to our membership in a CLE program. Thank you to Presiding Judge Elisabeth French, Judge Madeline Haikala, Judge Jim Hughey, Tina Lam, Maridi Huggins, Laura Winston and President-Elect Marcus Maples for their participation in this excellent program. ► Metro Bar CLE: I am pleased that we were recently able to implement one of my major objectives, namely to partner with the other Metro bar associations in the state on a project. Together with the Baldwin County Bar Association, the Bessemer Bar Association, the Huntsville Bar Association, the Magic City Bar Association, the Montgomery Bar Association, the Mobile Bar Association and the Tuscaloosa Bar Association, we hosted a 1-hour ethics Zoom CLE featuring Jeremy Rakes of the Alabama Lawyer Assistance Program. The program was a huge success with over 200 attendees, and everyone reported that it was an informative and helpful session. I am so thankful to the leadership of our fellow bar associations for this partnership. Left: Allison, second from left, enjoying a courtyard social with BBA colleagues. Below: Hope Marshall, Kitty Brown, Emily McClendon and Allison Skinner.

► Section Activities: Several of the Birmingham Bar’s Sections have kicked off the year with lots of activities and events, especially the Solo/Small Firm Section, led by April DeLuca; the Women Lawyers Section, led by Laura Winston; and the Young Lawyers Section, led by Anna Carroll.

UPCOMING NOT-TO-MISS EVENTS

► Evidence Essentials: I am so thrilled that the Court Liaison Committee, led by Rebecca Beers and David Fawal, is putting on a four-part Evidence Essentials CLE series to give our members the chance to brush up on their evidence skills. This series will feature an array of experts in the area of evidence and will be hosted by various state and federal court judges. To kick us off, Judge Tamara Harris-Johnson will be involved in the first session, and Judge David Proctor will be part of the second session. Be on the lookout for all four parts of this CLE series and do not miss out. ► “Get to Know Birmingham” series: Be sure to monitor your email and the website calendar for opportunities to register for more events around town as we learn about the great things going on in our community. ► Annual Picnic: On Friday, June 10, just as this issue is landing in your mailbox, we will see the return of the Annual Picnic after a two-year hiatus. As in years past, Entertainment Committee Chair and Birmingham Bar member extraordinaire Nick Callahan will lead the entire Entertainment Committee in presenting a fun event, complete with your favorite foods and drinks. ► Annual Skeet Shoot: Before the Picnic each year for the past 25-plus years, several Bar members have organized and hosted a Skeet Shoot. Stewart Cox and Ted Stuckenschneider have each been leaders of this popular event over the years, and now Price Evans is leading it.

OTHER INITIATIVES TO KNOW ABOUT

► Future Leaders Forum Program: Each year for the past 12 years, the Birmingham Bar has provided a leadership program for attorneys in their third to eighth year of practice who are interested in becoming leaders in our community. This year, our amazing Future Leaders Forum Committee, chaired by Meredith Maitrejean, will host Class 13 to prepare leaders of the Birmingham Bar to guide us into the future. ► Fee Dispute Arbitration Process: For several decades, we have provided a fee dispute resolution process as a service to our members and to the public, to assist clients and attorneys in resolving fee disputes. The Chair of this year’s Fee Dispute

Above: Allison with attendees of the March “Get to Know BHM” event at the Birmingham Museum of Art. Left: Judge Sherri Friday and Allison.

Arbitration Committee is David Nomberg, and our Co-Chairs are Cinda York and John Bahakel. ► New Lawyer Mentoring Program: This popular program, chaired by Pooja Chawla, Tom Walker and Richard Whitaker this year, assists new lawyers as they become experienced legal practitioners. New lawyers (mentees) are paired with experienced lawyers (mentors) for a quality, one-on-one mentoring experience, and both mentees and mentors report finding tremendous value in working together. ► Nominating Committee: Each year, this Birmingham Bar committee is responsible for identifying candidates to run for election as officers and Executive Committee members for the following year. The committee follows a rigorous process, and its outcome is always outstanding. I am amazed at how many fantastic leaders we have in our membership and so many of them stand for election to leadership positions in our organization.

We are always eager to hear from members who would like to be leaders for the Birmingham Bar. If you would like for the Nominating Committee to consider you as a possible candidate, please email Jennifer at jbuettner@birminghambar.org and she will share your name with the Nominating Committee.

This year, Conrad Anderson is leading the Nominating Committee, and I am sure that the slate his committee develops will be as impressive as the slates in past years.

Thank you to all of the Birmingham Bar leaders who I’ve talked about above and to all of the other members who are so involved! There are too many to name in my message, but please know that I am aware of all that you are doing.

I want to close with a tremendous thank you to all of our members for your involvement in the Birmingham Bar!

I hope to see you all very soon.

Lee Headrick, CPIA, CISR (205) 518-8923 leeheadrick@BatesIA.com

1812 Sixth Avenue South Birmingham, AL 35210 (205)956-0563