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President’s Page Charles A. Schneider
President’s PAGE
BY CHARLES A. SCHNEIDER
By the time you read this, and I hope you are, I will be 30 days into my term as President of the Columbus Bar Association. Understand, as I am writing this I am not President and will not be sworn in for another 30 days. So, this message is not from “your President”. It is the message from your soon-to-be President.
The first thing I want to do is to thank my predecessor, Rob Erney, for the outstanding job he did as president during a very difficult and unprecedented time. Social unrest was a dominating factor during his entire term, and because of COVID-19 he was not able to have even one in-person meeting with his Board of Governors. Leading under these conditions is trying, and for some it would be impossible; not for Rob.
If you read the final article he penned as President for Lawyers Quarterly, I think you would understand why. It begins with a line from a Toby Keith song: “I love this bar. It’s my kind of place. Just walkin through the front door puts a big smile on my face. It ain’t too far. Come as you are. I love this bar.”
Now, to me, Toby is indeed talking about my neighborhood bar. But to Rob, Toby is singing about the CBA. It is this feeling Rob has for the CBA that I am convinced helped him lead so effectively during such trying times. I would also be remiss if I did not mention Amy Koorn, Rob’s predecessor. While her entire term was not plagued with the same challenges Rob faced, she faced those challenges for one half of her term as president. She, too, did an outstanding job of leading the CBA.
Also guiding us during these very difficult times were Jill Snitcher and her entire staff. Without their commitment to the CBA and its members, none of this would have been possible.
I have been handed an association that is in excellent condition in large part due to their leadership. I hope my successor will be able to say the same.
Finally, I want to say thank you to the members of this great organization. Even while you were adjusting your practice, you stayed with us. Our membership and member participation have not waivered during this crisis. Without you, the strength of the CBA would not be possible.
When this message is published, I will have probably faced my first challenging decision, made my first of many mistakes, and left many of you shaking your collective heads asking what were we thinking when you elected this guy.
I certainly hope not.
I have been the president of Maryhaven Board, and the North Central Mental Health Board. I served seven terms as Administrative Judge for the Franklin County Municipal Court and the Court of Common Pleas. I am currently the Chair of the Franklin County Law Library and the State Consortium of Law Libraries. My point is that I am used to being in a leadership position and enjoy it.
For some reason, this position feels different and, quite honestly, a little unnerving. I am not exactly sure why, but I think it has something to do with how important the Bar Association is to the legal community. The CBA is the face of the legal community to the public. When my year as CBA President is up, and I get to sit at the other end of the table enjoying the best job one can have—Immediate Past President—I promise you that I will have done my very best because, as Toby Keith said, “I love this bar.”
Charles Schneider, Esq.
Ohio Attorney General charles.schneider@ohioattorneygeneral.gov
