From the President

MIKE ABELOW, Publisher WILLIAM T. RAMSEY, Editor-in-Chief CAROLINE E. SAPP, Managing Editor LAUREN POOLE, Managing Editor JILL PRESLEY, Layout/Design/Production

EDITORIAL COMMITTEE

RAMONA DESALVO TIM ISHII KELLY FREY SUMMER MELTON ROB MARTIN BRUCE PHILLIPS BART PICKETT KRISTIN THOMAS JONATHAN WARDLE CRAIG WEBB ELEANOR WETZEL

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The Nashville Bar Association, established in 1831, is a professional organization serving the legal community of Nashville, Tennessee. Our mission is to improve the practice of law through education, service, and fellowship. The NBA—with 2,500+ members—is the largest metropolitan bar association in Tennessee.

FROM THE PRESIDENT Accountability | Mike Abelow

Due to the timing of the Nashville Bar Journal publication process, I am writing to you from the pre-Presidential election past. Here, I am desperate for a time machine to take me to the future and show me the outcome of the election. For now, I can only wait to learn what you (hopefully) already know as you read this.

Despite my impatience, it is impossible to know or control the future, but we can still plan for it. So, I thought I would use this space to announce my goals for the upcoming bar year. In part, this is due to social science research suggesting that publicly announcing goals makes you more likely to achieve them.

Similar to the magic in mediating a case, as opposed to depending only on private negotiations between the lawyers, it turns out there is magic in publicly announcing goals and expecting to be held accountable. To use a legal analogy often used by my predecessor Laura Baker: The first speech/article is like the opening statement—it tells the jury what you will prove. You must make that opening statement knowing that the jury will hold you accountable when it comes to the close of trial. So, here is my opening statement declaring my goals for the NBA this year. Please hold me accountable throughout the year and let me know how I am doing.

Deliver outstanding opportunities to connect in changed times. I came to Nashville in 2007 from Washington, DC. The thing I immediately appreciated most about practicing law here was that Nashville lawyers live the motto that lawyers should “disagree without being disagreeable.” This aspect of Nashville’s legal culture is a real and rare thing, but it could be easily lost if not purposefully and regularly nourished—it makes all the difference in our quality of life as lawyers. The NBA is a key to that dynamic, as it is hard to be unduly difficult with someone you may face at the next committee meeting or cocktail party. We need to continue to find and provide these opportunities, safely.

Separating the wheat from the chaff on technology changes that will affect our practice. The pandemic has prompted numerous changes in the practice of law, and has accelerated others that were already occurring. We must keep members up to speed on the technological changes that will make big differences in how law is practiced in the future. We must also not allow members to get wrapped up in changes that are transitional or temporary during this time. The NBA should be a go-to source for you to understand what is here to stay and what is on the horizon.

Delivering the most significant Nashville cases and transactions. When the bar was much smaller, members knew the scoop on significant cases and transactions through word of mouth. We are much bigger now, but it remains critical to understand, for example, what Judge A thinks about issue Y on a motion to dismiss. The NBA can compile and share this type of critical information through its committees and other sources. We encourage you to keep talking in this year of solitude, because as we all know, the rulings have not stopped coming down.

Having publicly announced my goals, I hope you’ll hold me accountable, let me know your feedback, and share other ideas you may have for how the NBA can deliver value to you in the upcoming bar year. Thank you for your membership! n