President’s Corner

Terry G. Westergaard

Cancellations and postponements of meetings are now the norm. The ABA held its first virtual meeting this month. Several local bar events have cancelled. The virtual meetings are a good substitute in some situations, but most of us continue to crave in person social interaction.

The Bar Commission recently held its annual retreat. Some of the commissioners attended through Zoom and some attended in person with appropriate social distancing and masks. Masks and hand sanitizer were gifts for commissioners attending in person. A common theme during the meeting was that commissioners could have opposite viewpoints on an issue but still have a cordial and professional discussion. That type of discussion can be rare these days. These types of discussions need to take place to address the challenges that we face as a profession and that our Let’s start these discussions in a positive way through our committees. The committees can propose CLE’s that further the issues for the members. The CLE committee is always looking for programming ideas for our members.

Lawyers have the ability to be zealous advocates and still be friends. We may not always agree, but if we work to understand our opponent’s position we can still respect that position and work towards a better solution for all involved. It is only when we understand another’s position that we can have an outcome beneficial to both. As I said last month, we can make this the year of Yes. Yes, we can disagree. Yes, we can zealously advocate our position. Yes, we can understand. And finally, Yes, we can professionally and personally still be friends and

allies.