My experience and accomplishments are certainly important in this election but so too is what I plan to do if given the chance to serve you. 

If elected, I will work on programs in three areas:  (1) additional value for members, (2) service to the public and (3) work to insure that the profession is fair and representative.  Building on the success of past presidents, the specific programs that I would implement are:

Additional Value to Members

•           Litigation Resource Guide.  An on-line collection of litigation resources listed and searchable by county including the names of process servers, court reporters, translators and videographers who work in that county.

•           Increased Section Publications.  We will develop a master publishing calendar and give every section target dates to publish increased electronic and written content.

•           Instructional Video Bank.  Development of short, practical “how to” videos that teach practice related information and can be accessed by members for free on the Association’s website in a member’s only area.  These how to video can be used to train young lawyers and can be used to answer common questions that arise on TBA-Link. 

•           Case Notes.  The sections could collect the cases listed as part of TBA Today and publish a monthly and annual index of cases listed by topic to make them more searchable.

•           Mock Trial Program for Young Lawyers.  To help young lawyers develop trial skills, the TBA could host a mock trial program for attorneys similar to but, more advanced, than the one we host for high school students.

•           Civility Education.  National studies show that more and more attorneys are concerned with a lack of civility in the profession.  The TBA should develop a civility and professionalism seminar and offer it to law students for free and as ethics/professionalism CLE.

Service to the Public

•           Expand the Atticus Network.  The Atticus Network is a pro bono referral network that has worked to expand pro bono service in Memphis.  We should work with TALS to expand this program to the rest of the state.

•           Pro Bono Education.  We should stress the importance of pro bono service and extol the professional satisfaction that comes from it through law school seminars developed by the TBA and offered to our Tennessee schools for free.

•           Improving the Juror Experience.  The TBA should work with other bars and the jury commissions around the state to develop a video explaining the importance of jury service, the process of picking a jury, the role of a jury and thanking them for their service.

•           Increased Public Civic Education.  The TBA should use our website to collect links to great civics education resources and should work to record our own short educational videos for use by the public and those involved in education.  We can and should be the “go to” resource for on-line civics education in Tennessee. 

A Fair and Representative Profession

•           Pre-Law Programs.  The TBA should support the pre-law programs that currently exist for entering 1L students and look to expand them where possible to insure that all who are qualified have the chance to study the law.

•           A Glass Ceiling Initiative.  The TBA should work with other organizations to develop a best practices model for ensuring that all parts of our profession are open to women and that pay disparities based on the gender of attorneys are closely examined and where possible eliminated.

•           A Hiring Forum.  The TBA should develop and promote a hiring forum that would increase opportunities for those in underrepresented communities.

I ask for your vote and appreciate the opportunity to serve.