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"Whether you think
that you can, or that you can't, you are usually right."
-
Henry Ford
The Young Lawyers Section
has thought that it can for many years. We have usually
been right. For the last several years our attendance
at the YLS meeting during the Annual Meeting has steadily
risen. For the third year in a row we had a standing
room only. For the third year in a row we have asked
the Big Bar to arrange for a larger room for our meeting.
And, for the first year in YLS history…our request
has been granted. I just returned from attending the
Annual Bar Leaders' Retreat, and everyone was so impressed
with the work of the YLS, that they unanimously agreed
to move our meeting place for the 2007 Annual Meeting
despite the scheduling nightmare this will create.
If all works out, we will most likely occupy the Magnolia
Room on the first floor of the Arlington in 2007.
We will let you know the final details sometime next
Spring.
So what's the attraction
to our meetings? Well, a pessimist may say it's the
free-flowing champagne that we have become so famous
for, but an optimist would say the champagne is the
least of the attractions. Despite my pessimistic tendencies,
I must fall on the side of optimism on this one. As
some of you know, I had the big (very big) job of
chairing the Bar Association's Mock Trial Committee
this past year, and found myself, more than once,
in dire need of last minute volunteers. Each time
the YLS came through for me with an overwhelming response
to my desperate e-mail pleas for volunteers. This
year's Mock Trial success-which was outstanding-is
due in very large part to the YLS, and I would like
to personally thank all of you who volunteered your
time.
If you haven't volunteered
in the past, there are plenty of opportunities to
do so now. We have several annual projects that are
always in need of volunteers. Every year the YLS organizes
and presents the Bridging the Gap Seminar. This generally
takes place in November every year. Now is the perfect
time to help us in planning seminar topics, and arranging
speakers. Another great project is Law Day. The events
of this committee culminate around May 1st of every
year. Cliff McKinney, Courtney Crouch, Ka Tina Hodge,
Gwen Rucker, and Ben Cox did an outstanding job with
Law Day this year, and even received recognition in
the Arkansas Democrat's High Profile section
for their activities. This committee usually heats
up around the fall, so if you are interested in volunteering,
please let us know. The Mock Trial Committee is being
chaired by Bill Mann this year, and his co-chair is
our own YLS member, Taura McDaniel. The Mock Trial
competitions (Regionals and State) usually take place
in late February and early March. Please contact Taura
if you are interested in working on this committee.
Lastly, my primary focus
this year will be our handbooks. The YLS has over
the years published a number of very high quality
handbooks for lawyers and the public. Some of these
include the Statute of Limitations Handbook, Consumer
Law Handbook, Senior Citizens and Caregivers Handbooks,
and Parent Wars Handbook. The most current versions
are posted on the Association's Web site at: http://www.arkbar.com/publications/publication_public.html.
These handbooks are
excellent resources for lawyers and non-lawyers alike.
My goal this year is for YLS to form a new committee
dedicated solely to reviewing each of our current
handbooks and deciding which ones are in need of updating,
how they need to be updated, and developing a schedule
for future updates of some of our more recent handbooks.
Many of you have already signed up for this committee
at the Annual Meeting, and I will be calling you shortly.
If you have not signed up and are interested, please
call or e-mail me.
Lastly, I would be remiss
if I didn't acknowledge that this entire idea for
a new handbook committee was fueled in large part
by the success of our recent revision of the Senior
Citizen and Caregiver's Handbook. Jay Scurlock of
Barrett & Deacon in Jonesboro chaired this revision
committee, and did a wonderful job. I cannot say enough
good things about Jay and the efforts he and his committee
put into making this revision and re-print such a
success. Thank you, Jay.
As you can see we are
looking forward to a productive year. The YLS Executive
Council will be meeting frequently to organize our
various projects. To get involved, please contact
me, or any of the members of the Executive Council:
Chair:
Michelle Cauley (mcauley@mwsgw.com);
Chair-Elect: Amy Freedman
(amyfreedman@cableone.net)
Secretary-Treasurer: Courtney Crouch (ccrouch@mwsgw.com)
Central District Representatives:, Amy Johnson (amy.johnson@kutakrock.com),
Wayne Young (wyoung@fec.net),
and Tony Juneau (tjuneau@mwsgw.com);
South and East District Representatives:
Paul Bennet, (pbennett@ramsaylaw.com)
Eddy Doman (edoman@arklaw.com),
and Amy Freedman (amyfreedman@cableone.net);
and Northwest District Representatives: Farrah Fielder
(flf@lcahlaw.com),
T.R. Brixey (tbrixey@Alltel.net),
and Bill Horton (bhorton@justicetoday.com);
At Large Appointments: Ka Tina Hodge (katina.hodge@arkansasag.gov),
and Gwen Rucker (gwen.rucker@arkansas.gov)
We
hope to hear from you, and have a great year!•
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