Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Thank you to all who submitted nominations for seats on the NATLE Board of Directors.  The Nominating Committee will meet on Monday to finalize the FY27 Slate which will then be distributed early next month.

Be a part of shaping the program for our Governmental Affairs Conference in November.  Suggesting topics and/or speakers helps at the most essential level, and if you want to be more hands-on, we have a spot for you on the Planning Committee!  Shoot me an email and we’ll include you in the KickOff Meeting.

Registration for the NATLE Annual Meeting in Chicago (July 25-27) is strong and if you’re still deciding, please consider that the AAJ room block regularly fills up early.  You must also register with AAJ.  This step is free and this is the only way you’ll have a name badge that provides entry to all AAJ events like the Opening Reception and New Lawyers Division Party!  Once you complete the NATLE registration process, you will automatically be added to a NATLE-member only (no vendors), listserv for Chicago registrants to help with any pre-con (and during-con!) arrangements. Coordinate rides from the airport, find a fellow museum goer, or catch up with a colleague for dinner—connect and make it happen!

Our riverboat tour along the Chicago River will sail on Saturday, July 25th (4:30p to ~7:30p).  Our friends at Supio are sponsoring the activity to reduce any ticket cost (~$25-$30).  The dock is a 2-minute walk from the Hyatt and we’ll have the whole boat so families and guests are welcome to join us for this guided and catered private cruise.  We’ll go rain or shine as we explore amazing architecture, skyline vistas, and listen to stories about why no other city is like Chicago.  This interactive experience includes the “ugly buildings” (like the House of Blues – AAJ Opening Reception!) and the City’s underbelly.  Reserve your spot(s)!  (We may come back to the dock early so since the COP is inviting EDs to attend their dinner – details to come.)

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a great weekend!

P.S. In case you’re still here…I know how I missed the Veronica Mars series that first aired in 2004.  I had just moved to North Carolina and was finding my sea legs with the National High School Mock Trial Championship that was to be hosted in Charlotte nine months later.  I was busy studying everything about NASCAR to learn the lingo so the fact pattern would sound realistic.  Back in the pre-on-demand-TV days, a high school drama didn’t grab me.  A few months ago, the series popped up in my Netflix “suggested for you” menu, so, knowing what it meant to my exercise class pals in the Millennial set, I gave it a looksee.  I already knew the cast from their later work, but the storyline was the hook.  There are only four seasons, but when there are 20+ episodes per, it feels like more.  I finished it up earlier this week, but watcher beware, if you don’t want to be thoroughly depressed, don’t watch the last 10 minutes of the last episode.  Why, oh why did the writers have to end it that way?!  If ever there was a need for a show to have a choose-your-own-ending, this was it.