NATLE FYI

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Our renewed agreement with TrialSmith includes a new Justice Partner, Skribe.  Just as with Counsel Financial, the terms cover periodic emails to the participating TLAs’ membership about the services and features available.  Kent is preparing a note about the relationship and email campaign process, as well as an announcement about a webinar to help demonstrate Skribe’s product.  Stay tuned.

Speaking of Justice Partners, Four Pillars Research reps Alex and Chris, felt very welcomed at our Annual Meeting and look forward to following up on their new connections.  If you didn’t get a chance to meet the sponsors during the conference – or weren’t able to attend – we have active links to all of our Partners on our website.  See the scrolling logos toward the bottom of every page.

The Planning Committee for the Leah S. Guerry Governmental Affairs Conference will pick up where it left off just before the Annual Meeting to continue the conversation about topics and speakers.  The evaluations are an easy way to make suggestions, but you can always call or email your thoughts for the sessions.  The formal announcement about the scholarship application will go out on Monday, but it is available now through August 18.

After briefly breaking our website on Monday in my youthful zeal to update the Executive Committee page banner to say Board of Directors, it now reflects the change and I’ll try to remember to say “Board” instead of “EC”.  (I didn’t really break anything, but the page was offline for about an hour before MC came to the rescue with their fancy mode of CTRL-Z!)

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series will pause in August and resume on September 25th.  We are working on a presenter to cover the topic of either website audits (how to do it and what to look for) or accounting for the association (compliance, governance, laws).  It’s not really an either/or, we’ll cover the other topic in a later Zoom Series.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…yesterday, I finished what I can only describe as a tome.  Ken Follett’s 975-page The Pillars of the Earth covers about three and a half decades in the 12th century.  I think it is considered historical fiction as it takes place during the real-life turbulent back ‘n forth reigns of King Stephen and the Empress Maud, and follows the lives of three generations in the small village of Kingsbridge.  The family dynamics struck me as somewhat timeless, but the enmeshed politics of church and state were at once fascinating and frustrating.  The parallels to today, though, with the more moderate politicians “playing possum” in the middle lane by not tying themselves to anyone’s coattails until a clear leader emerges from the pack, are sadly still true.  The slimy bad actors manipulate “the system” to their advantage, while stepping on those who considered themselves to be in the friend group and are broadsided by the betrayal.  Am I talking about the book or about what goes on today?  Yes.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Yes, after a brief hiatus on the Wrap last week, it’s back.  The Annual Meeting was a success all the way around – attendance is close (if not a match) to a pre-pandemic level, our Justice Partners were pleased with the interactions they had with members, and the Social Event was held at a beautiful and unique venue.  I’m hoping to put together a recap of the key takeaways, but, as you know, it’s hard to pay attention, take notes, and deal with the occasional logistical snafu that comes with the conference experience.  If you would share your notes – they don’t have to be fancy – I’d be grateful for the help in filling in the blanks I have in my notes.  I’ll turn it around within the next few weeks.

The nearly 20 (so far) evaluations are extremely helpful.  I already have a page of notes on ideas for future topics (eg. association finance and law, cyber security, aligning bylaws with mission, recruiting staff) and tweaks to the logistics (eg. more time for roundtables and rapid-fire idea sharing, as well as add oatmeal and savories to breakfast).  The most compelling idea might be to have more interaction with AAJ – many new NATLE members don’t have enough of a sense of the synergistic partnership.

I’m midway through the thank-you notes and meeting minutes, and then it’s full steam ahead to the GAC!  Mark your calendars for the plenary sessions November 12-14 (I'll have the registration form ready by the end of next week).  The scholarship application is available through August 18!

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…does anyone else long for the old days when hotels had easily accessible, regular thermostats?  Now there’s an app for that.  A never-to-be-seen engineer now has the controls, but the requests initiated in the app still have to be conveyed to that Wizard-behind-the-curtain by the Event Operations Manager.  It’s not efficient or even effective when the Wizard, I mean Engineer, doesn’t get the memo…or the several memos I submitted.  I swear the Marriott had only two settings – deep freeze and meat locker – and we were barely in the survivable zone most of the time.  I exaggerate.  We couldn’t see our breath, but my fingers took a few hours to thaw out.  In the future, I’ll make sure that responsiveness is part of the required skillset.

Good Morning and Happy World Chocolate Day!

As you can imagine, this week has been all about the Annual Meeting.  It’s the detail items, like the attendance list and final ticket numbers for the social event, that could be done by now.  My heartfelt “thanks!” definitely goes to those who registered early.

This is an updated list of events we are encouraged to enjoy during the AAJ Convention:

• Exhibit Hall opens Friday at 2pm, open 8am to 3pm on Sat – Mon (Convention Center Hall A, Level 200)
• Registration (location same as Exhibit Hall) opens Friday at 2pm, open M-Th beginning at 7:30am
• Council of Presidents – Sat at 2:30pm (Convention Center Room 201 A), Reception at 3:30pm (202 B)
• Minority Caucus Groove – Sat at 9pm (Theater of the Living Arts)
• New Lawyers Division Party – Sun at 9pm (Franklin Music Hall)
• New President’s Party – Mon at 9pm at the National Constitution Center

…and, it’s back after decades, Staff are invited to attend the Opening Reception, Friday, July 14 at 7pm (Reading Terminal Market).

I’ll be in the office next week through Wednesday and taking an early flight to Philly Thursday morning.  I’ll most likely pause this Wrap for a week and pick up again on the 21st.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I used to be a strictly milk chocolate fan, but I can easily talk myself into the health “benefits” of dark.  My stepfather was type-set printing hobbyist and had several presses in the basement – from a mini that was perfect for business cards to the chest freezer-sized press with its own motor.  In retirement (from GE as a mechanical engineer), he worked as a tour guide at the Lake Champlain Chocolates factory.  (Now that I think about it, I don’t remember him ever bringing home samples…)  His other gig with LCC was printing the little gold party favor (truffle) boxes with the names and date of the wedding couple or sometimes the company’s name that sent holiday baskets to their clients.  He’d always have a few extra boxes and would print a Happy Anniversary or Happy Valentine’s Day message on them for my mother.  He even rigged one up with the innards of a music box that plays Happy Birthday when you turn the handle.  That one’s printed with “Happy Birthday to Carol, October 15, 1998”.  No room in that one for a truffle, but it has lasted longer and is just as sweet.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

As I mentioned in an eblast earlier this week, I had the good fortune to meet with our Annual Meeting’s featured speaker, Amanda Lea Kaiser, while she was in Stowe, VT for a presentation with another association. We talked about NATLE membership, and I shared what I could about the range of budgets, membership sizes, and staff.  We also talked about her presentation style. She uses Mentimeter. It's an alternative to PowerPoint that allows for immediate feedback as an interactive, audience engagement tool. Bring your phone! You'll scan a QR code to participate and respond during her session.  One more panel will get together this afternoon to meet and map out their presentation.

The Membership Business Meeting (MBM) agenda packet will be distributed via blast today, but we may have late additions if there are updates that come out of the EC meeting on July 14.

The Finance Committee met this week to review the FY24 budget that will be approved by the EC and is part of the MBM agenda.

I have sent an email to the registrants who don’t yet have photos in their myNATLE record.  If that's you, please log into natle.org and upload a headshot.  It will help us all recognize the long-timers and new-comers!

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap. Happy Canada Day! and Happy Independence Day!  Have a great weekend!

P.S. in case you’re still here…if you’ve been to Stowe, Vermont, you know that it’s only 15 minutes from the highway on a road that rolls through the hills in the Green Mountain range.  The village has one 3-way stop (sign) and has more cute shops and eating experiences than you could possibly check out in a month of Sundays.  Amanda and I agreed to meet at the Kaffeehaus that’s part of the Trapp Family Lodge.  Since this trip fell conveniently at the start of a vacation, her charming 13-year-old son, Gavin, joined us for coffee and pastries on the back patio.  After Amanda and I covered the Annual Meeting particulars, we chatted about other topics, like school and plans for the rest of the summer.  There’s no shortage of kid’s camps and reunions, but also schoolwork to prep for the next year.  I can’t remember how we landed on German, but I could see the wheels churning behind Gavin’s widened eyes when I said, “Ich bin zwölf Jahre a lt”.  That made sense once I explained that I was 12 the last time I took German.  He, graciously, didn’t laugh at my pronunciation when I slowly rattled off my current age.  It was hard to get up and leave the view of the mountains – the hills are truly alive (see what I did there, Sound of Music fans?!) – and the immaculate gardens of the Lodge, but I didn’t want to keep them from their next adventure at the Ben & Jerry’s factory.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

We’re coming down to the wire on our Annual Meeting and I’m working with the hotel on the details, like room set-up and F&B.  I know of at least four people who have not yet registered.  If that includes you, please register so that I'll be able to give firm numbers to the hotel!  (The real-time registration list is visible when you’re logged in on the event page below the sponsors and cancellation policy.)  The notice of the Membership Business Meeting was sent last Friday, and the agenda packet will be distributed next week.  There have been changes to the personnel on a few panels, so watch your inbox for eblasts about the updates.

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series this coming week has shifted to Thursday (6/29) at 3:30pmET (2:30pmCT, 1:30pmMT, 12:30pmPT) for a presentation from Guy Molyneux with Hart Research Associates.  AAJ contracted with HRA for new polling on civil justice issues and the results are in.  Here is the Registration link.  Be sure to register far in advance – the confirmation link took over an hour to arrive, though that might vary on human availability rather than computerized syncing.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…knowing the overwhelmingly grim odds that the (unfortunately named) Ocean Gate sub would be found intact and in time, my throat still closed up every time NPR or the BBC read their latest headlines.  It has been a dizzying week of hope and disappointment.  Now, the talking heads will dissect the facts of Oceangate, as I expect it will come to be known.  Finding solace in spending time with family and friends was the antidote.  My father had the idea of getting tickets to a Solstice Adventure Dinner experience at one of the local family-owned farms.  Their website’s message never changed from “tickets are not yet available”, so by the time I reached someone directly, they were sold out except for two cancellations.  I had us committed until I asked the price.  $160…each.  I gulped and, as calmly as possible, said, “Thank you, we’ll pass.”  Dad didn’t argue with my initiative at rearranging our plans to getting takeout from a lovely little Italian restaurant and eating out on my back patio.  When the nextdoor neighbor’s kids weren’t screaming, it was actually quite peaceful.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Planning Committee for the Governmental Affairs Conference in November held a kick-off meeting to brainstorm topics and speakers.  Jim Rogers, as Chair, guided the conversation through topics for the general session, roundtables, and potential speakers.  It’s already shaping up to be an exciting program, with hints of a round of golf on the front end for those who want to come in early.  The Lansdowne Resort in Leesburg is a stone’s throw from DC, and close to the metro, so there’s plenty to see and do.

Strategic Planning Team 4.3 met last Friday to put the final touches on the amendments to the ByLaws that will be on the agenda for the Membership Business Meeting in Philadelphia.  The full marked-up ByLaws will be sent in the next few weeks.

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series this month is in the process of getting shifted that week to (tentatively) Thursday (6/29) for a presentation from Hart Research Associates.  AAJ contracted with HRA for new polling on civil justice issues and the results are in.  Details to come ASAP.

Be sure to register for our NATLE Annual Meeting!  The program will kick-off with featured speaker, Amanda Lea Kaiser, with a presentation titled, Elevating Engagement.  Your membership directors shouldn't miss this!  AAJ’s room block will be released on June 21, so if you haven’t made your reservations, I highly recommend making arrangements ASAP.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  To all, but especially to the dads out there, have a great weekend!

P.S. in case you’re still here…maybe this isn’t the right post from the child-free lifestyle set since it’s just before Father’s Day, but when I was ripped out of a comfortable slumber at 6:14 this past Sunday morning, my brain wouldn’t turn off again until I had most of it composed in my head.  Parents and, I’m sad to say, some dog owners, seem to think that a fence creates a sound barrier beyond which the music of their sweet cherubs’ voices (or barking critters) can’t possibly reach.  On one side, the neighbor’s three kids’ default volume would drown out the most ardent English soccer fans…even when they’re within a few feet of each other on the trampoline.  Did I mention this was just after 6AM?!  On the other side are three suitably morose high school girls, but even when they were little, they never played outside, let alone raised their voices.  At some point this summer, the young family will load up their camper and disappear for a week.  Then, I’ll have to remind myself to soak up the silence rather than ask, “Why is it so eerily quiet?”

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

A quick post-session survey was sent out on Monday to gather information for the Strategic Planning Team that's working on expanding the Advocacy materials.  From responses that have been submitted so far, the top legislative session accomplishments include defeating med mal and immunity bills, raising or maintaining caps, increasing insurance limits, and building relationships.  Pivotal resources that were used most include one-pagers, client testimony, and AAJ State Affairs, while additional one-pagers, info on unconstitutional caps, and a broader network of legislative contacts are on the wish list.  A reminder about the survey will be distributed on Monday.  Please respond so we know where to focus our efforts in building the archive.

The Social Event during our NATLE Annual Meeting has made the headlines, well, in an eblast, so I’m excited to announce we’ll be treated to dinner aboard the Moshulu and entertainment provided by the Murder Mystery Company!  AAJ’s room block will be released on June 21, so if you haven’t made your reservations, I highly recommend making arrangements ASAP.

The Affinity & Justice Partner Program Working Group met this week with a potential new Platinum partner.  Details are in the works, like the "royalties" to each TLA, and will need to pass muster with the Working Group before progressing to the Executive Committee for approval.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…did anyone see the full moon this past weekend?!  I certainly don’t look forward to wildfire season – I endured a fire in grad school that destroyed my apartment mere weeks before the end of term…that’s a story for another time – but the smoke in the atmosphere turned a gorgeous moon even more beautiful.  As I drove home after treating myself to another of the monthly chef-curated dinners with the Drinking Gourd group, the big orange, low-in-the-sky moon took my breath away.  It was perfectly centered in a frame of tall pine trees. It practically filled my windshield and I had to fight to keep my eyes on the road ahead!  It was such a gift and a lovely way to end a fun evening with friends.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The Early Bird rate for the NATLE Annual Meeting expires today, so get registered to save!  I know that two of the panels met this week to talk about their presentations and I’m excited by their enthusiasm for the topics and willingness to share their knowledge and expertise.  This is going to be a great program!

Just a reminder that AAJ’s room block will be released on June 21, so if you haven’t made your reservations, I highly recommend making arrangements ASAP.

A quick post-session survey will be distributed on Monday as part of our Strategic Planning goals.  It’s designed to elicit the top accomplishments from your legislative session and the resources that were and/or would have been pivotal.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…sourdough isn’t something I “discovered” during the pandemic…not even close.  My grandmother gave my mom a portion of her batch back in the late 1970s.  This sourdough traveled farther than many a human, making the trek to England and then on to France in 1979-80 for the year Mom took me with her on sabbatical for her cancer research.  Either the TSA didn’t check for foodstuff back in those days or the beige goo didn’t raise any red flags.  It came back with us and became part of my mom and stepfather’s Saturday breakfast ritual for decades.  It lived in Mom’s fridge until she died in 2012 when I had to check with my aunt, who had a sister batch, on the recipe for its weekly dose of flour, sugar, and milk.  A few years ago, I posed the idea of not keeping up the tradition to my aunt & uncle, thinking that if I regretted the decision, I could always drive out to Michigan to get resupplied.  I was shocked when they confessed that they’d already cut the cord and moved on to French Toast and other breakfast staples.  Feeling guilty about ditching the only other living thing from my grandparents’ era, I kept the sourdough going…until a few weeks ago.  I’d ignored it long enough in the fridge and needed to put it (or maybe myself) out of its misery.  It turned out to be easier than I thought it’d be when I added it to the compost bin.  No tears, no guilt, and now I have more room in the fridge for more tasty items like a good Sauvignon Blanc!

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

I’m happy to share that the details for the Social Event during our Annual Meeting are shaping up and it will be a spectacular evening.  The event is sponsored by Platinum Partners TrialSmith, Counsel Financial and new sponsor, Skribe.ai.  Big Thanks! to Mauricio Fonseca at TrialSmith for handling the logistics.

AAJ has confirmed that the room block will be released on June 21, so if you haven’t made your reservations, I highly recommend making arrangements ASAP.

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series this week covered “Strategies to Prevent Cyber Attacks” (Passcode: &Q!5C6fH ).  Presenter Davin Chitwood from Kirkham IronTech highlighted the sources of vulnerability, as well as the features to evaluate when looking for access points.  If you are interested in a free audit of your system, reach out by phone (479-397-1200) or email.  Kirkham IronTech will provide a no-obligation review.

The Nominating Committee met this week to determine the next Executive Committee slate.  Notification of the Membership Business Meeting will be sent NLT 30 days ahead of the vote at the Annual Meeting in July.  At this point, according to NATLE bylaws: "Members may make additional nominations for any elected position within the association by submitting the name of any Regular member no later than 14 days before the date of the membership meeting where elections are held."

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a wonderful long weekend and honor those who fought so we can live free!

P.S. in case you’re still here…as a kid, I used to think “inch worms” were so cute.  Now, as I see the little green caterpillars dangling at the end of invisible threads, riding the breezes, I realize they’re actually either the newly renamed, spongy moth caterpillars or the dreaded tent caterpillars.  Vermont had a terrible few summers back in the mid-70s where our trees were filled with gauzy tents full of wriggling, nasty caterpillars.  My mother was either reckless or fearless (I choose to believe the latter) and wouldn’t mind me telling you that her solution to the scourge was to cut down the infested limbs just short of the tent, bring them out to our paved driveway, add a squirt of lighter fluid, and WHOOSH!  I’m sure we decreased the population significantly those years…at least, I remember my 8-year-old mind thinking that we were saving the world from massive deforestation.  I take more of a preventive tack these days – wrapping the oak tree trunks (their preferred snack) with duct tape, sticky-side out of course, to snag the critters before they take up residence in the branches.  I still feel like I’m at least saving my little corner of the world.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Our next 4th Monday Zoom Series will cover Strategies to Prevent Cyber Attacks at 4pmET on 5/22.  The ever-evolving nature of cyber threats puts businesses at risk of serious harm.  We will discuss various strategies to defend against cyber threats and prevent cyber attacks.  From building a sound security infrastructure, to employee education and best security practices, we will provide a comprehensive overview of the steps you need to take to secure your business from malicious actors.  Register to receive the zoom link!  If you like what you hear, you can also schedule a free security audit.

Thanks to all who participated in the nomination process for NATLE’s Executive Committee.  The NomComm will meet next week to review the slate ahead of a vote at the Annual Meeting in July.  At this point, according to NATLE bylaws: "Members may make additional nominations for any elected position within the association by submitting the name of any Regular member no later than 14 days before the date of the membership meeting where elections are held."

Speaking of the Annual Meeting, I have requested an update from AAJ on the availability of rooms in the block, but in the meantime, please reserve a room even if you’re just thinking you might come to Philly – room blocks tend to fill up and I don’t have any spare rooms in my back pocket!  The real-time roster of who’s signed up is available on the event registration page, so if you’re talking with a member and don’t see their name on the list, please encourage them to sign up.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I can’t be the only one who’s noticed that ice cream truck drivers are prime candidates for a makeover.  I’m thinking “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy”-level serious (original cast only, please).  I have nothing against guys with long hair, but the Mr. Ding-A-Ling who drives through my neighborhood could easily be a stand-in for the part of Wayne Campbell from Wayne’s World.  I try not to judge any book by its cover, but just plain creepy is hard to get past.  Maybe he’s a really nice guy, loves his mother, lives independently, has a friendly dog, snowboards and mt bikes, likes discussing politics, and joins friends for sushi and microbrews.  Oh, I’ve gone a bit astray.  Anyway, he must at least be good at being Mr. Ding-A-Ling…he’s had this same route for years.