NATLE FYI

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

The Salary Survey Team met this week with The Spark Mill folks, Chris and Courtney, their survey designer.  The plan is to have at least a preliminary report available by the GAC.   EDs will receive an email from the Team to be on the lookout for an email from Courtney with the survey.  A timely response will increase the chances of having a near-final report, and most important, it will help you know your true value.

The GAC Planning Committee met this morning to go over the proposed speakers and firm up the time slots.  We should have enough info to flesh out and update the draft of the program on our event page.

The GAC Scholarship Committee unanimously selected Alyssa Davenport, the Political and Public Relations Director with the Colorado TLA.  She attended the virtual GAC in 2020 when she was with the Florida Justice Association, but this will be her first in-person NATLE meeting and she’s very excited to meet everyone.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…if you drive by my house tomorrow, you might see me out sealing my driveway.  The brands that tout themselves as “30-year” sealants must be tested under the lightest conditions – my last application was only 5 years ago and it’s ready for another coat.  It’s one of those jobs that needs to be done while the pavement is warm so the sealant adheres, but it’s also a heavy job to lug the 5-gallon bucket around.  The tiny minority procrastinator in me reigns supreme on the really hot days when sealing would be ideal, so even with the best of intentions this summer, I haven’t gotten around to it.  I’ve been paying attention to the weather reports and I don’t want to miss my window as the temps are cooling.  Ain’t homeownership fun?

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Our 4th Monday Zoom Series on Working From Home & Workers’ Comp Issues with WILG member, David Nomberg, was a hit.  The recording is available in case you missed it. Passcode: 5zPhar?N

The Salary Survey is moving ahead with a small team to work with The Spark Mill on the survey design.  The immediate task is to come up with the variables that will make the data relevant to all levels of ED.  Look for an email from Team Chair Tiffany McGee with a request for input.

A misleading fieldname was the culprit in the duplicate dues notice going out in response to payment received.  It has been fixed and hopefully MC will consider renaming the field to save the next unsuspecting admin from this snafoo.  We have 17 EDs and 17 Associate member renewals in, so far, plus three new members.  I’ll send a reminder notice on Monday.

The GAC Scholarship Committee is meeting on Monday afternoon and will have an awardee to announce by Tuesday.  We have 26 registrations and I’m working with the Ritz-Carlton to set aside a few QQ rooms instead of K in case anyone needs to bunk up.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a good weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…my former “boss” at UVM is the Chair of the Biochemistry Department and since the University shut down in March 2020, he has stopped by my house every weekend with either tulips (or other bulbs he grows in his greenhouse) or veggies from the huge garden he cultivates with his wife (who’s also a principal researcher in the Department).  For the past year, we’ve been meeting up at Panera for lunch and the “handoff” of goodies.  Anyone need any pickles?  He brought a whole grocery bag of cucumbers last weekend and I can only eat so many cukes!

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

The dues renewal notices were distributed this week in case any TLAs wanted to get the charge in before the end of August.  This is the first round of renewals since the upgrade and, while it’s a multi-step process and not exactly intuitive, I think it worked.  I’ve heard of one example of a duplicate notice received after submitting payment, so let me know if that happens for you, too, and I’ll get MC Support to help me figure out the glitch.

The Strategic Planning Team met with Chris Bennett to review the draft outline he developed from the Retreat.  We spent a full hour going over a one-pager, carefully tweaking the language to accurately articulate our goals and objectives for the 3-year plan.  We will forward the updated draft for review and comment by the Executive Committee as soon as we have it back from Chris.  The timing will allow us to have a final version to approve at our next EC meeting on Sept 20th.

Please register for our 4th Monday Zoom Series on Working From Home & Workers’ Comp Issues with one of Jennifer Comer’s WILG members, David Nomberg.

The Salary Survey is next up on NATLE’s plate of projects.  Stay tuned for next steps, and I’m delighted to say that The Spark Mill has confirmed that the timing is right for us to have a complete survey at the GAC.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a good weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…I just helped the poor guy that the motorcycle dealership sent over to wrestle Dad’s Honda Magna and scooter out of the basement.  Neither bike had been on the road for over a decade and like barnacles encrusting a sunken ship, the stuff that accumulated over the intervening years made it a tricky, sweaty, good-hearted-curse-inducing process to get the Magna shimmied out from its hidey hole.  No injuries to report, not even a scraped knuckle, though it was a tight squeeze to get the handlebars out the sliding glass door.  With the tractor gone a few weeks ago, and now the bikes, I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel in this saga of Dad’s move to an independent living facility nearby.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

The Executive Committee meeting associated with the GAC will be Saturday, November 12 beginning at 3pm.  This gives a little extra travel time earlier in the day for those Committee members who don’t want to come in on Friday.

The GAC Planning Committee met on Thursday to review the list of topics for the program and a save-the-date note went out this week to our Justice Partners about sponsorship opportunities at the GAC in November (12-15).  I’m excited that TrialSmith/Counsel Financial has committed to the social event – I’ll keep you posted on details as they come in – and AAJ is again sponsoring a Welcome Reception on Sunday afternoon.  If you are in contact with our other JPs (Preferred Capital, Ringler, SBA Funding, Strategic Capital, Certified Records), please encourage them to sponsor a breakfast and/or break.  The event page is set up and is accepting registrations.

We’re coming up on Dues Renewal season, so I’ve met with MC for training on how the process has changed since the upgrade.  I’m working on a recap on the year of NATLE achievements and will follow up a few days after with the dues notices.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a good weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…I think I count marigolds among the earthly miracles.  The fact that I haven’t had to wrestle with ANY tomato hornworms for the past two years is a blessing indeed.  My reaction to coming nose-to-horn with one is similar to how a cat reacts to a cucumber, no lie.  (Google “cat cucumber” videos, it’s hilarious.)  They’re hidden in plain sight until my slow-to-engage keen sense of observation notices the leaves have been chewed down to the nubs.  That’s when it’s super easy to spot the bright green caterpillar – as long and as big around as my middle finger – clinging to the underside of a branch.  I now surround my tomato plants with 20+ marigolds and I guess it’s the scent that keeps the moths from laying their eggs anywhere in the area.  Blissfully hornworm free.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

I hope you were able to join Kent’s presentation yesterday as he went through the results of his survey of TLA listserv users.  It was packed with information and a big takeaway that confirmed the value of the Listserv.  A working group will explore options for an app to supplement – not replace – the ListServ.  We recorded the program (password=  @2P.*Ekv ) in case you weren’t online.  Kent distributed his PPT earlier today along with the respective TLA results. 

Under the heading of “follow-up from the Annual Meeting”, the two Membership Surveys’ results that Barbara shared at the Business Meeting in Seattle have been posted to the NATLE FYI section on the website, the approved budget has been shared with the bookkeeper, and most cases of COVID we seemed to pass around have run their course.

We have the next year of EC and Leadership meetings mapped out and the upcoming meeting dates are posted in the NATLE FYI.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a good weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…topping the list of simple pleasures (and I’m pretty sure this only counts as a pleasure in my book), I picked up a 2023 desk calendar yesterday.  I know, I’m living a thrill-a-minute.  I haven’t transitioned to solely viewing my meetings and appointments on a tiny screen and my brain appreciates seeing the whole month laid out at once.  (Factoid: if, on Zoom, you see me looking over my right shoulder, the odds are good that I’m looking at my calendar.)  Now that I no longer commute to a separate office, well, one that’s farther away than the bonus room off my bedroom, I’ve stopped buying calendar packs for my DayRunner and it only gets attention on the rare occasion I need to look up a mailing address.  While LLBean was my mom’s idea of Mecca, it was closely followed by office supply and hardware stores, and I definitely inherited that gene.

Thank you for participating in the anonymous membership survey(s).  This is a crucial step in our Strategic Planning process.  The results are accessible to NATLE Members only.

Executive Director-only Survey Results
Membership Survey Results

[This notice was originally sent to the full membership on June 16.]

The Membership Business Meeting is Sunday, July 17 immediately following a luncheon sponsored by Ringler Associates. If you haven't registered for the Annual Meeting, there's still time!

2022 - 2023 Executive Committee Slate

Barbara Jorden, Executive Director, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association, assumes the office of President, and Carla M. Ferrucci, Executive Director, Minnesota Association for Justice, remains on the Executive Committee as Immediate Past President.

The Nominating Committee recommends the following slate for the 2022-2023 Executive Committee:

President-Elect: Valerie O'Brien, Executive Director, Virginia Trial Lawyers Association
Secretary: Joan Daly Maloney, Executive Director, Connecticut Trial Lawyers Association
Treasurer: Sara Schuett, Executive Director, Missouri Association of Trial Attorneys

At-Large Members

Juliette Bleecker, Executive Director, San Francisco Trial Lawyers Association
Alison Dodge, CAE, Executive Director, Maryland Association for Justice
Constance Koury, Executive Director, Louisiana Association for Justice
Kwedi Moore, Executive Director, Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles 
Stephen Pontoni, Executive Director, Michigan Association for Justice

"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." Bylaws, Article VII., Section 1.  To comply with the bylaws, please submit any additional nominations to Jennifer Smith, Executive Director, no later than Sunday, July 3. (Please note that any nominations will result in a contested election.)

2022 Nominating Committee

Barbara J. Jorden, Chair, Executive Director, Idaho Trial Lawyers Association
Carla M. Ferrucci, Executive Director, Minnesota Association for Justice
Suzanne Keith, Executive Director, Tennessee Trial Lawyers Association
Cornelius J. Larkin, CAE, CMP, CEM, CMM, DES, Executive Director, New Jersey Association for Justice, Inc.
Tiffany McGee, CAE, Executive Director, Texas Trial Lawyers Association
Al Smith, Executive Director, Montana Trial Lawyers Association

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

Our Affinity & Justice Partner Committee met on Monday with a prospective Justice Partner.  Kenect is a text messaging platform built for law firms to generate new leads, communicate with clients, and conduct video consults without the client having to download an app.  We are working with them to brainstorm the best approach for NATLE to utilize the platform as a demonstration and to make it available to your members.  If you already use (or know of a similar product) please let me know – the Committee is interested in hearing of similar vendors.

The GAC Planning Committee met on Wednesday to discuss topics and speakers.  We should have a meaty draft ready to share in Seattle!

Please remember to complete the membership survey.  It is aimed at all EDs and staff and we need responses by June 24th.  That’s next Friday!

Our Zoom Series topic this month (June 27th, 4pmET) will be about the benefits and drawbacks of Feathr.  Alex Winslow with the Texas Trial Lawyers Association has agreed to give us an overview of the product and his experience with it, and provide an example of how TTLA uses this digital marketing platform.  To join the discussion (or be a fly on the wall), please register to receive the zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElce-urTorE9SAmA8e4QpNouWeBGjerSr7

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a good weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…this is a big weekend for celebrations.  I’ll be trouping about in the woods on Sunday with my dad.  It’s the property that my parents bought back in 1972 with plans to eventually build a home.  Not long after they closed on the property, the developer went belly-up.  Because the 11.8-acre lot is landlocked, it meant a pricey prospect to bring in the road and utilities, so Mom & Dad ended up staying in the house where I now live.  That’s a long way of saying that it’s been in the family for 50 years and the abutting neighbors use it more than we do.  I hired a surveyor to re-mark the boundary lines, so we’re going up to check it out ahead of offering it to the neighbors.  More broadly, Sunday is also Juneteenth, and while we’re enjoying the peace and quiet (and, hopefully, few mosquitos), I’ll be reflecting on the slow progress this country made toward recognizing this new national holiday, along with how much farther we have to go.

It’s incredibly hard for me to convey the usual “Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!” this second-in-a-row dark week.  I find myself cycling between anger, despair, frustration, and complete and total incomprehension.  It has been hard to concentrate, but it has also been a busy week.

Our 4th-Monday Zoom Series covered the basics of PCI Compliance.  The presenter, Doug Mocik, is enthusiastic about this topic and goes through the material quickly, so I’m happy to have the recording for a refresher.  If you were not able to attend, here is the link to the recording:

https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/LVJ0pjdgyRItgIpKdxlyN9_tsBnQORF4HqZhvMQELsUSY06COr9swnmWEMLFH6jg.z9SEU923mEOGIk79?startTime=1653336145000

Passcode: ?&7h8s32

Feedback from participants and our consultant about the Focus Group and one-on-one interviews from our Strategic Planning process has been positive and constructive.  We don’t have a report of any sort at this point, but will share as soon as it’s available.  I’m excited that you’ve all now met Chris Bennett, our consultant from The Spark Mill.

The Finance Committee met this week to review the FY22-to-date P&L and a draft of the FY23 Budget.  The final Executive Committee-reviewed versions will be included in the packet for the Membeship Business Meeting on July 17, 2022 in Seattle.

On Wednesday, I sat in on a presentation by Mauricio at MemberCentral about their new email blast tools.  The updates will be implemented June 1st, but are available now by notifying MC Support if you’re interested.  My big takeaways were the handy templates, more user-friendly, intuitive features, AND the easier way to “filter” groups without having flashbacks to my mind-numbing college stats class.

That’s the NATLE Weekly Wrap.  Have a thoughtful and grateful Memorial Day weekend,

P.S. in case you’re still here…I don’t have kids, but the tragedy in Uvalde makes me want to give everyone I know who has young children a hug.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

The NATLE Affinity Partner Committee met this week to review a list of our current vendors, as well as those who have expressed interest in working with NATLE.  We will be looking further into a few to learn more about their potential benefits to your TLAs.  Let me know if you have a favorite vendor you'd like your NATLE colleagues to know about and/or if you would like to join this Committee.

About 1/3 of our Executive Director members have registered to participate in the Focus Group phase of our Strategic Planning process.  Outreach to those not yet signed up is happening now.  The information collected from the Focus Group will be merged with the data from the two Membership Surveys and Chris Bennett, our consultant, will present the results in Seattle during an Executive Committee Retreat.

The Finance Committee meets next week and will review a draft of the FY23 Budget.  It will then go to the Executive Committee for approval ahead of the final vote at the Member Business Meeting in Seattle.

Our inclusive (not just for EDs) Zoom Series on Monday (5/25) will get into the must-do’s of PCI Compliance.  The presenter, Doug Mocik, is enthusiastic about this topic and looks forward to discussing the annual requirements of certification.  This program is open to all NATLE members, please feel free to share the registration link.   https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElce-urTorE9SAmA8e4QpNouWeBGjerSr7  It will also be recorded.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I learned something this week listening to my local NPR affiliate’s noontime program about the cute little inchworms that hang by their silk from the trees.  To my horror, they’re actually the newly-hatched phase of the spongy moth caterpillar.  I’m sure I walked through a dozen of them last weekend when I mowed my backyard.  They’re not the same as the tent caterpillars, but are still incredibly destructive to my mostly-oak trees.  I’m trying the wrap-the-trunk-in-duct-tape trick.  I’ll let you know if it works.