NATLE FYI

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The end of NATLE’s fiscal year was yesterday (8/31) and most dues renewals came in well ahead of today’s auto-renew/pay date.  With those renewals processed and accounting for the payments I know are in the mail, we only have about 25 members – or about 15% – left to renew.  Does anyone know Linda Stevens with the South Dakota TLA?  She didn’t renew last year despite the ol’ college try by me and at least one other NATLE member.  Alaska is another state that deserves to be brought back into the fold.  Their membership (Linda Shattuck and Cynthia Weaver) must predate NATLE’s current AMS since neither’s dues info is in the system.  Also, there’s no reference to an ED that I can find on their site.

Registration for the GAC started off with a bang, but has slowed to a trickle.  I’m hoping that the reminder sent yesterday about the finite room block will help prime the pump.  My new favorite person is the current president of the Mississippi Assoc for Justice, Tripp Segars.  He sent a note to the AAJ COP encouraging his counterparts to sign up.  I remember the reaction of my then-president who attended a Legislative Conference.  He came away with an appreciation for AAJ, his fellow TLA leadership and governmental affairs staff, and for my position as a TLA ED.  I’m probably preaching to the choir, but when your leadership has the chance to rub elbows with you and your colleagues away from their own TLA, they gain a valuable perspective on your experience and capabilities that can be hard to see when they’re mostly concerned with the state level.  (I’m referring to “state” TLA in the case of the GAC, but the appreciation gained certainly also applies to the “provincial” and “municipal” TLAs when talking about our other conferences.)

Today is the deadline for submitting a scholarship application for the GAC.  Please don't let the cost of attending the conference dissuade you from considering the benefits of brainstorming and networking with your colleagues.  Registration is free and travel expenses are covered up to $2500.  If there’s a reason other than availability that is preventing you from registering, financial justification is used only as one factor in determining need and kept confidential beyond the Scholarship Committee.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I was going to mention the super blue moon we had Wednesday night – the sky was clear over my corner of Vermont and it was very bright – but feel the need to process a scary event instead.  When violence hits too close to home, the brain (at least my brain) does what feels like back flips in an effort to grasp any shred of context or perspective.  My ears perked up on Monday when an NPR headline called out a shooting at UNC Chapel Hill.  My stepbrother was in his office right across the hall when the professor was shot by an advisee.  It was a targeted incident, so in retrospect Glenn doesn’t feel like he was in any direct harm, but the proximity of it and seeing “the aftermath”, as my sister-in-law referred to it, is more than disturbing.  I’ve been in those blandly painted halls and it’s hard to comprehend the evil and vitriol that also walked in my steps.  As a recent high school grad in an era when school shootings are way too common, my niece took it hard.  They got together that night for much needed family time to calm nerves and reassure each other that they’re all ok.  If only the events lined up, we might blame the behavior on the full moon, but there’s definitely more to this story than simple lunar mania.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

After a bumpy start to the dues renewal process last week, a good number of members were still able to navigate the links to submit payment.  I’ll forward a reminder early next week.

Scholarship applications are still being accepted for the GAC, but a final reminder will also go out on Monday.

Otherwise, my vacation in Michigan has been refreshing and rewarding, and I thankfully missed the (unconfirmed, but likely) tornado around Lansing by 24 hours.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…my aunt and uncle’s beloved 13-year-old Goldendoodle, Cassie, had been dealing with kidney disease and, a week ago today, found her way to the giant doggie park in the sky.  She’d made a ton of friends around the lake, mostly the two-legged kind, and because the news was shared through FB, the condolence cards started arriving right away.  She had the smarts to have a vocabulary rivaling most Mensa members, but still thought she could play with the stinky black ‘n white “kitties” or the spiky ones; she didn’t learn or suffer from PTSD, apparently.  Because I didn’t get up here until just a few days ago, I’ll remember her as the silky-soft pup who sat up in front of the pontoon boat with me on the circuits around the lake.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

I was about to type that it was a relatively quiet week in NATLE-land, but we welcomed two new members, I put the finishing touches on the comprehensive President-Elect’s Guide for Joan, and generated the FY24 dues renewals.  Not bad for “quiet”.  I also packed my car Wednesday night ahead of a wee-hour departure yesterday morning bound for Michigan to visit family.

I’m happy to report that we have over 30 registrants for the November Leah S. Guerry Governmental Affairs Conference.  We are also extending the deadline to submit a Scholarship application to September 1.

Our extra copies of Elevating Engagement by our featured speaker in Philadelphia, Amanda Lea Kaiser, were not flying off the shelf, so knowing I really didn’t have anything to lose, I asked her if I could “sell them on” to one of her upcoming group presentations.  She was totally gracious, enthusiastic even, about sharing them with her audience in Cincinnati next week, so I shipped them out yesterday.  They are available through her site.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I caught up with the rest of humanity and saw Barbie last Sunday.  The cast is great, the sets are amazing, and there’s more than one “Amen, Sister”, you-GO-girl monologue.  (I had to sit on my hands to stop myself from clapping.)  It’s not a musical, but the big dance scenes looked like they were really fun to make.  I’ve decided not to venture down to the basement to search for my Barbie house and dolls…I don’t want to be disappointed when I don’t find them.  At least, if I don’t look, then they might still be there, right?  I’m glad I saw it in the theatre, I laughed out loud with the rest of the small crowd, and I’m pretty sure no one noticed that I forgot to wear Barbie-pink.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

To put a happy cap on the Annual Meeting, the leadership transition from President Barbara Jorden to Valerie O'Brien was celebrated with a reception. Valerie thanked Barbara for leading NATLE through a very productive year and presented her with a plaque. The new Board of Directors was also recognized at the reception attended by AAJ (co-sponsor) and several guests.

The Planning Committee for our November Leah S. Guerry Governmental Affairs Conference met this week to fill out the program. We have an exciting agenda with topics like coalition-building, messaging using jury research, campaign finance, and the emerging hot button issues of AI/tech liability and online privacy protection. Registration is open and we are accepting Scholarship applications through next Friday, Aug 18.

Our new Job Bank worked through a few kinks with the help of MemberCentral and we now have two positions posted. To see and/or upload a listing, first log in to our website to enable the features.

We have several extra copies of Elevating Engagement, the book by our featured guest in Philadelphia, Amanda Lea Kaiser.  Let me know if you’d like a copy (or ten) and I’ll happily ship them and email an invoice for the cost of the book, plus shipping.  I’ve already shipped a few, so get ‘em while we have ‘em!

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…so, two days after I posted my last Weekly Wrap, my cousin Stacey (who I'll be visiting next week in Michigan) let me know that her husband - who's younger than I am, btw - had a stroke. It was deep in the center of his brain and the docs say it's a good thing that he's healthy and fit, or it could have been worse. He's in rehab now and may be there at least a few weeks while the PT/OT folks get him walking again. Stacey doesn't want me to change my plans, so I'll still head out next Thursday...we'll just skip the high energy family reunion. Feeling a bit like I need to press pause for a few hours on these harder moments in life and in the news, I'm going to the movies on Sunday to see Barbie. I think I'm among the last of my friends to see it and everyone says, "Ooh, you'll have to let me know what you think." Color me curious and I look forward to the brief escape.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

I can’t believe it’s already August.  July is a bit of a blur since it’s just about entirely devoted to the Annual Meeting preparation and follow-up.  Now that that conference is in the rearview mirror, we’re looking ahead to the Leah S. Guerry Governmental Affairs Conference.  Registration is now open and we are accepting Scholarship applications.

The minimum book order we negotiated for a reduced speaker fee with our featured guest in Philadelphia, Amanda Lea Kaiser, left us with several extra copies of Elevating Engagement.  Let me know if you’d like one (or ten) and I’ll happily ship them and email an invoice for the cost of the book, plus shipping (approx. $25ea).  I’ve already shipped a few, so get ‘em while we have ‘em!

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I’ve carved out a week this summer for a little vacation and mapped out a route for my drive to Michigan later this month.  I’ll drive the 772 miles in one day, starting in the wee hours so that I arrive by early evening.  My cousin, Stacey, always tells me to let her know when I get off the highway so she can fire up her Margaritaville machine in time to meet me in the driveway with a tall frosty beverage!  I’ll be at her place until mid-week when she goes back to work with the MI Dept of Ed, then head northwest to Frankfort to take my mom’s college roommate out to lunch before crossing the state to stay with my aunt and uncle (Mom’s brother) for the rest of the week.  That’s when the relaxing part of the vacation will start.  I love my cousin dearly, but she has Taz’s energy (remember Taz, the Tasmanian devil who bedeviled Bugs Bunny? Personal fun fact, he’s my favorite Looney Tunes character).  My aunt and uncle live year-round on a no-wake lake and, in good weather, take their pontoon boat out almost every evening before dinner for a slow spin around the lake to wave to the majority seasonal or weekend neighbors.  There are usually at least a few loons (uh, no pun intended) floating and diving, and sometimes a bald eagle soaring overhead.  It’s truly my idea of paradise.

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.