NATLE FYI

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.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

While last week was all about the Budget, this week was more about last calls.  The Nominations for this Committee are due today, so a last call went out yesterday to round up any stragglers.  The nominees go to the Nominating Committee to determine the final slate on May 23rd.  We may have a contested position this year.

The other “last call” is to the fence-sitters who want to get in on the early-bird rate on the Annual Meeting registration.  We’re at 58 right now, so if you talk with a member, please encourage them to sign up.  The real-time roster is available on the event registration page.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…Some of you know that ten years ago I moved back into the house I grew up in.  I really wanted to observe “no mow May” for whatever the benefit…something about the environment and pollinators, but my house is on the road that everyone uses on their way into the neighborhood.  My mother loved her flower gardens and adding color and texture to the mix.  Bike riders and pedestrians would always toss complements her way whenever she was out weeding, and they still do when I can find the time to get out and maintain everything from the azaleas to the tulips.  So, when it gets back to me that the neighbors have been asking each other if I’m OK because the lawn is beginning to look a little shaggy, I know it’s time to fire up the lawn mower.  Sorry pollinators.

Good Afternoon and Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Not too different from Shark Week, it has been Budget Week in my world…time for preparing the FY24 budget.  Maybe the comparison is a stretch, but the “da dum da dum” music plays in my head as I sweat out the details and pray that I don’t miss something obvious that may be lurking in the wings.  I’m always thankful for extra eyes as the draft goes through the Finance and Executive Committees before it is presented for approval (or not) at the Membership Business Meeting in July.  The final draft will be included in the packet distributed prior to the Meeting.

We’ve added a Break sponsor to the Annual Meeting program on Saturday.  Moranco provides insurance coverage for associations and law firms, and has been working with NATLE members for years.  Our other meal and/or event sponsors are:
     TrialSmith / Counsel Financial / Skribe.ai – Working Lunch (Saturday) and Social Event (Sunday)
     Ringler Associates – Membership Luncheon (Sunday)
     SBA Funding – Mimosa Break (Sunday)
     AAJ – Executive Committee Recognition Reception (Sunday)
The most up-to-date program brochure (new info is added almost daily) is available on NATLE’s registration page.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I inadvertently started a territorial kerfuffle this week.  It’s nothing I can’t handle as the warring parties are less than pint-sized.  Each spring, regular visitors let me know when they’re back in town with a perky song that actually probably translates to, “Yo, Lady, where’s my house?”  At least one pair of house wrens consistently set up shop in the bird boxes that my stepfather built years ago and I faithfully (or perhaps, obediently) hang up as soon as I hear the call.  I was proactive this year and, during an unusually warm spell a few weeks back, hung them without waiting for the call.  I have two monitors on my desk set about 10 inches apart – this gives me a clear sightline to a beech tree with one of the boxes.  While I watched a chickadee check out the accommodations, I thought, “Uh oh, this could be a problem.”  Sure enough, the wrens are back in town and aren’t happy with the interlopers.  Though, not quite as violent as the Jets vs the Sharks (ooh, see what I did there…coming back to the beginning of this email was totally unintentional), they still faced off and the wrens took the W.

P.P.S. Yes, “actually probably” is acceptable at least in Vermont where you’ll also hear similarly odd language as, “Well, I guess maybe” as words of agreement.

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

I’ve received a request for a staff salary survey, so that will begin through an anonymous survey to the EDs.

Document uploads to our Association Management section of the Member Resources database are coming in at a pace that won’t exactly crash the system.  So far, only a handful of TLAs have participated, so we are going to try another approach – break down the effort by categories.  Watch your inbox for an email from Alison Dodge (Strategic Planning Team 3.1) about uploading CLE-related documents until mid-May, with other suggested categories to follow each week or so leading up to the Annual Meeting.  I realize that not giving any direction can lead to a mind-melting sense of “where do I even start?”.

The Social Event during the NATLE Annual Meeting will be on Sunday evening between the reception to recognize NATLE’s new executive committee and AAJ’s New Lawyers Division Party.  Details are in the works, so watch for fresh e-blasts with more info.  The most up-to-date brochure for the program is available on NATLE’s registration page. 

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…I won’t be commissioning a requiem to honor the last 13 months, but I am happy to report that the closing for Dad’s house in NH was on Monday.  That page has finally turned, but the rest of the chapter continues while I part ways (none too fast) with the occasional item from my garage and basement thanks to craigslist.  I’ve already got word out to the ‘hood that we’ll have a neighborhood-wide garage sale on Memorial Day weekend.  I’m in charge of scheduling the good weather (no biggy) and posting a sign at the bottom of the street.

Good Afternoon and Happy Earth Day Eve!

I met with our new Justice Partner, Skribe.ai, and they gave me a demo of their product.  My first impression was “it’s about time”.  It’s a real-time video (or audio) deposition and transcription platform that allows attorneys to create exhibits through really easy video clipping by highlighting the relevant text in the transcription.  A url for the clip makes them easy to share, with no login, registration, etc.  If you have a member who’s tech savvy and might make use of this service while they’re in “alpha” testing (honestly, I’ve only heard of beta, so that shows you how much I know), let me know and I can connect the dots.  I opened my trap and said “it’d be great to have a few testimonials” for their demo with us in Philadelphia. 

I’ll be sending out reminders today and next week about EC nominations, Annual Meeting registration (the Planning Committee is just finalizing a few panels), and the Association Management documents upload contest.  Great news for TLA Staff attending the Annual Meeting – Anne Doohan (AAJ) has approved their badges for the Opening Reception.  If the codes are consistent with last year, there will be an “OP” on the front.

NATLE’s registration page is open, as is AAJ’s registration page.  Our meetings will be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. 

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…Earth Day is a worldwide event, but Green Up Day is a Vermont original.  The first Green Up Vermont Day was on a Saturday in April 1970 when they closed the highways for three hours so volunteers could pick up litter.  A total of 70,000 Vermonters cleaned up the roadsides throughout the state and, because 90% of what was collected was beer bottles, the legislature passed our “Bottle Bill” in 1972.  It migrated to the first Saturday in May and it feels good to get out and keep Vermont green.  (I do shake my head, though, at the slobs who toss trash out of their vehicles.  You know what they say about karma, though, so they’ll get theirs!)

Good Afternoon and Happy Friday!

First things first, this isn’t new, but I’m a big fan of Katie Porter and her sit down with Stephen Colbert this week had me smiling and laughing for over 8 minutes.  It’s well worth the looksee.

Registration is strong for the NATLE Annual Meeting.  Because we have several first-timers signed up, I’m encouraging registrants to make sure they have a headshot uploaded to their myNATLE page.  I took the suggestion from Juliette Bleecker (thank you!) to make a directory of attendees at the Winter Meeting, but I’ll have my act together in time to produce it be-FORE the Annual Meeting.  If you haven't uploaded a headshot, please do so we can have a proper directory without the generic silhouette heads.  NATLE’s registration page is open, as is AAJ’s registration page.  Our meetings will be held at the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown. 

The Scholarship Committee met this week to discuss the applications for the Tommy Townsend Memorial Scholarship and this year’s awardee is Julianna Koob, Executive Director of the New Mexico Trial Lawyers Association.

Look for an email next week with a short survey designed by Connie’s crew that’s working on the Advocacy portal of the Member Resource Center.  The survey’s purpose is to understand the resources, ie. AAJ talking points, documents, etc., that were pivotal to any legislative wins this past session.

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

P.S. in case you’re still here…one thing I’m NOT a fan of is U-Haul.  If you’ve been a steady reader of these postscripts, you know I’ve helped my dad move up to Vermont from New Hampshire and close out his house over the past year.  Every other weekend, I’d make the 5-hour round trip to pack boxes and load up my car, and I’ve twice rented a U-Haul van to bring back bigger items that, along with those boxes, now occupy half my garage (and most of my basement).  The closing on the sale of the house is in just over a week and there are two pieces left that I’d hoped to sell before this point – large canoes on their own trailers.  These aren’t the kind you throw up on a roof rack, especially not the 24’ Gaspé Atlantic Salmon fishing canoe.  Anyway, back to U-Haul and why they’ve lost my business.  I’d called them two weeks ago to set up a tow hitch installation on my car for this past Tuesday, but when I stopped in to drop off my car, the employee said I wasn’t in the schedule.  Worse yet, despite the fact that my quote was in the system, they hadn't ordered the parts and it would be a week before they’d arrive.  My neighbor, who had come to give me a ride home, is no gentle giant, but rather a 6’4” 400-pound Bahamian and he’s very protective of his family and close friends.  After an initial, flat-out “No” from the manager to any suggestion of how to make this right for my time-sensitive situation, Darrin’s “logic” had the manager offering to drive down in his personal truck to retrieve a canoe.  Smart men don’t mess with Darrin.  Instead, rather than get into any weird potential liability scenarios, we walked out and I’m going with Plan B – I’ll make two round-trip bombs down to NH next week with my new hitch from Yipes Stripes, to be installed on Monday.  There’s light at the end of this tunnel.