NATLE FYI

Good Morning and Happy Friday the 13th!

Please note that the NATLE-coordinated Tacos & Tequila Walking Tour on Friday, Feb 20, didn’t have enough sign-ups, but if you are committed to going, please connect with Kwedi TODAY for details.  If you are coming to the NATLE Winter Meeting, you can find the agenda within the program brochure here and on our website, under the Events tab.  Our first organized event is Happy Hour on Friday at the Sun Deck (at the Hotel) at 4pm.  Western Alliance Bank has invited us for cocktails at this oceanfront oasis!

The Let America Know program is beginning to pay dividends to participating TLAs.  I’m happy to announce that over $2,000 has been distributed based on Q4 engagement by firms in seven states and the other 16 TLAs should see their first checks in the next few quarters.  In May, we’ll debut ad and email templates and the LAK team will join us in Chicago to answer any questions.  In the meantime, contact Bill or Steve at Let America Know.

Jarret Prussin, of SBA Loans dba Business Funding Group, reached out this week to let us know that, for 2026, they are “going in another direction” with their marketing and business development.  While we’ll miss their Platinum Justice Partnership, we understand that since the pandemic, they weren’t seeing the previous level of a return on investment.  We hope they’ll take us up on an offer to brainstorm new approaches to their outreach and marketing strategies in the future.

The Planning Committee for our Annual Meeting in Chicago is going to be taking shape soon, so if you’re interested in having input on the topics, speakers, or activities, please reach out to Alison Dodge or me.  Save the dates -- July 25-27 at the Hyatt Regency.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…In the northeast, we’re “enjoying” temps in the single digits and below zero (Fahrenheit), but that’s not that unusual.  Dealing with the cold comes with the, ahem, territory and isn’t a surprise.  There’s nothing like the disappointing surprise, though, when I slip between my flannel sheets expecting a warm, comfy cave only to discover that I forgot to turn on the electric blanket.  Argh.  That’s a lesson learned that will stay with me the rest of comforter season.

Good Morning and Happy Friday –

If you are coming to the NATLE Winter Meeting, we have 11 spots left in the Tacos & Tequila Walking Tour on Friday, Feb 20.  Meet in The Del’s lobby at 11:30 to share rides to Old Town San Diego.  Tickets are $84 and the 2.5-hour tour makes six stops at restaurants and historic properties.  Kwedi Moore is collecting names, so get your name to her as soon as possible!  Cut-off is toward the end of next week.

The Planning Committee for our Annual Meeting in Chicago is going to be taking shape soon, so if you’re interested in having input on the topics, speakers, or activities, please reach out to Alison Dodge or me.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…AI hasn’t helped me uncover a word that encapsulates the atmosphere, ambiance, and vibe of a space.  To say there was a difference in the “atmosambivibe” (call Webster!) between the airport in Amsterdam and [insert ANY U.S. airport] is putting it mildly.  Airports in Europe are clean, orderly, calm, and automated.  I especially wasn’t familiar with that last one, but in Schiphol, check-in is a self-guided process with plenty of handy navigators to spot the dear-God-now-what look that was apparently on my face.  In perfect English (am I really that easy to read?!), my helper politely guided me to a giant breadbox where I was to put my checked bag.  As soon as I scanned my passport, the breadbox lid closed and out spit my boarding pass.  No line, no wait, no hair-pulling.  The gate area was clean and my fellow passengers were relaxed. By contrast, during the 7-hour wait for my connection at JFK, it was loud, chaotic, and stressful.  Worst of all, I spotted a mouse in one shabby gate area was scampering between crumbs left behind by at least one sloppy eater.  Poor mouse.

Good Morning and Happy Friday –

I’ve heard that the AAJ room block at the Hotel del Coronado is full.  If you need a room to attend the NATLE Winter Meeting, please contact Urania Bradley at AAJ to book a room at the Glorietta Bay Inn directly across the street from the Del.  We have 11 spots left in the Tacos & Tequila Walking Tour through Old Town San Diego.  Tickets are $84 and the 2.5-hour tour makes six stops at restaurants and historic properties.  Kwedi Moore is collecting names, so get your name to her as soon as you’ve decided!

Our long-time friend at Strategic Capital, Ric Perez, recently founded Paws for Justice, a 501(c)3 that partners legal professionals and shelter pets.  Ric will join us on Sunday, Feb 22, during the lunch break with his furry pals, Toby and Milo, to describe the program and how he can link you with your local shelters.  We’ll have refreshments, so don’t dash off without grabbing a bite and saying hi to our four-legged guests.  Strategic Capital Corporation has also renewed their Justice Partnership, so thank you to them!

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…I just read that Jolly Ranchers and SweeTarts contain harmful levels of arsenic, but what really stopped me in my tracks was seeing that Snickers made the list, too.  I’ve used this space in the past to opine that, along with sushi and lobster, Snickers is among my favorite foods.  (Faithful readers may remember my experience with a deep-fried Snickers bar at the NC State Fair in Raleigh that really should have come with a side order of defibrillator.)  High school chemistry is a distant memory, but I don’t recall that arsenic is used as a flavor enhancer or preservative, so what in tarnation is it doing in candy?  The article included a reassuring list of “healthier” alternatives and I was relieved to see Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in that group.  In these topsy turvy days, I expect if I squint at the new HHS food pyramid, I might see Snickers up at the top.

Good Morning and Happy Friday –

HOT tip: If you’re looking for past Conference materials, documents are accessible from the Events tab.  At the bottom of the drop-down, click on  "Calendars", then on “Calendar View”, and toggle to the right month.  Click on the event and scroll down to the materials section.

I’ve heard that the AAJ room block at the Hotel del Coronado is full.  If you need a room to attend the NATLE Winter Meeting, please contact Urania Bradley at AAJ to book a room at the Glorietta Bay Inn directly across the street from the Del.  We have 11 spots left in the Tacos & Tequila Walking Tour through Old Town San Diego.  Tickets are $84 and the 2.5-hour tour makes six stops at restaurants and historic properties.  Kwedi Moore is collecting names, so get your name to her as soon as you’ve decided!

Our long-time friend at Strategic Capital, Ric Perez, recently founded Paws for Justice, a 501(c)3 that partners legal professionals and shelter pets.  Ric will join us on Sunday, Feb 22, during the lunch break with his furry pals, Toby and Milo, to describe the program and how he can link you with your local shelters.  We’ll have refreshments, so don’t dash off without grabbing a bite and saying hi to our four-legged guests.  Strategic Capital Corporation has also renewed their Justice Partnership, so thank you to them!

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…I think this is my third-in-a-row Dry January, but this year, rather than resort to root beer and ginger ale to accompany my dinners out, I’ve stuck my toe into the expanding world of NA beers.  My first was a citrusy IPA from Athletic Brewing Co.  I braced myself for the swill that I recalled from its early ancestor, O’Doul’s, but was pleasantly surprised.  I didn’t feel like I was compromising.  Restaurants are answering the call for alternatives, but it seems like only a few are taking the time to add mocktails to their menus.  Maybe if I keep asking – and looking really sad when they say they have no options – they’ll get the hint.

P.P.S. Weather reports are dire for the weekend with below zero temps (yuck), piles of snow (bring it), and sleet (hard pass).  My power rarely goes out, so I don’t have a generator.  My neighbor has one, so I just let him know I’ll be knocking on his door if we lose power.  Stay warm, my friends!

Good Morning and Happy Friday –

Sponsor news!  We have a “conference sponsor” that has made a big splash with their broad marketing outreach to TLAs.  Supio has recently signed on with significant support of the NATLE Winter Meeting and they’re sending several representatives to join us in San Diego.  They are sponsoring a Working Lunch on Saturday and are putting together a description of their products and services geared toward your members.  As a fun bonus, they’ve let me know they are putting together a gift drop for our NATLE members!  Don’t wait to register and if you don’t yet have a hotel reservation, please contact Urania Bradley at AAJ to book a room at the Glorietta Bay Inn directly across the street from the Del. 

Our old friend at Strategic Capital, Ric Perez, recently founded Paws for Justice, a 501(c)3 that partners legal professionals and shelter pets.  Ric will join us on Sunday, Feb 22, during the lunch break with his furry pals, Toby and Milo, to describe the program and how he can link you with your local shelters.  We’ll have refreshments, so don’t dash off without grabbing a bite and saying hi to our four-legged guests.  Strategic Capital is also renewing their Justice Partnership, so thank you to them!

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…I have a milestone high school reunion coming up this summer and I recently made a decision about my appearance.  Yes, I’m no longer going to fight the grays and finally embrace the inevitable.  For me, I realized I’d rather be a young-looking GenXer, than a 50-something in denial.  Besides, I don’t want to be the only one at my – okay, you dragged it out of me – 40th reunion with her finger in the dike, afraid of never being asked for ID again.  Once I sent a photo of what I wanted to my stylist and reassured her that this wasn’t a sayonara to her professional help, she got on board and became a willing partner in this journey.  What a relief!

P.P.S. Is anyone else feeling destabilized by the last 12 months, and especially the last few weeks?  I think that’s part of my difficulty in returning to being fully present and in Work Mode after the holidays.  Invasions, deportations, threats to allied countries, support for protesters in a foreign country, but not in our own…I reluctantly took down my U.S. flag yesterday.  I feel like I’m standing on a “wobble board” in a 9.9 earthquake.  Just yesterday, after Machado (inexplicably, to me) presented him (we all know who I’m talking about) with her Nobel, he spared no time after she left to use his megaphone to discredit her level of support at home.  So much for trying to buy his favor.

Good Morning and Welcome to the First Weekly Wrap of 2026 –

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and Happy New Year!

We have several sponsors – as well as a few new ones to NATLE – joining us in San Diego for the NATLE Winter Meeting, so this is a great opportunity to meet them in person and get your questions answered about how they can work for you and your members.  Don’t wait to register for the Winter Meeting and make your hotel reservations under the “AAJ” block. 

Do you have a new headshot or emergency contact?  Update your member record at natle.org before the next conference so that we can produce the most complete attendee directory.  If you tell us about any allergens, it also helps us avoid the trigger foods in our buffets and, in an emergency, reach out to your family or friends for vital information.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…My riverboat experience over the holidays was exceptional and I’m so glad my friend (and now travel guru) recommended the 2-day pre-cruise land package in Amsterdam.  I was one of 11 and we bonded while exploring Amsterdam and Haarlem, before embarking on Christmas Day.  Rather than getting shoved into the pool without knowing a soul on the ship, it was nice to have warmed up in the shallow end and already have a posse to hang out with for happy hours and meals.  Aussies and Brits and Canadians were the norm and they sympathized with my desire to be seen as more Canadian than American – "after all," they justified, "Vermont is Canada-adjacent" and the border is less than an hour from where I sit here at NATLE HQ!  The excursions brought us to working windmills, ancient castles, and a professional kitchen where we made our own chocolate bars with any (or all) of a dozen toppings.  My neck is still sore from walking around with my head tilted up admiring the iconic architecture.  Sadly, while I’d love to take advantage of the discount on another cruise in the next three years, I came home in the wee hours just a day before the military invaded Venezuela to kidnap Maduro.  Later that day, I heard about citizens in our allied countries burning the American flag.  I think I’ll wait until the world hates us a little less before venturing across the pond again.

Good Morning and Happy Friday [and last WW of the year!

Monday’s joint session with NATLE and AAJ leadership described the respective roles and responsibilities within both of our organizations, as well as the resources available to support your association’s success.  It was an overview of our shared priorities and clarified how we work together across advocacy, membership, and fundraising initiatives.  We called it an onboarding/orientation session, but it was meant for both our new members AND long-timers as a refresher. It was recorded, so feel free to view on your own schedule.  Link to slides is also on our site under the Events tab/Zoom Series.

The Early-Bird registration rate for the NATLE Winter Meeting has been extended in case your association operates on a calendar fiscal year.  The deadline to save $25 is now January 3rd.  It’s definitely time to register for the Winter Meeting and if you haven’t made your hotel reservations, rumor has it that the room block is close to full or has sold out and, since it’s under “AAJ”, we don’t have any secret stash. 

Have you updated your website within the last year or so?  We’re interested in your experience, lessons learned, and any wisdom you might pass along to those who are contemplating the prospect.  Send your thoughts and tips through a direct reply (jsmith@natle.org).  If there’s enough interest from both sides – those who’ve been through an upgrade and those who are thinking about it – we can explore a Zoom Series session or include it as a roundtable at the Annual Meeting in Chicago.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…The end-of-year holidays are really quiet here at NATLE HQ, so I’m taking advantage of the downtime.  I’ve booked a riverboat cruise with two pre-cruise nights on land.  I’ll leave Monday afternoon for Amsterdam and spend one full day touring the city before embarking on Christmas Day.  We’ll sail over to the coastal delta in the southwest of The Netherlands, down to Ghent in Belgium, then east to Brussels before heading north back to Amsterdam.  Castles, botanical gardens, and a chocolate-making demo are some of the excursions I chose.  I didn’t splurge for the suite or balcony (since it’ll be in the low/mid-40s), but each stateroom has a sliding door and at least a railing if I need fresh air.  I know I’ll be on the Rhine for a little bit, but I can’t suss out the exact track through the maze of canals.  I fly back on New Year’s Day.  I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and I’ll see you next year!

P.P.S. For the second winter in a row, I looked out my kitchen window one morning this week to spot a bagel (poppyseed, I think) perched in a fork of the burning bush.  I’m sure a squirrel thought it would be safe to stash it up there, out of reach of his hungry compatriots.  What he didn’t count on was an eagle-eyed flycatcher who also spotted it and was helping himself to the loot.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

The deadline to submit a scholarship application for the NATLE Winter Meeting has been extended to next Wednesday, December 17.  The criteria have also been relaxed for this upcoming conference to include not just full-time NATLE members, but part-time, as well.  The funds cover travel and hotel, plus a complimentary registration.  Criteria and timeline are found via the above link as well as on our website under the Events tab. It’s time to register for the Winter Meeting and if you haven’t made your hotel reservations, rumor has it that the room block is close to full or has sold out and, since it’s under “AAJ”, we don’t have any secret stash.  The Early-Bird rate has also been extended for those associations that operate on a calendar fiscal year.  The deadline to save $25 is now January 3rd.

Monday’s joint session with NATLE and AAJ leadership will answer your questions about the roles, responsibilities, and resources available to support your association’s success.  The presentation will provide an overview of our shared priorities, clarify how we work together across advocacy, membership, and fundraising initiatives, and give you an opportunity to get your questions answered. We’re calling this an onboarding/orientation session, but it’s meant for both our new members AND long-timers as a refresher. Get your Zoom link and calendar reminder in advance for the December 15 1pmET discussion.

As we ramp up to legislative season, we have launched two new ListServs for ease of focused discussions on 1) trucking immunity, and 2) utility immunity for wildfires.  These are in addition to our active pesticide immunity listserv.  If you would like to be added to any or all groups, let me know.  We also have listservs for communications, amicus, and public/gov’t affairs roles.

One of our speakers in Philadelphia, Amanda Kaiser, comes out with weekly vlogs that offer valuable tips that are built on her foundation of Elevating Engagement.  Here’s the latest on how to boost member engagement, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fr-30g_avV4

Our hearts are with our folks in the west (WA, OR, BC) who are dealing with a whole lot of rain.  It looks like it’s creeping eastward, so keep your Wellies and bumbershoots handy.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…In the ongoing Adventures with an Aging Parent, Dad called a few weeks ago and said that he’d gashed his arm.  Long story short, I couldn’t tell how deep it was so we went to the walk-in clinic for a professional looksee.  Unlike an ER, we arrived 30 minutes before closing time and were the only “guests”.  The staff was wonderful with nary a grumble that we were keeping them from whatever drivel is on cable these days.  Turns out, the wound was deep enough that he came away with eight stitches, but zero added insight as to how it happened.  Apparently, he took the stairs with a little too much momentum and, at the 90-degree turn, bumped into the railing with his forearm taking the brunt of his weight.  The clinic sent us on our way with a swag bag of gauze, tape, and single-serve packets of Bacitracin to change the dressing each day.  He was a real trouper getting the stitches, so I was surprised that he tried wimping out on washing it on Day 3.  He relented when I showed him the directions on wound treatment from the clinic.  The sutures came out the following week, along with a warning to slow down on the stairs!

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Earlier this week, we announced the addition of a scholarship for the NATLE Winter Meeting! The funds cover travel and hotel, plus a complimentary registration.  This has been approved and implemented since the GAC, so time is tight and the deadline to submit an application is next Wednesday. Criteria and timeline are found via the above link as well as on our website under the Events tab. It’s time to register for the Winter Meeting and if you haven’t made your hotel reservations, be forewarned that the room block regularly sells out and, since it’s under “AAJ”, we don’t have any leverage.

An upcoming joint session with NATLE and AAJ leadership will answer your questions about the roles, responsibilities, and resources available to support your association’s success.  The presentation will provide an overview of our shared priorities, clarify how we work together across advocacy, membership, and fundraising initiatives, and give you an opportunity to get your questions answered. We’re calling this an onboarding/orientation session, but it’s meant for both our new members AND long-timers as a refresher. Get your Zoom link and calendar reminder in advance for the December 15 1pmET discussion.

As we ramp up to legislative season, we have launched two new ListServs for ease of focused discussions on 1) trucking immunity, and 2) utility immunity for wildfires.  These are in addition to our active pesticide immunity listserv.  If you would like to be added to any or all groups, let me know.

Heads up, Crooners and Hikers! In response to the bonus questions in the evaluation form, we’ll scope out the local karaoke bars in Tucson and reserve the hotel shuttle to take a group into Sabino Canyon for a little wildlife “fix”. If only the comments that are submitted post-conference could be addressed while we’re still together, we could allay some concerns right away, for example, “[w]ith the hybrid option…next time put a screen in front of your presenters so they do not have to say ‘next screen’.” I believe we had one remote speaker whose standard M.O. is to ask their staff to advance the slides – it was not an omission in technology. When in-person presenters don’t use their own laptop, we accommodated with a laptop and clicker. The pivot to hybrid may not have been 100% satisfactory, but it’s what we could do on short notice and those who would otherwise not have been able to join us – registrants and five speakers – were appreciative. Similarly, a majority of submitted evaluations favored the current Saturday morning to Monday noon format. This one-day shift was approved by the Board in response to an offer from the hotel to reduce our F&B minimum by $3k. (As it turns out, we were still short on the tab – KC prices were less than half of those in San Fran.)

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…When I woke up my phone this morning, the outside temperature read “5oF”. Surely it was missing a digit on the left, though preferably on the right, but I knew that couldn’t be so since there’s still a layer of snow on the ground from the past few days. As I write this, it has crept up to 8. I suppose this should get me in the mood to venture out in the next hour to pick up the wreath I ordered back in October, but all I can think about is the rock-hard car seat and the chilly minutes I’ll have to endure while the bun warmer and steering wheel heater kick in. That last feature may seem extra frivolous, but there’s nothing like wrapping your hands around a nice warm steering wheel while the rest of the car thaws out. Also, the reaction time is much better than when I sit on my hands, haha.

Good Morning and Happy Friday!

Thank you to the, so far 21, attendees of the 2025 Governmental Affairs Conference for completing the Evaluation.  The responses, especially the comments, help guide future planning committees on the preferences around the days of the week, included meals vs. free time, more topics vs. more free time, hybrid option vs. logistics/expense, and more.  If you have input to impart, please submit it to your favorite Board Member or send me an email.  Each subsequent conference is designed as a direct response to the feedback we receive, so your participation is important.

At the Membership Business Meeting, we had a robust discussion relative to the NATLE finances.  A survey seeking your ideas on the best use of these funds is in the works and should be distributed next week.  Your input will help direct the future projects, resources, and services for our members.

Following the Breakout Sessions at the GAC, we have launched two new ListServs for ease of focused discussions on 1) trucking immunity, and 2) utility immunity for wildfires.  If you would like to be added to either or both groups, let me know.

If you have and use an Owl conference camera and have any lessons learned or experience to share, I’m interested in hearing about it.  We are considering adding the camera to NATLE’s assets.  Is it worth the price for two to three meetings a year or will the technology be obsolete within 12 months?

The Planning Committee met this week to begin laying out the program for the NATLE Winter Meeting in San Diego on Saturday, Feb 21 and Sunday, Feb 22.  Program Co-Chairs, Bonnie Benitez and Juliette Bleecker are interested in hearing from you if you have suggestions for topics and/or speakers.  The program will be heavy on AI and its various tools, uses, and a demo using a social media event planning scenario. We’re hoping to set up a Working Lunch with 3-4 AI vendors to learn what they can offer your TLA members. Breakout topics floated, so far, include membership, events/programs, sponsorship/exhibits, and conference safety and security.  If you plan to attend, the first step is to register with AAJ which is free for NATLE members and required to make room reservations, ensure a name badge, and access all events.  At any point, you can register for the NATLE program.  The Committee is exploring a “taco ‘n tequila tour” for Friday afternoon, so we’ll keep you posted.  If you’re interested in participating in the program planning phases, join the Planning Team!  This is a great opportunity to work with your counterparts (EDs and Staff) to suggest topics and speakers that are relevant to you and the mission of trial lawyer associations.  We are making a Scholarship available to the Winter Meeting, so stay tuned for a call for applications!

We are happy to announce the location of our 2026 Governmental Affairs Conference will be the Westin La Paloma in Tucson, AZ.  Please save the dates of November 7-9, 2026.  We selected the property based on the most favorable room rate, reduced resort fee, proximity to the airport (TUS) and multiple restaurants, as well as the intangibles like warmth and responsiveness of staff, the breath-taking views, and available amenities (spa, shuttle to Sabino Canyon for hiking, and stargazing on the patio thanks to the city’s Dark Sky Ordinance).

Just a quick reminder, too, to LMK if you have major events and conferences that ought to be listed in our TLA Master Calendar, simply send me the title, dates, and location for each event.

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

P.S. In case you’re still here…I sort of knew what a ham hock was, but viewed them as one would a dusty pickle jar containing a formaldehyde-soaked fetal cat in a science classroom. Never in my wildest dreams did it ever occur to me to not only buy pig’s feet, but to actually cook them in something I’d personally eat.  Nope, no way. Then I came across a NYT recipe for Slow Cooker Senate Bean Soup. The photo stirred up thoughts of perfect, chilly-weather comfort food. The 6-hour cook time in the crock pot sealed the deal and I was up for an experiment. I love crock pot recipes where there’s no pre-cooking, you just dump everything in and press go. I’d call it a success and a recipe I’ll made again, though not for a few months since I have enough servings in the freezer to make me sick of it for a while.