This column is adapted from Cary Davis’s speech delivered at the May 24, 2023 MCB Annual Meeting.
First things first: Gratitude.
I started getting involved in the Mecklenburg County Bar early in my career, beginning with the Bar Leadership Institute program, because my law firm, Robinson Bradshaw, is deeply committed to the Bar, and encouraged me to do so. I’m blessed to have the privilege of practicing law with such incredibly supportive colleagues and friends. To my professional family, thank you.
I also want to the thank the members of this Bar with whom I’ve had the privilege of serving over the years– the committee and section chairs, Board members, and Presidents Heather Culp, Timika Shafeek-Horton, Chris Lam, Heath Gilbert, Fred DeVore, and Erin Taylor. You’ve inspired me, and so many others in our Bar, with your commitment, high character, talent, and wisdom.
Finally, I want to thank the superb staff of the Mecklenburg County Bar. Executive Director Leah Campbell, Associate Executive Director Shannon Reid, and the rest of the team: your mostly behind-the-curtains work often goes unnoticed, and unrecognized, because things happen as they should. But make no mistake: We could not have navigated the myriad unique challenges presented these last couple of years without you. Thank you.
Next, some news. I’m a recovering journalist – can’t resist.
Last year at the annual meeting the members of the Bar voted to bifurcate. That is, we decided to split into two organizations: a mandatory bar that fulfills the statutory requirements of judicial district bars, and a voluntary bar that does non-mandatory things like CLE, sections, YLD, Bar sports. The timing of when bifurcation would take effect was made contingent upon the sale of the Bar & Foundation Center. When it was clear in January that any sale of the building would not close by the end of this fiscal year (June 30), the Board made the decision to push back bifurcation to July 1, 2024.
We now have a contract with a buyer, and we are optimistic that the sale of the building will close next month. If that happens, and we’re keeping our fingers crossed, we’ll remain in the Bar & Foundation building for a few months until we move into a new space. We are in negotiations for leased space in the vicinity of Uptown and have several potential locations we are targeting. Hopefully, we will have a new home by the Fall.
The space will be much smaller: 3,500 square feet, down from the current 24,000 square feet. It will largely be a home for the staff, with some conference room space for meetings. We will not have space for mediations, mock trials, or CLEs. That means we’ll be doing events at law firms and other locations across the county. We will literally “bring the Bar to the Bar.”
I can also report that the Board has been busy this past year working on a strategic plan for the new voluntary bar. Which leads me to the final topic I want to touch on today…
What’s next?
As the Board went through the strategic planning process, our vision and mission became clear. What sets us apart from national and state bar organizations is our geographically local nature. We all practice law in this community. The unique value-add our Bar can provide its members is to “champion the local.” That is our mission.
Covid changed the office culture of our profession. Many of us now spend less time in the office, meaning less face time with each other. The courthouse was a quiet place for a long time. Many lawyers feel more isolated now. Our Bar has more than 6,000 lawyers, which can make connecting with our colleagues more difficult. Connections were easier when we were smaller.
We aim to facilitate those connections. To foster a sense of belonging. To enrich our members’ professional lives beyond just screen time, Zoom, client work, billable hours. To enable building relationships with attorneys in our communities with whom we don’t work, who may have completely different practices and come from different backgrounds. To enable us to be not just better, more-fulfilled lawyers, but also better citizens and community members.
Change presents opportunities. We have an exciting year ahead. You’ll be hearing plenty more from us, and we definitely want, and need, to hear from you.
I’m honored to be entrusted with the job of leading our Bar over the next year. There’s a lot of work to be done, but I could not be more excited about our future.
Read the full newsletter here: MCB Newsletters (meckbar.org)