Last month we shared the disappointing news that the long-awaited sale of the Bar & Foundation Center was off. The prospective buyers, who had obtained multiple extensions and had the property under contract for some 11 months, encountered 11th-hour funding issues and informed us that they were unable to close the sale. The property went back on the market.
A setback, for sure. But only a temporary one. In fact, there’s ample cause for optimism:
- As soon as we re-listed the property, offers (and good ones) started coming in.
- Relocation efforts, meanwhile, never slowed. We are in negotiations for leased office space in the Midtown area. If we are able to come to terms, we think we’ll have a new home in the Spring. And we’ll essentially be cutting our occupancy costs in half compared to what we currently pay for the Bar & Foundation Center.
- The Bar’s finances stand in great shape, with operating reserves around $1.4 million.
The boards of both the Bar and the Foundation weighed those points, and other factors, and concluded that the only right and prudent course was to move forward with bifurcation.
The term “bifurcation” gets thrown around a lot. But what does bifurcation really mean? At the most basic level, we’re splitting into two organizations: (1) a mandatory bar (the 26th Judicial District Bar) that will handle specific, limited functions required by statute; and (2) a voluntary bar (the Mecklenburg Bar Association, or “MBA”) that will handle the vast majority of our current programming, including CLE, committees, sections, pro bono and more. You can read more about it here: MeckBar.org/bifurcation.
MCB members voted overwhelmingly to bifurcate in 2022. The thinking back then, though, was that we couldn’t proceed with bifurcation until we sold the Bar & Foundation Center. Now, considering the factors outlined above, we are confident we can go ahead and bifurcate effective July 1, 2024.
We spent this past year working on the future strategic plan with consultant Dave Newell and looking at what really matters to bar members. What do we do that other bar organizations don’t? We realized that we do local – Mecklenburg County -- better than anyone else. We’re going to do even better.
We exist to provide belonging so members can connect, lead and serve. This is our current tagline and will continue to be for the MBA. We strive to live up to four values and core behaviors: Take Ownership; Choose to Include; Make a Difference and Return the Cart.
With that in mind, leadership from both boards, committees and sections came together for the annual orientation in mid-August. We showed them the strategic plan and solicited feedback from them, asking for their perspectives within their respective work environments. They shared truly valuable ideas to help make the transition to the MBA as smooth as possible.
I know that the question of lower dues is a hot topic with bifurcation. Dues will be less than you’re paying now for the mandatory bar and we’re evaluating different dues pricing structures for the voluntary side. As with other organizations’ membership pricing, the more you pay, the more benefits you’ll receive with the MBA.
We could not be more excited about our future. This is an opportunity for a fresh start for our new association. You’ll be hearing a lot more from us as we work hard to ensure a successful launch of the Mecklenburg Bar Association.
But we really want to hear from you - your wish list, your feedback, etc. In the coming weeks, our staff will be distributing a survey to gather your input regarding your expectations for our bar.
We hope you will share your insight and opinions on how to make the MBA the best it can be. Please feel free to contact me or Executive Director Leah Campbell (lcampbell@meckbar.org) with any questions or feedback. We look forward to hearing from you.