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Bar News - August 13, 2004 New Board Oriented; Survey Initiative Previewed At the Board of Governors MEETING AT THE Inn on Newfound Lake on July 15, the 2004-5 New Hampshire Board of Governors held its first official meeting. Most of the session was devoted to orienting new and returning board members to their responsibilities and introducing them to the myriad of activities and services the Bar provides. David Snyder, executive director of the NH Bar Foundation, was on hand to provide information on the role of the Bar Foundation and its IOLTA program in supporting legal services and education on the law. Referendum Ballots The Board was briefed on the outcome of the counting of the ballots in the referendum on unification of the Bar, as previously reported in the July 9, 2004, issue of Bar News. Members supported mandatory Bar membership by a 3-to-1 margin (1,379 to 487.) The ballots were counted at the Annual Meeting after the Supreme Court lifted an order that had sealed the ballots pending the resolution of the constitutional challenge to the statute mandating the referendum. The court ruled in early June that the statute was unconstitutional as it infringed on a "core function" of the judiciary to decide how to regulate the legal profession. Member surveys coming NHBA Executive Director Jeannine McCoy explained a new initiative the Bar will be rolling out this year: a series of professionally conducted surveys of members. She said the firm chosen to conduct the surveys has recently done work for two other bar associations in New England and the NH Bar will be benefiting from its experience in designing surveys for the legal profession. McCoy said the first survey would seek feedback in an overview sense on the major challenges NH Bar members see for their practices. Subsequent surveys during an 18-month period will focus on particular issues. Surveys also may be used to "road-test" the appeal or value of certain member service initiatives, she said. NHBA Insurance Agency Among the services discussed during the orientation period was the two-year-old NHBA Insurance Agency, which currently provides broker services exclusively for NHBA members for professional liability and long-term care insurance. Several other lines will soon debut, including disability and life insurance, and a general business insurance liability policy for law offices. The Bar continues to actively pursue options for offering a viable group health insurance program for members despite the obstacles presented by current state insurance laws (an article on this subject will appear in an upcoming issue of Bar News). Bar Center Update Board members were updated on continuing efforts to find suitable, cost-effective options for relocation of the Bar Association headquarters to more efficient space in the Concord area. Leadership Retreat/Member Outreach The board briefly discussed continuation of the popular and successful member outreach program that provides timely and useful information to the membership, typically at county bar meetings. Also, a leadership retreat designed to identify, develop and orient members with an interest in becoming more involved in Bar activities is planned for Oct. 22-23. NHBA President-Elect Richard Y. Uchida is heading up that effort (see Bar News article in upcoming issue). Law Practice Management Task Force Bar President James Gleason explained his interest in focusing this year on enhancing Bar member services. A task force, chaired by attorney Bruce Dorner, will be focusing on how the Bar can provide more assistance to members—particularly solos and small-firm lawyers—in running their law offices, including effective guidance on technology issues. Gleason pointed out that more than two-thirds (977) of the state’s 1,300 law practices in New Hampshire are one-attorney firms, and another 336 firms, or 23 percent, are firms or offices with two to five lawyers. Position on Constitutional Amendment Possible approaches the Bar should take to the constitutional amendment, CACR 5, that would give statutes the final authority over court rules in most aspects of court operation and administration were discussed. The amendment will be the only one on the November ballot. The language is almost identical to an amendment presented to voters two years ago that failed to muster the necessary two-thirds majority to pass. The Bar has repeatedly opposed the bill in the legislature and Bar leaders spoke to newspaper editorial boards in opposition to the referendum when it last appeared on the ballot. Action on this issue was deferred, mainly because a number of members were not present at the meeting. LRE Task Force President-Elect Uchida presented a report by an interdisciplinary task force on the Bar’s Law-Related Education programs. The board will take up discussion of its recommendations at its next meeting on Sept. 16. The board may convene before that date if pressing matters come up.
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