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Bar News - November 5, 2004 Future Leaders Consider the Bar's Future at a 'Revolutionary' Retreat The Bar Association invited a number of attorneys with varying levels of involvement in Bar activities to attend a Leadership Conference on the weekend of Oct. 22-23 at Waterville Valley. The following letter was delivered to Bar News on the following Monday morning. Additional follow-up coverage of the outcome of this retreat will be published in subsequent issues of Bar News. FOR THE LAST 36 HOURS, I have had the privilege of attending the New Hampshire Bar Association Leadership Conference in Waterville Valley with about 70 other colleagues of the NH Bar. The purpose of the conference was to discuss how we can achieve greater involvement in the Bar and in Bar leadership. I willingly agreed to attend but not without some reluctance and cynicism, presupposing that the usual ideas would be tossed around by the usual suspects and at the end of the seminar, nothing would have changed. I couldn't have been more wrong.
New and experienced lawyers gathered in facilitated discussions at the NHBA Leadership Retreat to brainstorm ideas for making the Bar more relevant to members, and to find new ways to enhance the participation of members in the Bar. We met at 9 a.m. on Friday morning and almost immediately there was a sense of excitement about the nature of this retreat and its purpose. Add to that a different and diverse group of both new and experienced lawyers from all sectors of the legal community, and I began to feel that this could be a unique opportunity to really accomplish something. All of us came with a desire to contribute but we were guided by Michael Brandwein (a phenomenal facilitator), a dedicated, energetic planning committee and a truly inspirational speech by our Chief Justice, the Hon. John Broderick. When we finally began our real work, which posed the revolutionary question, "What cataclysmic changes can we make in the New Hampshire Bar Association so that it is vital, visionary and relevant to both its unified members and to the citizens of this state who deserve a legal system to which they can have full access?" it occurred to me that the extraordinary gift I had been given was unfettered time to think, brainstorm with some amazing minds, and actually (dare I say it?) find solutions to problems or obstacles that can be implemented "immediately." Surrounded by the beauty and quiet of the White Mountains, given the luxury of not having to think about the countless tasks, errands and work we have at home, getting to know other lawyers that we would seldom have the opportunity to meet, also made our work easier. And in truth it did not feel like work but rather like a privilege and a chance to make history. In the days and weeks ahead, you will hear from us in various ways and we will tell you more specifically what solutions and ideas we crafted and we will ask you to help us make them happen. You can contribute in big ways and small or not at all, but please give us the chance to share these ideas with you and try to suspend disbelief and cynicism for a few moments or longer. It could make a world of difference to us all. Linda Argenti
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