The following is a condensed version of 2005-6 NHBA President Richard Y. Uchida’s remarks prepared for the Annual Meeting, delivered on June 27, 2005.

Two years ago, I wrote to many of you and asked for your help in electing me vice president of the Bar. I did that, even though I ran unopposed, because I have a history of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory! Seriously though, I promised you that if you elected me, I would combine the best of the old with the promise of the new.

As we look around this wonderful room, many of us realize this is a very different Bar world from the Bar world of 20 or 30 years ago. Back then, like many civic groups and organizations of its time, the Bar built its strength on the social bonding it provided its members. Life as a lawyer revolved around the activity of the Association, which was the major social and professional institution of its day. That world has changed.

Our numbers at Bar meetings are down. By virtue of the rapid growth in numbers of lawyers in the New Hampshire Bar, the Association has placed less emphasis on bonding among lawyers, and greater emphasis on bridging out to lawyers with interests as diverse as this state has ever seen. Participation in Bar leadership at all levels has waned. Volunteer lawyers like you, who are so critical to the work of Bar committees and sections, are dwindling in numbers. And in critical areas such as pro bono service and civic and charitable causes, demand for you and lawyers like you continues to outstrip the supply substantially.

Indeed, our world has changed. There are unimaginable economic, cultural and technological forces that have affected our profession in profound ways – some for the better, some for the worse. Many of us have 24/7 practices. Our cars, our vacations, even our bathrooms, are no longer sanctuaries. Our colleagues are not always lawyers in New Hampshire, but attorneys from Oklahoma, law firms from California or magistrates in Florida. In addition, our success as lawyers is too often defined by our financial productivity, and not by our accomplishments and character.

To grapple with these changes, our Association has studied the future. In 1997, under Pat Hayes, and again in 2001 under Greg Robbins, this Association unlocked some of the secrets of the future. I am proud to tell you that as a result of that work, and the continued dedication of your Board of Governors, we have a pretty decent handle on that future. Using that crystal ball, we have kept your Association valuable.

I believe this has been confirmed in two ways. First, while traveling around New Hampshire as your president-elect and in meeting with newer lawyers, especially in the wake of last year’s conference at Waterville Valley, I have been told time and again that our Association remains valuable. Second, I believe that if our Association did not have value to its members, then support last year for the unified bar would not have been nearly as high.

The words of that great philosopher, Spiderman, should echo in your ears when thinking about the value of our Association: "With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility."

And our responsibility is to make your Association more valuable — for you and for those touched by our profession.

First, I want to help members take command of the challenges of their practice areas. By continuing to assess what the future holds for the legal profession, we can devine the best ways to help members adjust to change and improve their practices. And I don’t mean just raising the bar on ethics, professionalism and best management. I also mean by providing new and different ways to help members continue to grow in their knowledge of the substance of their legal areas. This fall, I am convening a conference to work on this challenge. And I predict the payoff will be a Mid-Winter Meeting that you cannot afford to miss.

Second, I want this Association not only to study and understand the future of our profession, but also to take command of the challenges and pressures that will shape it. We know of two Supreme Court task forces — the Task Force on the Status of the Legal Profession and the Citizens’ Commission on the Justice System — that will produce reports that could profoundly affect our future. There is not a person in this room who believes those reports will tell us everything is perfect and that no changes are needed. I do not plan to wait for those reports. I want our Association to be prepared to proudly face these task forces when they present their findings and say, "Do we have ideas and solutions for you!"

All of this means reaching out to you and bringing you valuable information, tools, resources, technology and yes, even inspiration, to practice your profession. And in return for helping you be the best that you can be, all of you must continue to fulfill your responsibilities as members of a privileged profession in this state by providing meaningful access to our justice system for those in need.

But let me promise you that whatever we do as an Association and as a profession must be imbued with the values that our past presidents and bar leaders have taught us. These are the values of honesty, integrity, nobility, decency, respect and character that so many people here tonight have demonstrated in courageous and meaningful ways.

Adhering to these values, we, as lawyers, will remain valuable in so many ways to our clients, our fellow lawyers, to our justice system and to society as a whole. And isn’t that the ultimate goal — that in the face of a changing world, we will continue to bring value to everything that we do?

To carry out that vision beyond the magic world of the Balsams, I need your help and your vision. Call me, write to me, e-mail me with your ideas and comments. Join committees. Join sections. Come to our meetings. And in turn, we will make each venture a valuable experience for you.

I ask for your help and the vision to create a bar that demonstrates to our clients, neighbors and communities, and to our legislators, leaders and society in general, that we, as lawyers, bring wonderful value to everything we do — as counselors, advisors, intermediaries and dispute resolution leaders.

AND most of all, I ask you for your help and the vision to create a Bar that you can be proud of.

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