2007 is in the books and I thought it would be a good time to update the members on some of the items that have come before the Executive Council.

The Council authorized the recording and Podcasting of many CLEs, committee programs, and other events. These Podcasts are being made available, free of charge, on the BCBA website through the generosity of one of our sponsors, Gore Brothers.

The Bar Association has rapidly outgrown its present space on the first floor of the County Courts Building. Despite the cosmetic changes to the office, adopting a “paperless office” concept, and the rearranging of the furniture, Doris and Carole are finding that there is simply no storage space. The Executive Council has initiated a search for additional space within the Courts Building which can be used for committee meetings, conferences and storage, while maintaining the current office space for the day-to-day operations of the BCBA.

The Executive Council, in response to an inquiry from the Committee to Study Extended Media Coverage, voted to take a position which opposed expanded use of audio-visual recordings and broadcasting of criminal trials. Such a position is consistent with that proffered by Scott Shellenberger, State’s Attorney for Baltimore County. It was the opinion of the Council that permitting cameras in the courtrooms would have the effect of unnecessarily extending court proceedings and impeding legal discourse between the Court and counsel. Further, the Council believed that extending media coverage and placing cameras in the courtrooms would have a chilling effect on witnesses, particularly children, who are already reluctant to appear.     

The Executive Council voted to adopt the new rules and forms prepared by the Fee Arbitration Committee. In doing so, the Council recognized the extraordinary work done by Julie Janofsky and her committee to revise the rules and forms so that our fee arbitration process will conform to the ABA standards.

The Executive Council approved the Lawyer Referral Service Committee’s outreach to the Bar Associations of Frederick and Carroll counties after they were forced to disband their referral services in the face of rising budget deficits. The BCBA Lawyer Referral Service, at no additional cost to our members, is now able to make referrals to clients in need of attorneys for legal work, not only in the Baltimore metropolitan area but also Frederick and Carroll counties. Recently, at the MSBA Conference of Bar Presidents, the Baltimore County Bar Association was recognized with a special award for this program.

Finally, I have started the process for the formation of a Past Presidents Committee. Although the exact duties of this committee are unclear, it is my hope that we will be able to benefit from the wealth of leadership talent that shouldn’t end simply because one’s tenure on the Executive Council has come to an end. One of the goals of this new committee will be to develop new ways to fund projects through the Bar Foundation, possibly in the form of scholarships. I will provide further information on this committee as the formation continues.

As always, should any member have any concerns, please feel free to contact me or any of the members of the Executive Council.