In November, 1982, when I joined the Baltimore County Bar Association, I knew very few attorneys and judges. Barbara Fiorino, the BCBA Executive Director, promptly provided a plan to remedy that situation. She had me sign up for the Holiday Party in December, followed by the Annual Black Tie Banquet in January, and the Bull Roast in March. Each event, in its own unique way, gave me an entre into the Bar Association and its members. At the recent Black Tie Banquet, I recognized some of the members who were responsible for the creation, and continuing success, of these wonderful events.

This year’s Banquet was the 86th edition, and while its creators are long gone, the collegiality and comraderie which marked those early years still continues. No longer known as “Monday Night at the Fights,” the event, in its most basic form, is a reunion. A chance to renew friendships, tell war stories, and an opportunity to meet without worrying about clients, legal principles, and the like. There is no grand illusion or pretentiousness. The entertainment for the evening is the assembled attendees. Others have tried but failed miserably to duplicate the Banquet.

In 1982, several members of the State’s Attorney’s office wanted to find a way to honor one of their colleagues who had died at an early age. They organized what has now become the Annual Young Lawyers Bull Roast, with a designated charity and the Bar Foundation being the beneficiary of proceeds raised. The original plan was to raise enough money to fund a scholarship at the University of Baltimore School of Law in honor of Jeffrey Himmelstein. Twenty-six years later, the Annual Bull Roast continues to attract a large number of our members. The Young Lawyers continue the tradition of raising funds for various charities such as Cystic Fibrosis, United Cerebral Palsy, the Towson YMCA, and American Heart Association. The event is a great chance for new and not so new attorneys and their families to gather in a casual setting on a Sunday afternoon. It’s a chance to bring your children, listen to the music of John Nagle and The Mighty, Mighty Barristers, and to relax. At the Banquet we honored three members who were instrumental in starting this event; namely, Judge Dana Levitz, David Mister, and Jim Beach.

At the Banquet, I also wanted to recognize Lisa Mervis for her bold effort in starting the Family Law Committee monthly dinner programs. The first Family Law Committee Dinner meeting, in September, 1993, was hosted by Lisa at her home and was attended by nearly 100 attorneys, Judges and Masters. The Family Law Committee dinner has now become one of the most successful monthly programs our Association puts on. The dinners have become so successful that ever larger meeting forums have become necessary. The dinners attract both new and veteran attorneys, as well as Judges and Masters.

For those of us who appear in Court on a regular basis, the compiling of stories is part of the job. Indeed, Judge G. Darrell Russell, Jr. even published a book entitled Chronicles from Court, In My Own Write, in which he relates humorous stories from his years on the bench. Many of us were fortunate to have appeared before the Hon. William Buchanan in the 1980's and learned, first hand, that justice could be dispensed with fairness, and on an even-handed basis while not forgetting that tasteful levity had a place in the courtroom. Judge Buchanan’s remarks, intended and otherwise, became legendary, and have been passed on by an entire generation of law clerks. For a very green attorney, Judge Buchanan was a pleasure to appear before. He is a great example of the power that being nice can hold. It was for this reason that a special presentation was made to Judge Buchanan at the Banquet.

Finally, I want to thank Lee Jacobson and his mother for making available recordings of the many shows put on by Judge Leonard Jacobson and members of BCBA. Doris Barnes was able to have the old VHS tapes transferred to DVD format and shown at the Banquet to the delight of many.