Fall is a great time of the year. Everybody and everything is in full swing after the summer months. The same holds true for our Association. It is a busy time, but a good one.

In this message, I want to focus on our committee makeup. There have been questions raised about how committee membership is determined. A few of you have expressed disappointment that you didn't receive a particular assignment. Others wondered why they were removed from a committee on which they had served for some time. Let me explain how it works from year to year, generally, and what occurred this year, specifically. Every year, the incoming president and president-elect meet to review the committee membership for the upcoming year. Nip Jenkins and I met last May and worked on the present committee assignments. Nip named the current vice-chairs who will become chairpersons for his term. Steve Nolan (incoming president-elect) and Nip will get together this coming spring and repeat the process.

In addition to the chairpersons, the president and president -elect also select the individuals who will serve on the committees. The BCBA presently has twenty-five committees. Each year, a committee preference sheet is sent to the entire membership. You are asked to select the committees on which you would be willing to serve and to rank them according to your preference. The president and president-elect review the current committee membership lists as well as the committee preference sheets to determine the makeup for each committee for the following year. When I did this last year, I noticed that quite a number of our committees had a great deal of members, in some instances, several dozen. From talking to current and past chairs, I knew that a fair number of the listed members were not active participants. Their names had simply been carried from one year to the next. As those of us who have regularly done committee work know, most committees seem to have “core” members who regularly attend meetings and do most of the work. Others are members in name only. You don’t see them at meetings and they don’t typically participate in the committee work. In my view, the committees had become unwieldy and somewhat out of date. This has led to inefficiency and unnecessary work and expense for the Bar Office as well as for the committee chairs. Meeting notices and other communications are sent to individuals who most likely aren't going to be particularly active. Therefore, I made the decision to pare down the committee lists and start afresh with the persons who returned the committee preference lists requesting a particular committee assignment. In many instances, individuals who had not returned their forms were left on their committee(s) anyway, because I knew they were active and still interested.

The end result is that many of the committees have become smaller and, hopefully, more manageable than they were before. Unfortunately, a byproduct of this process is that some of you did not get the assignments that you wanted (at least initially) or thought you had. There were also a few unintended oversights on my part. For those, I truly apologize. However, I'm pleased to say, that everyone who has contacted me or the Bar Office to request a committee assignment has, in fact, received it.

There is one exception to this, however. The only committee which is handIed somewhat differently is the Bench Bar Committee. It has typically been one of the most popular and sought after committees in the Association. Most of you are aware that the Bench Bar Committee comprises representatives from both trial court benches as well as various local agencies such as the State’s Attorneys Office and the County Office of Law. In addition, there are fourteen “at large” slots reserved for representatives of our Association. Over the years, I have been asked questions as to how the “at large” positions are filled. The main answer is that it is left largely to the discretion of the incoming president. Predictably, different presidents have had different views as to who should serve on this committee. My position has been consistent over the years. I believe that such a committee assignment should be given to the individuals who have been most active in our Association. Typically, Bench Bar members have worked on many of the other twenty-four committees over the years. They regularly support our events. I wish that I could accommodate everyone who wants such an assignment. However, it would not be practicable given the nature of this particular committee.

My philosophy remains that our committees are dynamic, not static in nature. If someone wants to serve on a committee at any time, the door is open. As I have stated, I will be happy to put anyone on the committee you want even though we are well into the year. Please don't hesitate to call. I will have Heather Martin modify the membership lists and notify the committee chair that a new individual wishes to be a part of his or her committee. So, I urge everyone to be on the lookout for the committee preference sheets which will be sent out by the Bar Office in the next several months. Get them back to us as soon as possible. It will greatly assist Nip Jenkins in his efforts of ensuring that you get the committee assignments that you want.

On a different note, on October 7th, I attended the Centennial Celebration of the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse in Baltimore City. You may remember that I wrote about this in a recent edition of The Advocate. I had the honor of serving as a liaison to the Centennial Committee. The evening was well attended and, from what I could see, a great success. The entire Mitchell Courthouse was transformed from a serious hall of justice to an upscale and beautiful nightclub, complete with bands, other entertainment, food and drink. It was strange to see several court rooms emptied of trial tables and seating to be instead fitted as a “disco” complete with staging and lights.

Immediately before the Gala, there was a brief and interesting dedication ceremony in restored Courtroom 400 as well as recognition of forty-eight preeminent members of the bar and bench from 1900 to 2000. I was very pleased to see that many of our Association members were in attendance at this historical event. Judge John Carroll Byrnes, one of the individuals who headed up the Centennial Committee, was very appreciative of the BCBA’s efforts in advertising and promoting the Gala. He commented that Baltimore City and County lawyers practically comprise one large bar since many of us regularly practice in both places. I couldn't agree with him more. Provincialism in legal communities such as Baltimore City and Baltimore County should be a thing of the past. It is even more of an anachronism given our place in the Information Age.

It was wonderful to see the restorative work that had been done in the Mitchell Courthouse. Baltimore City is deservedly proud of its heritage. I was reminded of our own pride and tradition with respect to our old courthouse and particularly Courtroom 5 which, through the efforts of many of you, was restored in the mid 1980s.

We have a lot of great things coming up this Fall. Keep your eye on the calendar and plan to support our events. I wish you and your families a healthy and happy Thanksgiving.