I hope that when you return to your offices, those folks that help you perform your jobs so well will be there and that you will thank them.

This allows me to segway into my own thanks. First, to you. It is hard to believe it has been a year since Judge Mattice almost swore me in as President of the United States.  Thanks for allowing me this opportunity.  Secondly, to the Board of Governors: Thank you for your faithfulness in attendance, your sound judgment, and your wise counsel. You have been very supportive when appropriate and constructively critical when appropriate, and a wonderful group of individuals to work with. I particularly want to thank those members who are rotating off the Board (David Elliott, The Honorable Jackie Schulten Bolton, Chris Varner, and Joe White).  Let’s give them a round of applause – after the meeting, if you would come up, we have a memento of your service.
     

Third, to the CBA staff, Wanda, you have been so helpful and supportive, and Lynda – Lynda, a special thanks to you. When I recall all of the events we hosted this past year:

                                                               i.      This meeting last year and today. 
                                                             ii.      Memorial service for deceased attorneys. 
                                                             iii.      Law Day Luncheon. 
                                                            iv.      Reception for the national mock trial winner – Family Christian Academy . 
                                                             v.      Reception of Attorney General Bob Cooper. 
                                                           vi.      Jawbones – Sawbones golf competition.
                                                          vii.      The Legal Expo. 
                                                        viii.      The Tennessee Supreme Court Reception. 
                                                           ix.      Several seminars.

These really first rate events are tributes to the hard work and dedication of Lynda and Wanda. They do so many things to make the organization run smoothly and on top of that, they are a pleasure to work with.

Additionally, these events particularly reflect Lynda’s imagination and the touch of class she brings to every occasion. Lynda leaves no detail to chance and she has a remarkable ability to find sponsorship support for any undertaking.

Lynda and Wanda, to use the analogy that Joan Cronan, U.T. Women’s Athletic Director used in Chattanooga last week, your office is the front porch of our organization and you have kept it remarkably active, welcoming and distinctive in the Chattanooga community.

For making my job easier and just as importantly, fun, and on behalf of all of our members, for the image you project for our association and the job you do, THANK YOU!

Highlights – 2007 was an interesting year for the Bar Association.  Highlights for me were:   As we already have mentioned, the suspension and hopeful transformation of Lawyer Referral into CLIPS – an acronym for Chattanooga Lawyers Information Provider Service. As we move this service to a web-based system, I hope you will give it every consideration. This approach has been successful in other states, and we are excited about trying it in Chattanooga. Our goal continues to be to provide a community service by matching lawyers and prospective clients.  You will be hearing more about it in the near future.

A critical look at the continuing legal education that the CBA provides. You will recall e-mails from Lynda urgently requesting you to sign up for a seminar because the projected attendance was low. We have re-energized the CLE committee, and 2008 will be a good test for the CBA to see if we are better able to meet the needs of the Chattanooga legal community.

Quality of Life Seminar – Art Grisham, Mike Stewart of Bradford Health Services; and Julie Baumgardner of First Things First,  do such a great job. The mental health of lawyers continues to be a nationwide concern as lawyers suffer depression rates three times the national average, and alcohol abuse rates twice the national average. It is such an insidious problem and we need to do more. If you have suggestions, please let Lynda know.

We created a scholarship for a UTC student entering a Tennessee law school.  Thank Jerry Summers, Chair of the Foundation Fellows and the Chattanooga Bar Foundation for its support. Malaka Watson, an outstanding young woman, is attending U.T. Law School with the help of this scholarship.

Reading Program at Hillcrest Elementary School for grades Pre-K through fifth. I would encourage each of you to commit to just one hour. I think you will find it to be a fun and rewarding experience, and you will be demonstrating your support for public education. However, I would suggest you use caution before signing up for the fifth graders as they may be reading above your grade level.

Our partnership with Red Bank High School in the formation of a legal academy. We are particularly excited about this program because it is the first in the state. Early in 2007, Lynda and I met with Jack Murrah of the Lyndhurst Foundation and Dan Challener of the Public Education Foundation to get their suggestions as to the best way to show our support for public education. Both of them agreed that a legal academy was the way to go. We contacted Red Bank, worked with them on a curriculum and the academy began this fall.

As was reported in The Wall Street Journal last month, some legal educators are beginning to see poor career choices as a cause of the ever-increasing work-life distress among lawyers. An Oregon study showed that two-thirds of Oregon attorneys said that they had no exposure before law school to the day-to-day life of a lawyer and that if allowed to start over, 30% said they would choose a different career. I won’t ask for a show of hands here. Hopefully, the Academy will give young people the insight they need to determine if the law is the right career for them.I’ll end by paraphrasing a saying that a friend gave me. Life is short. Forgive quickly, love truly, and laugh uncontrollably. Never regret anything that made you smile, and most importantly, eat dessert first.


2007 PRESIDENT'S AWARD - Steve Jacoway
One topic that has resurfaced each year since I began serving on the Board - our Lawyer Referral Service. During 2007, we finally addressed it, ultimately suspending it at the end of October, and hopefully this year reconstituting it with an internet-based service, CLIPS. One individual who has been invaluable to me in this undertaking with his unbiased and candid counsel and willingness to re-envision the program is the Chair of the Lawyer Referral Committee – Steve Jacoway


2007 HARRY WEILL ZEALOUS PRACTICE OF LAW AWARD - Selma Paty
This year’s recipient is very much in the tradition of Harry Weill and last year’s recipient, Paul Campbell, as a tenacious and relentless advocate for her clients. This attorney began practicing law in 1949 and, I am not ashamed to say, that preceded my first birthday. She broke through many glass ceilings and has served as a role model and trailblazer for many women lawyers. The first female president of both this organization and the Chattanooga Trial Lawyers Association, and the first female attorney admitted into the Tennessee Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocacy Association. She is a Fellow of the Chattanooga Bar Foundation. I could go on, but one of my partners summed it up best by saying that if the odds were against you, and you had to choose one lawyer to be in the proverbial foxhole with you, she would be his choice – this year’s recipient of the Harry Weill Zealous Practice of Law Award is Selma Cash Paty.


2007 ALBERT L. HODGE VOLUNTEER AWARD - Patricia Best Vital
One of the most important and unheralded services that the CBA provides both to the public and to our lawyers is fee dispute resolution. The success of this committee has prevented many complaints from being filed with the Board of Professional Responsibility and enabled many members of the public to resolve their grievances informally. Serving on these fee dispute panels takes significant time. Serving on all of these panels and as Chair of the Fee Dispute Committee takes an inordinate amount of time and is a remarkable commitment, and thus, our Albert Hodge Volunteer Award this year goes to Patricia Best Vital.