I dropped off my youngest child for his first year of college recently, and I’ve been thinking about what that means, not just for my bank account or my day-to-day life (a lot for both!), but for him and all the other young people starting a whole new period of their lives, full of new experiences and paths to take.
That made me think about the chances we have to create new experiences for ourselves and how we can choose to change our path. So when the Austin Bar’s Executive Director DeLaine Ward suggested we have a retreat/planning session with the board of directors, I couldn’t say yes fast enough.
This board retreat was led by Leadership Austin. Its purpose was to plan not just for this year but to develop a vision of where we want the Bar to go.
Thanks to all members of the board, who willingly gave their Saturday to this endeavor. It was a really amazing day during which we were all open about what the Bar is doing well and what it could be doing better. We left with a renewed focus and commitment to both increasing overall membership and to increasing the connection of our members to each other and to Bar events.
I want to carry that into the entire year, so I’ve set up lunches with the chairs of every Bar committee to talk about their plans for the year and offer my help and brainstorming! I also am looking forward to attending at least one meeting for every section before my year as president is over. And I’ve started a monthly new member lunch where every new member from the previous month is invited to a lunch at Hilgers House to meet, talk about everything the Bar has to offer, and get to know each other. Programs are nothing without people.
I also am pushing us to get away from zoom—its conveniences don’t outweigh the loss of person-to-person interaction to my mind. This might mean you need to drive to attend our monthly CLE, but it also means time before and after to talk to other attendees and presenters. The “before and after” moments are where friendships start. We will still record most CLEs for later viewing online, so you won’t entirely miss out if you can’t make it.
Our DEI Committee is one of my favorites—look for the annual Equity Summit in the spring and a book club to be scheduled.
In October is our Pro Bono Committee’s (another favorite) annual Pro Bono Fall Festival on Saturday, October 24. This family friendly event raises money for Volunteer Legal Services. Please invite a lawyer friend or two to attend with you—especially if they aren’t already a member of the Austin Bar.
When I say reading is my main hobby, I mean it. Last month’s reading was a bit disappointing—I found Land by Maggie O’Farrell not as good as I’d been hoping. And I started a couple of books I didn’t even finish. But I LOVED Doctor Sleep by Stephen King. This is the sequel to The Shining, and it’s been out since 2013 but somehow I’d missed it. It is old-school Stephen King, and I give it five stars!
This month, I’m looking forward to The Book Censor’s Library by Bothayna Al-Essa, described as a newer 1984 (George Orwell) and sure to fill my delight in books that are strange. Another strange one I’m really looking forward to is The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances, in which a Roomba falls in love with its owner.
As always, I look forward to seeing each and every one of you at an Austin Bar event. If that doesn’t work out, send me a message and we can get together for lunch.
