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Vol. 73, No. 7, July 2000 |
Inside the Bar
Communicating With Members a Top Priority
by George Brown, State
Bar executive director
Have you ever had one of those people in your life that you
know but have never met? You know him because he's a friend
of your friends; she may know as much about you for the same
reason. I have one. His name is George also. He's been in
my life for more than 25 years. I actually met him once, for
about 10 minutes in a hallway when our mutual friends introduced
us to each other.
 George is an historian. He's a professor
at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. As graduate students,
he preceded me as a student researcher for the editorial department
at the State Historical Society of Wisconsin. For his Ph.D. dissertation,
he focused on the development of American thought and painting.
One event that signified change was the New York Armory Show
of 1913. In the art world, the Armory Show was a major turning
point. It was the first major exposition of surrealism and cubism
in the United States and it caused American thinkers to look
at the larger art world outside their own borders.
Your State Bar reached a turning point last summer. Longtime
Executive Director Stephen Smay resigned, and the new State Bar
Center was opened and formally dedicated. And just as the Armory
Show signified a lasting change in the art world, these events
signified change in the State Bar.
Change is in the air at your State Bar. The new Bar Center
is one example. The new facility is more than just an office
building like the old Bar Center had become. The new Bar Center
is a members' building. In addition to CLE programming and
committee meetings, you can now use your building to meet with
clients, hold mediations, or take depositions.
While continuing to provide you with many products and services
that you use in your law practice, the staff and volunteer leaders
are working to deliver what you want more quickly and efficiently.
The practice of law is changing rapidly. Technology, multidisciplinary
practice, more competition from more sources than ever before
- all are or will affect how you practice law and maybe
even what law you practice. The State Bar needs to position itself
as a resource for you as you face these new challenges.
At the staff level, we are examining the way we work as well
as on what we work, all to become more efficient. We are examining
our current processes to eliminate unnecessary steps, and we
are creating new processes to better serve you. These changes
will take time. Some of them require improvements in technology.
All of them will result in a Bar that better serves you.
I will report to you on these changes and others in future columns.
Or, if I'm fortunate enough to meet you, I will report to
you in person. As your new executive director, one of my ongoing
responsibilities is communicating with you. This column is but
one method. I hope to see you at local bar meetings, State Bar
gatherings, or meet with you in your office. You can write me
at the State Bar Center, email
me, or call me directly at (800) 444-9404, ext. 6101. Next time
you're in the Bar Center, look me up. I'd like to hear
your thoughts.
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