As the 2012-13 JBA year gets under way, there are many new and exciting changes afoot.
As many of you probably noticed, the structure for The JBA membership has been completely revamped, allowing each member to opt for the type of membership that best fits their needs. The various memberships allow for members to receive discounts for CLE and social events.
Along with the improvements to the membership structure, newly elected President Ray Driver has also undertaken a revamp of The JBA committees. The number of The JBA committees had become unmanageable, but the new structure is set to increase efficiency and member involvement.
The new sections are as follows:
• Community Outreach Section: Marianne Aho, chair, and Michael Duncan, vice chair. This section encompasses Law Week, pro bono, military, the Holiday Project, and human rights. If you are interested in getting involved in any of these areas, please contact Marianne at [email protected] or Michael at [email protected].
• Member Services Section: Glenn Warren, chair, and Maria Aguila, vice chair. The Member Services Section covers the Bar Bulletin, social, CLE, solo practitioners and vendor services. If writing an article for the Bar Bulletin or any of these other topics that strikes your fancy, please contact Glenn at [email protected] or Maria at [email protected].
• Protecting Our Children Section: Connie Byrd, chair, and Brian Cabrey, vice chair. This section takes to heart the tenets of The JBA and covers education, family law, juvenile dependency, juvenile delinquency, adoption and the legal need of children (Guardian Ad Litem). Please contact Connie at [email protected] or Brian at [email protected] to volunteer.
• Practicing With Professionalism Section: Kirby Oberdorfer, chair, and Stacy Watson May, vice chair. The Professionalism Section covers bench and Bar professionalism, client dispute, mentoring, diversity, and judicial relations. To volunteer your time to these important areas, please contact Kirby at [email protected] or Stacy at [email protected].
• Litigation Section: Eric Kolar, chair, and Blaine McCarthy, vice chair. The Litigation Section covers ADR, admiralty/maritime, appellate, commercial litigation, construction litigation, labor, and workers’ compensation. To become involved in one of these areas, please contact Eric at [email protected] or Blaine at [email protected].
• Transactional Law Section: Scott Glazier, chair, and Christine Bell, vice chair. The Transactional Law Section includes corporate and business law, environmental and real property, franchise, intellectual property and technology law, elder law, estate planning, probate and tax, health care law and in-house counsel. To join the Transaction Law Section, please contact Scott at [email protected] or Christine at [email protected].
• Young Lawyers Section: Michael Orr, president, and Michelle Barnett, president-elect. The YLS has big plans ahead this year, including the return of the YLS Golf Tournament on Oct. 18 with a shotgun start at 1 p.m. at the Ponte Vedra Ocean Course. The YLS Basketball League is about to get under way.
The YLS has many more exciting events to come this year. If you are interested in becoming more involved with the YLS or would like more information about its upcoming activities, please contact Michael at [email protected] or Michelle at [email protected].
Now is a great time to get involved in The JBA. There is a little something for every interest and any commitment level. Be on the lookout in your inbox for The JBA section and committee form. Just complete the form indicating your areas of interest and return it to The JBA office. It’s that simple!
For more up-to-date information regarding what is happening with The JBA, please add The JBA website, www.jaxbar.org, The JBA Facebook page, or, for those Twitterers out there, The JBA Twitter account (@TheJaxBar)!