President’s Perspective: Important Work Of NCBA+NCBF Continues “Unabated”
When we gathered (virtually) in June for our Annual Meeting, I think many of us felt that we were on the path to a complete reopening of society, with a return to unrestricted meetings and social events a la 2019. The ensuing surge of the Delta variant, of course, wrote a different next chapter in the long saga of the pandemic. While we were able to have some in-person events (with precautions) for a brief period in the summer, we reverted to all-virtual in October as the surge grew and peaked. As the COVID numbers are currently on a declining trend, we are now cautiously moving back into optional in-person events (with precautions), mindful of the safety of our members, and are optimistic that things will continue to improve. What makes me proud is the fact that through all of this, and throughout the last 18 months, the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Foundation have been able to continue their great work unabated. That is testament to the strength and dedication of our many members and the talent and hard work of the staff.
The sections, committees, and divisions have hit the ground running in this first quarter of the bar year, not missing a beat from their performance last year. I have had the pleasure of sitting in on a few of these virtual meetings already this fall, and it is exciting to see the continued engagement of the members as we all continue to learn to navigate and overcome the hurdles of the virtual and hybrid world. While I have missed the in-person fellowship, as I am sure others have, the virtual meetings have had the silver lining of appearing to allow more members to attend and participate. We should be thankful for the work of these sections, divisions, and committees, as they drive everything from CLE programming to public interest service to drafting of proposed legislation.
Regarding the legislative front, we have again this year had success in moving legislation to improve the law and its service to the citizens of North Carolina. At the beginning of each two-year legislative session, our members – primarily through sections and committees – propose various bills to our Legislative Advisory Committee (LAC). The LAC, following a vetting process, then sets a proposed comprehensive legislative agenda for the session, which goes to the Board of Governors for approval. Thanks to the excellent work of our members in crafting quality legislation for which the General Assembly sees a need, a significant portion of the NCBA legislative agenda that was approved for the 2021-22 session has already been achieved.
Our membership numbers are strong. After a dip in 2020, which was anticipated given that the annual renewal period fell in the early months of the pandemic and at perhaps the height of people’s uncertainty, the trends for 2021 have rebounded toward pre-pandemic performance. We were very pleased that we were able to get around to many of the law school orientations this August during that brief window of loosened restrictions, as it is a tremendous boon to driving law student membership in the Association, which we of course hope leads to those members’ lifetime participation in our organization. I offer here a shout-out to the Young Lawyers Division for their great work in the law school orientations, and the staff who make them all run flawlessly.
On the NCBF side, our many volunteer members and the staff simply continue to “make it work” – continuing, revising, adapting, and creating programs to serve the needs of the citizens of this state in their times of greatest need. Of course, those times of greatest need coincide with the greatest pandemic-imposed hurdles we have faced in providing those services, requiring the conversion of many existing programs from in-person to virtual and the creation of new programs. The web-based NC Free Legal Answers has allowed volunteers to help citizens from across the state with legal information on a completely virtual basis. Wills for Heroes utilizes a document production application now, and NC LEAP offers video webinars to entrepreneurs.
The NCBF has not stopped at providing these ongoing programs. In response to flooding in the western part of the state in August, and the consequent emergency declaration by the governor, the NCBF staff supported our Young Lawyers Division in activating Disaster Legal Services to serve affected residents. In a particularly ambitious project this year, the NCBF will play a central role in the Housing Stability Pro Bono Project, a large-scale endeavor to utilize the work of volunteers and federal COVID relief funds in assisting tenants and landlords in circumstances where tenants have fallen behind on their rent over the past 18 months and are possibly facing displacement.
Finally, our work continues in follow-up to the report issued last year on the history of systemic racism in the Association. The Foundation Task Force that arose from the report, chaired by Tammy Stringer, has been hard at work and has already presented certain recommendations to the Foundation Board of Directors; they continue their work on additional steps. The Association Task Force, chaired by Rob Harrington, has also been meeting regularly, has appointed subcommittees, and is actively working on memorializing narratives and the formulation of next steps. The Diversity Task Force, formed prior to the issuance of the report and now chaired by Paul Meggett, is also at work on ways our organization can improve going forward as we strive to serve the needs of all of our members.
For all who have contributed, whether through volunteer service or funding contributions to the Foundation (or both), thank you. The NCBA and NCBF will always be here to serve, regardless of the challenges we may face.
Jon Heyl serves as president of the North Carolina Bar Association and the North Carolina Bar Foundation.