Franklin Roosevelt was the first President to use the phrase “first 100 days” in a radio address in 1933. Since then, the first 100 days of a presidential term have taken on symbolic significance and the period is considered a benchmark to measure the early success of a president. Soon, President Biden will mark his first 100 days of accomplishments. Now, I’m no POTUS (…yet…I’m keeping future options open!), but I do want to take the time to mark just some of the accomplishments of the San Diego County Bar Association in the first 100 days of 2021 because of the efforts of our incredible members, volunteers, servant leaders, board members, and staff.
- More than 180 members have been appointed and approved to serve on the SDCBA’s 27 Committees.
- 102 Firms have joined as 100% Club members.
- We issued public statements condemning the actions of those who sought to undermine our Constitution and Democracy (January 7, 2021) and condemning criminal acts targeting the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities (March 16, 2021).
- The SDCBA’s Diversity Pledge was re-written and re-launched, with the goal to increase the number of underrepresented attorneys in management and leadership within legal organizations in San Diego County. The Diversity Pledge is available to legal organizations with six or more attorneys. As of today, 23 organizations have signed on. (Have you? Click here to join the Pledge.)
- More than 200 members responded to a survey sent to gather feedback on what members need from the SDCBA in 2021.
- We opened the Find A Supervisor/Be a Supervisor webpage (designed to connect Provisional Licensure Program supervisees with supervisors). More than 30 supervisees have posted detailed requests for supervisors. Become a supervisor here.
- 290 members have taken advantage of our NEW CLE Annual Pass and now enjoy access to unlimited live and on-demand CLE.
- Wellness Committee leadership met with The State Bar of California to discuss increasing CLE hours for competency and expanding the qualifications for competency credit to be more inclusive.
- The Committee on Diversity and Inclusion has grown and is incredibly active, including subcommittees on Anti-Racism, Different Abilities, Dialogue on Diversity, and the new Outreach Taskforce. You can learn more about its work this Thursday at the Spring Mixer.
- The SDCBA’s Racial Justice Organizational Assessment was created. Have you taken it yet?
- The Wellness and Leadership Speaker Series Subcommittees have new webpages.
- The SDCBA has put on over 177 programs and events. Click here to see what is coming up next!
- The Awards Committee selected the 2021 Service Awards recipients.
- San Diego Lawyer magazine has two issues finalized; one released and one about to hit your mailboxes soon!
- We hosted the first ever (and hopefully, last!) virtual Judicial Reception with historical turn-out. Thank you to Presiding Judge Alksne, Administrative Presiding Justice McConnell, and Chief Judge Sabraw for their remarks.
- LRIS referred out 8,352 cases to attorneys on the LRIS panels. Want to get referrals? More information here.
- The Legal Ethics Committee issued its first statement of 2021 on networking.
- The Legislative Committee drafted and submitted 10 Resolutions to the California Conference of Bar Associations (CCBA).
Believe it or not, this is just the tip of the iceberg. There was even more work that went on behind the scenes with policies, governance, program planning, strategic planning, fee arbitration, marketing, and more. I am grateful each day to work with wonderful people who give time and effort to support the SDCBA so that we can connect and support the success and fulfillment of our members.
These accomplishments mean so much as we as a community have come together to make it all happen during a global pandemic. A special shout-out to the working parents who did all this while e-schooling your children! You are incredible.
Thank you for an amazing first 100 days, SDCBA colleagues and friends. We’re just getting started.
Yours,
Renée N.G. Stackhouse
2021 SDCBA President
Reading now: The Tuskegee Syphilis Study by Fred D. Gray
Listening to: I Can Feel It by DMX (R.I.P.)
What are you reading or listening to? Tag us #sdlaw #sdcba