OCBA UPDATE: We're looking for a few good men and women

By Peter Alter Now that all of us are relaxed and rested after our holiday break, it's time to get back to work. I do hope that everyone had a happy and healthy holiday and new year. The Oakland County Bar Association, as I stated in a prior article, is a dedicated and well-oiled machine. Many of its members provide a remarkable and consistent service to both our legal and general community. Our board of directors has many dedicated and talented members who support and promote the OCBA's mission. Indeed, each of us is proud that an essential part of our mission is to emphasize and expand the services that we provide through our extensive number of pro bono and other service opportunities. So, now we are looking for some additional talented, dedicated, hard-working and contributing members who want to help our organization continue to grow and to contribute to the legal profession. This is a call for nominations to the OCBA board of directors. Are you interested? Do you have ideas and a passion to make a difference? Now, I don't want to mislead you. Our OCBA board not only works hard, but also has lots of fun. We have established a great camaraderie and, no, it's not just the fact that our board has won the Bowling Challenge against the New Lawyers Committee for three years in a row. The Nominating Committee, chaired by Immediate Past President Jennifer M. Grieco, will be meeting soon to develop a slate of candidates for this year's election process. The role of each board member is to help shape the OCBA's policies, define its goals, and implement its most recent strategic plan objectives. The OCBA board approves policies, oversees finances, reviews and evaluates the work of our numerous committees and, when needed, takes a position on issues of public policy affecting the legal profession. Directors have a group responsibility as well as an individual responsibility to help carry out the OCBA mission: "To serve the professional needs of our members, improve the justice system and ensure the delivery of quality legal services to the public." The OCBA's bylaws require that the Nominating Committee submit two names for each board position to be filled. As of this writing, there are four three-year terms to be filled and one one-year term to be filled. They are: Open Vacated Seats: Peter M. Alter--open one-year term due to end of presidency; Hon. Susan M. Moiseev--term-limited; open three-year term. Expiring Terms: Anne Cole-Pierce--three-year term is expired; must seek re-election for three-year term; James J. Parks--three-year term is expired; must seek re-election for three-year term; Keefe A. Brooks--one-year term is expired; must seek re-election for three-year term; Potential candidates are asked to submit a letter of intent. Additionally, a Personal Data Form should be completed and submitted along with a signed copy of the Board of Directors Responsibilities and Expectations Statement. Both the Personal Data Form and the Board of Directors Responsibilities and Expectations Statement are available at the OCBA office located at 1760 S. Telegraph Rd., Suite 100, Bloomfield Hills, MI 48302. They also may be obtained by contacting Lisa Stadig Elliot at (248) 334-3400 or by email at lstadig@ocba.org. Completed applications are due no later than 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 8, 2012. It is important to know that when considering applications submitted by potential board members, the Nominating Committee places great emphasis on past bar service. Our bylaws also require that in order to be a director, you must have been a regular OCBA member for the past four years. The slate of candidates will be announced to the OCBA membership via email and in the March issue of LACHES; ballots will be emailed to regular OCBA members in early May. (There are no paper ballots! This is 2012.) If you are interested in shaping the course of the OCBA's future and if you are interested in serving the Oakland County legal community, please consider running for one of the open seats on the OCBA board. We want active, concerned and committed volunteers to best serve our membership and enhance the image of the legal profession in our community. We hope to hear from you! ------------ Peter M. Alter, a partner in the Southfield office of Jaffe, Raitt, Heuer, & Weiss, is the 79th president of the Oakland County Bar Association. Published: Thu, Jan 26, 2012

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