Membership in the Oakland County Bar Association provides you with many leadership opportunities. You can chair one of our wonderful committees or events, or demonstrate your expertise by authoring an article for LACHES.
Since I was first elected in 2014, serving on the OCBA’s board of directors has been my favorite leadership opportunity. I have found serving on the board to be tremendously rewarding. It has provided me with many opportunities to make new friends and meet colleagues in other practice areas to whom I am happy to refer cases because I have developed a personal relationship with them. I have also appreciated the ability to implement ideas that I feel passionate about and that will make our organization even more beneficial for our members. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much fun it is to serve on the board! Our OCBA board comprises an impressive group of dynamic, intelligent, and compassionate people. I have made many wonderful friends while serving on the board. We are all committed to making serious decisions that impact our organization, but we also have a good time together and don’t miss an opportunity to share a laugh and good conversation at our meetings and events. Ultimately, it has been an honor to give back to an organization that has provided me with so much.
I think you would find that there are many benefits, both personal and professional, to serving on the OCBA’s board of directors, such as:
1. Expanding your network.
Whether you have been an attorney for five years or 25 years, the need to expand your network doesn’t change. When you serve on a board with leaders who are passionate about making new connections, you will be able to expand your existing community of friends and colleagues, adding influential people with different backgrounds and insights. This new network can be an asset for the rest of your career when you are looking for new job opportunities or additional board roles, or when you simply want to swap ideas with someone who has a different outlook from you.
2. Growing your personal brand.
While it shouldn’t be all about optimizing your bio on your company’s website, joining a board can boost your personal brand. It is an impressive addition that adds gravitas to any resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile. A board role also shows potential clients and leaders in your industry that you are a front-runner in your field and well equipped to help shape the future of an organization. The additional exposure will have a positive impact on your visibility and further assist potential clients and employers in understanding your unique value.
3. Supporting initiatives that resonate with you.
Serving on the OCBA board can provide an excellent opportunity to effect positive change and support an organization that is working toward a cause you are passionate about. The size of the OCBA’s board offers the chance for you to provide your specific knowledge or expertise to the OCBA to really make a difference to the association’s operation. You’ll be able to help hone the focus of the OCBA on current initiatives that resonate with you or help support new initiatives to achieve a goal that aligns with your passions.
4. Taking on an intellectual challenge that will make you better at your job.
For leaders who love to learn new things, board duties provide a rewarding intellectual challenge. Because the duties of board directors are dramatically different from those of operating roles, you will learn to look at organizations in a more holistic manner and develop a deeper understanding of a breadth of topics. You will gain insight into a new organization that probably has a different structure and way of doing business from yours. The deviation from your norm will teach you new ways of operating and how different organizations and industries approach situations. Simply listening to others in the board meetings will provide you cross-functional information on ways to approach problems and find new solutions. Those takeaways can help you not only during your time on the board but also as you continue in your career.
If those benefits sound rewarding to you, I invite you to apply to run for the OCBA’s board of directors.
The Role of the Board
The Oakland County Bar Association’s board sets the strategic direction for the bar association. As a board member, your role is to help shape the future of the association by making improvements to existing programs and introducing exciting new ones that will benefit our members.
Additionally, board members approve policy; oversee finances; review and evaluate the work of our numerous committees; and plan educational, public service, and social events. Unique to the OCBA are our ability to take a position on issues of public policy affecting the legal profession and our active participation in the legislative and rulemaking process. Directors have a collective responsibility as well as an individual responsibility to help carry out the OCBA’s mission:
“To serve the professional needs of our members, improve the justice system, and ensure the delivery of quality legal services to the public.”
In addition to making a positive difference, board members have a lot of fun along the way, gain distinction and visibility in the legal community, and advance their leadership skills.
The OCBA’s bylaws require the Nominating Committee to submit at least one name but no more than two names for each open board position. At this writing, there are four three-year terms to be filled, so up to eight names can be placed on the ballot.
How to Apply
Potential candidates are asked to submit a letter of intent and a Personal Data Form outlining their contributions to the legal profession, their involvement in OCBA committees, and their area of law practice. OCBA bylaws require that in order to be a director, you must have been a regular OCBA member for the past four years.
When considering applications for board nominations, the Nominating Committee places great emphasis on past bar service.
The Personal Data Forms are available from the OCBA or on our website at ocba.org under About > OCBA Board of Directors > Board of Directors Elections. Watch for our e-blast announcements with links to the forms for additional information.
Completed applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The Nominating Committee will select the slate of candidates and notify the applicants no later than Thursday, February 15. A link to the ballot will be emailed to all regular OCBA members on Wednesday, May 1. The ballot will close by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, and the election results will be announced by Monday, May 13.
————————
Melinda N. Deel, of Melinda N. Deel PLLC, is the 91st president of the Oakland County Bar Association.
Since I was first elected in 2014, serving on the OCBA’s board of directors has been my favorite leadership opportunity. I have found serving on the board to be tremendously rewarding. It has provided me with many opportunities to make new friends and meet colleagues in other practice areas to whom I am happy to refer cases because I have developed a personal relationship with them. I have also appreciated the ability to implement ideas that I feel passionate about and that will make our organization even more beneficial for our members. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how much fun it is to serve on the board! Our OCBA board comprises an impressive group of dynamic, intelligent, and compassionate people. I have made many wonderful friends while serving on the board. We are all committed to making serious decisions that impact our organization, but we also have a good time together and don’t miss an opportunity to share a laugh and good conversation at our meetings and events. Ultimately, it has been an honor to give back to an organization that has provided me with so much.
I think you would find that there are many benefits, both personal and professional, to serving on the OCBA’s board of directors, such as:
1. Expanding your network.
Whether you have been an attorney for five years or 25 years, the need to expand your network doesn’t change. When you serve on a board with leaders who are passionate about making new connections, you will be able to expand your existing community of friends and colleagues, adding influential people with different backgrounds and insights. This new network can be an asset for the rest of your career when you are looking for new job opportunities or additional board roles, or when you simply want to swap ideas with someone who has a different outlook from you.
2. Growing your personal brand.
While it shouldn’t be all about optimizing your bio on your company’s website, joining a board can boost your personal brand. It is an impressive addition that adds gravitas to any resume, CV, or LinkedIn profile. A board role also shows potential clients and leaders in your industry that you are a front-runner in your field and well equipped to help shape the future of an organization. The additional exposure will have a positive impact on your visibility and further assist potential clients and employers in understanding your unique value.
3. Supporting initiatives that resonate with you.
Serving on the OCBA board can provide an excellent opportunity to effect positive change and support an organization that is working toward a cause you are passionate about. The size of the OCBA’s board offers the chance for you to provide your specific knowledge or expertise to the OCBA to really make a difference to the association’s operation. You’ll be able to help hone the focus of the OCBA on current initiatives that resonate with you or help support new initiatives to achieve a goal that aligns with your passions.
4. Taking on an intellectual challenge that will make you better at your job.
For leaders who love to learn new things, board duties provide a rewarding intellectual challenge. Because the duties of board directors are dramatically different from those of operating roles, you will learn to look at organizations in a more holistic manner and develop a deeper understanding of a breadth of topics. You will gain insight into a new organization that probably has a different structure and way of doing business from yours. The deviation from your norm will teach you new ways of operating and how different organizations and industries approach situations. Simply listening to others in the board meetings will provide you cross-functional information on ways to approach problems and find new solutions. Those takeaways can help you not only during your time on the board but also as you continue in your career.
If those benefits sound rewarding to you, I invite you to apply to run for the OCBA’s board of directors.
The Role of the Board
The Oakland County Bar Association’s board sets the strategic direction for the bar association. As a board member, your role is to help shape the future of the association by making improvements to existing programs and introducing exciting new ones that will benefit our members.
Additionally, board members approve policy; oversee finances; review and evaluate the work of our numerous committees; and plan educational, public service, and social events. Unique to the OCBA are our ability to take a position on issues of public policy affecting the legal profession and our active participation in the legislative and rulemaking process. Directors have a collective responsibility as well as an individual responsibility to help carry out the OCBA’s mission:
“To serve the professional needs of our members, improve the justice system, and ensure the delivery of quality legal services to the public.”
In addition to making a positive difference, board members have a lot of fun along the way, gain distinction and visibility in the legal community, and advance their leadership skills.
The OCBA’s bylaws require the Nominating Committee to submit at least one name but no more than two names for each open board position. At this writing, there are four three-year terms to be filled, so up to eight names can be placed on the ballot.
How to Apply
Potential candidates are asked to submit a letter of intent and a Personal Data Form outlining their contributions to the legal profession, their involvement in OCBA committees, and their area of law practice. OCBA bylaws require that in order to be a director, you must have been a regular OCBA member for the past four years.
When considering applications for board nominations, the Nominating Committee places great emphasis on past bar service.
The Personal Data Forms are available from the OCBA or on our website at ocba.org under About > OCBA Board of Directors > Board of Directors Elections. Watch for our e-blast announcements with links to the forms for additional information.
Completed applications are due no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, February 1, 2024. The Nominating Committee will select the slate of candidates and notify the applicants no later than Thursday, February 15. A link to the ballot will be emailed to all regular OCBA members on Wednesday, May 1. The ballot will close by 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, and the election results will be announced by Monday, May 13.
————————
Melinda N. Deel, of Melinda N. Deel PLLC, is the 91st president of the Oakland County Bar Association.
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