As the grandson of humble Italian immigrants who carved out lives for their family in a place and culture unfamiliar to them, I deeply value the importance of broad inclusion and acceptance of people of all backgrounds and perspectives in institutions here in this country.
Which is why I, along with many other members of the OCBA board, was so dismayed five years ago by some of the results in a 2009 member survey, which revealed that certain members had “expressed concern that the bar is not as open or as welcoming as it should be.”
The comments in this regard were quite pointed: The OCBA shouldn’t “be so cliquey,” shouldn’t “be such an old boy’s club favoring the fair-haired,” shouldn’t “act like a good old boys network,” shouldn’t “be such a closed-off clique,” and shouldn’t “act as if only the extremely active members are of any value.” The words stung.
So when setting strategic goals in 2009 influenced by these survey results, the OCBA board took these complaints to heart. We articulated a vision for the next several years at the association that expressly included as a goal that lawyers would within three years “recognize the OCBA as a welcoming community that effectively equips them to deal with the challenging legal practice environment.”
Leaders of the OCBA’s board and its committees, together with our terrific staff, aimed to realize this vision in a variety of ways large and small. Bar leaders, spearheaded by Anne Cole Pierce, made sure that attendees at all major OCBA social events were greeted and introduced upon arrival. Still others, particularly the late Michael Lee, would let newcomers know in no uncertain terms that the newcomers would be joining them at forthcoming
OCBA gatherings, where they would be introduced to many. At the OCBA, cliques and insularity were definitely not cool.
The goal was to move the OCBA quickly and measurably toward a period of greater openness where all members – regardless of seniority or pedigree or gender or race – would feel welcome and enjoy a sense of belonging.
Happily, these efforts had tangible, positive effects in creating a more open and welcoming OCBA.
When the membership was surveyed again in 2013, the percentage of members agreeing or strongly agreeing that “the OCBA is an organization where I feel comfortable and welcome” had increased to 87 percent – a sharp 17 percent improvement from the 2009 survey. The percentage of members disagreeing with this proposition was just 3 percent.
In a membership survey reflecting widespread satisfaction and strategic achievement in a number of areas that even drew notice from our counterparts at the American Bar Association, the improvement in the OCBA’s welcoming atmosphere was our single greatest achievement.
But to continue to thrive as an organization into the future, the OCBA can ill afford to rest on favorable survey results. We cannot allow an air of cliquishness to creep into our board, committees or events.
We must not lose sight of the fact that each year, hundreds of new members join the OCBA who are in need of a warm and sincere welcome into our organization. And still other members, while not new, may need reminding that there is a place for all at the OCBA regardless of the number of ribbons on a name badge or notches in a trial belt.
So what are we doing now to make the OCBA an organization that, in accordance with our vision for 2014 to 2016, provides members with “valuable resources and an unmatched spirit of community”?
The short answer: Many things – all of which can involve you regardless of how long you have been a member or how many other members you happen to know. Here are three of our new and improved efforts aimed at cementing a culture of inclusion and openness at the OCBA.
Holiday Gala improvements: Due to a change in venue and savvy planning by our staff, the Holiday Gala in early December shattered all previous attendance marks with more than 525 members and guests gathering at the Townsend Hotel. (In previous years, the OCBA reluctantly had to turn away members from our own holiday party due to space limitations.) Perhaps more important than the record numbers was the attendance of dozens of new members using tickets purchased by board members and Membership Committee leaders, which made it easier for many to attend. In addition, more than 100 of the OCBA’s newest members received personal calls before the Holiday Gala encouraging them to come. Through these changes, the OCBA’s best social event of the year has become more open and accessible than ever before.
Bench/Bar Conference improvements: For the first time ever, this year’s Circuit-Probate Court Bench/Bar Conference will have open registration. Previously an invitation-only event, the Circuit-Probate Court Bench/Bar also will have an increased capacity of about 30 percent for the meeting to be held on Friday, April 24, 2015, at the Marriott Pontiac at Centerpoint. Registration will be open to all members starting in mid-March, and it will be announced on the OCBA’s website and via e-mail to members. These changes will provide unprecedented access for our members who handle civil, criminal, family, juvenile or probate matters to interact with members of the bench in a constructive and collegial setting. This year’s conference – co-chaired by Oakland Circuit Court Judge Mary Ellen Brennan and OCBA board member Karen Safran – will address “Practicing Law in the Modern World,” with an emphasis on the ways technology is impacting attorneys and judges in and out of the courtroom. We hope that, as with this year’s Holiday Gala, the bench/bar will set a new standard for inclusiveness.
New member improvements: The OCBA is beginning to roll out a program we are calling “MP3” specifically aimed at ensuring that our newest members promptly feel a sense of inclusion and community at our bar. At the OCBA, MP3 will not refer to a digital audio file for smartphones, but rather a new “member prospect pod program” that matches small groups of around five to seven new members who are similarly situated with a more experienced OCBA member. The MP3 initiative – a joint effort by the board, the New Lawyers Council and the Membership Committee – is being launched thanks to the considerable efforts of many bar leaders, particularly New Lawyers Committee Chair-Elect Vicki King. The small MP3 groups will provide a sense of community within our larger community, with the leaders of each small group serving as both a resource and an impetus for new members getting better acquainted with our association during their initial free year of membership. It is frankly an extension of what the beloved Michael Lee so quietly and effectively did for new lawyers as part of his personal effort to promote inclusion at the OCBA prior to his untimely passing last fall.
If you are interested in participating in any of our ongoing efforts toward a more open and welcoming bar in the months to come or wish to share your own ideas for improving all members’ comfort level at our special organization, please let me know.
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Thomas H. Howlett, of The Googasian Firm PC, is the 82nd president of the Oakland County Bar Association. Share your thoughts about the OCBA or anything else: direct line 248-502-0862; or e-mail thowlett@googasian.com.
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