In Brief: The Columbus Bar Blawg

Dawn, Caroline, Max and David Bloomfield, Jr. at the 2011 CBA Annual Meeting.

I’m two weeks into my Presidency. Hard to believe. At the risk of shining the spotlight too much on myself, here’s some reflections on the first two weeks of my tenure:

June 3, 2011 – Annual Meeting

It's official; the CBA has a new President, as Sally Bloomfield administers the oath of office to her son, David.

Hopefully, you’ve seen the photos of the Annual Meeting. If not, some of my personal favorites can be found around this post.

It was an honor to take the reigns of the CBA as the 123rd President.  It was an even bigger honor to be sworn in by my mother, Sally Bloomfield, who was the President from June 2005 to June 2006.  I had the honor of serving with my mother for one year on the Board of Governors, when she was the Past President.

In my acceptance speech, I spoke of the legacy that brought me here — and the future that I’m hoping to shape.  One of the ways in which I want to shape the future is through this blog — providing a new outlet to communicate with members.

Sally, David Jr., and David (Sr.) at the 2011 CBA Annual Meeting.

In addition to my induction, the Annual Meeting featured our traditional Secretary-Treasurer’s report from current-President-Elect Brad Wrightsel, and the speech of the outgoing President (and now Past-President), Judge McIntosh.  The CBA owes a great deal to Judge McIntosh, during whose tenure the bar hired our terrific Executive Director, Jill Snitcher McQuain, and also entered into a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the bar’s charitable arm, the Columbus Bar Foundation.

The Annual Meeting also allowed the CBA to honor two extremely worthy attorneys, who have devoted themselves to the profession — and to the bar.  John Marshall received the Professionalism Award.  Sandy Anderson, the first female President of the CBA, received the Bar Service Medal.  Congratulations again to both honorees.

June 14, 2011 – Columbus Bar Foundation Annual Meeting

This past Tuesday, Ford Huffman handed over the Presidency of the Columbus Bar Foundation to Heather Sowald.  I was honored to provide a brief introduction at the event, commending Heather for her service to the bar.  I look forward to working with Heather this next year.

The CBF’s annual meeting also featured a special presentation by Ford to Ohio Supreme Court Justice Yvette McGee Brown, as she received the CBF’s President’s Award for the outstanding service given to the community and to the CBF.  It was a pleasure listening to the presentation.

Other Events

In addition to the Annual Meetings during these past two weeks, I’ve been busy:

Thursday, June 10:  Once a year, the Past Presidents (and members of the Board of Governors) get together for a golf outing and dinner.  It was great seeing past Presidents — and taking in the wisdom and advice from those who’ve served the Assocation before me.

Friday, June 11:  One of the great traditions of the Board is that the Board (and spouses/significant others) have a dinner at the end of the President’s term to celebrate the President’s year in office.  This dinner was no exception, and a highlight is always looking through the incredible scrapbook given to the President honoring his/her term.

Monday, June 13:  Chair Jim Abrams invited me to attend a CBA Pro Bono Committee meeting where I discussed the platforms the CBA can offer in terms of getting out the word about pro bono efforts of the bar.

Wednesday, June 15:  Our first officers’ meeting prior to our first Board of Governors’ meeting.

Friday, June 17:  Our first Board meeting is now in the books!  We welcomed two new Board members, Brigid Heid and Lisa Pierce Reisz, and conducted the business of the association.

All-in-all, it’s been a terrific first two weeks!