SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
AN UPDATE ON
WHAT IS HAPPENING AT SBAND
TONY J. WEILER
SBAND Executive Director
As you know, this space in each Gavel is
devoted to providing you with an idea of
what is happening at SBAND or what has
been keeping us busy. You will hopefully
notice SBAND has a new website. The
Board of Governors has been dedicated to
bringing our members a website that is not
only more user friendly, in that it is more
mobile accessible, but also one that is a tool
to help you in your practice and in how you
communicate with SBAND. The Board and I
hope the new website helps lawyers do what
we do better.
To that end, the Board is committed to
continuing the implementation of our
strategic plan. The plan is broken down into
three main goals. The first is to increase
member engagement, with SBAND
expanding its role in connecting with lawyers.
Some of this will hopefully be accomplished
through the new website. Also contained
within this goal are more robust committees
and sections.
The second goal is to enhance relevancy to
members, and along with the website, we will
improve online CLE compliance reporting.
We have heard from many of you that you
want a better and easier way to report CLE
hours, and the Board has heard you loud and
clear. The next time you report, you should be
able to do so electronically. Along with that,
you will be able to better keep track of your
hours online.
The third goal is to serve as a leader in the
access to justice arena in North Dakota, and
especially in our rural areas, where we don’t
have nearly as many lawyers. We are working
hard to promote our pro bono programs,
and hopefully you were able to follow our
weeklong campaign Oct. 23-27 during
National Pro Bono month. We have created
a “one stop shop” on our website for all
things pro bono, and we hope you can work
with us to help those who need your services
most, but can afford them least.
Some of what we are trying to do with
our strategic plan is to help lawyers better
understand what we do at SBAND. There
are often misconceptions about our role, but
we want you to find value in belonging to
SBAND. We want you to see SBAND as a
place to go, and a resource for assistance in
helping you do your work and in doing it
while healthy. The services SBAND offers
include our Ethics Committee, where you
can ask a question about prospective conduct
that could impact the Rules of Professional
Conduct. Our Lawyer Assistance Program
is here to help you or a colleague that
may be struggling with addiction issues or
practice management. We offer our Member
Assistance Program that provides counseling
free of charge for any member of the Bar or
their immediate family. We continue to offer
low cost and no cost CLEs, and our Annual
Meeting is something I’d encourage every
member to attend. It really is our showcase
event of the year!
The bottom line is, we are a resource for you
and we want to help you as you navigate
through your days practicing law. When
it comes to a question you might have on
pretty much anything that impacts your
day-to-day practice, we can answer your
questions or point you in the right direction.
You can even send an email directly to me
at [email protected], as I always enjoy hearing
from members.
On a final note, the SBAND staff and I
are busy working on the 2018 SBAND
budget. The budget is compiled every fall and
voted on by the Board of Governors at its
November meeting. The budget is comprised
of our best estimates (using past budget
figures) for our revenue and expenditures.
The Board looks at each and every line item
to make sure we are running under or on
budget for the year. We strive to run a “tight
ship,” while providing you with the best
possible member service. If we can improve
in that area at all, I’d also like to hear from
you.
FALL 2017
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