Washtenaw Region Meeting Minutes
WLAM Meeting Minutes
September 22, 2006
Present: Amy Smith, Carol Weisensel, Nancy Spezia, Angela Walker, Susan Cameron, Teresa Killeen and Marla Linderman
1. Minutes of the August 2006 Meeting.
Meeting minutes for August 10, 2006 were submitted and discussed. A motion to approve the minutes passed unanimously.
2. Treasurer’s Report.
Carol reported that WLAM (Washtenaw Region) has $2,990.26 in the bank account after expensing the mailing and supplies for the membership recruitment drive. Carol indicated that any expenses relating to the State Bar booth must go to the state organization.
3. Events.
(a) State Bar of Michigan Meeting - WLAM Booth. Amy reported the event went well. The booth was well attended so there was lots of interest expressed in the organization. It was reported that several membership applications were submitted to the state organization. Amy reported that Kathleen Maslaka received a $150 dues check from Washtenaw County with no reference to the specific members to whom it applied. Teresa suggested the amount may include a renewal for Judge O’Brien. Further investigation will be required.
· Historic Walk. Amy reported that 60 people had pre-registered for the walk but 75 people actually participated. John Barry stopped by the WLAM booth and expressed his gratitude to the WCBA and WLAM.
Angela volunteered to return to Kathleen Maslaka the WLAM posters used at the booth. Kathleen says that our region can hold onto the posters for use at future events. Angela volunteered to be responsible for the posters and will place them in storage.
(b) October – Bias Awareness Week. Amy confirmed that the WCBA committee is on board for the panel presentation. Amy presented an announcement for the WCBA regarding the presentation. Amy Smith will moderate the panel. The Board discussed and settled on a title for the presentation. The Board also discussed and settled on a format for the presentation. It was agreed that the panelist should be notified of the format. It was reported that Professor Carl Cohen had agreed to be a panelist.
· Announcements/Publicity. Publicity for the event:
Frank Weir – Legal News
WCBA will coordinate with the Ann Arbor Press
Advise WLStudent Association the week of September 18.
Angela was directed to do an email reminder to the membership about the meeting on Wednesday, October 18, 2006.
· Panelist Gifts. It was suggested that any generic WLAM bookmarks leftover from the President’s Luncheon in 2005 might make nice gifts for the panelists. WLAM will purchase lunch for the panelists although this is WCBA event so they will likely pick up the lunch costs.
(c) October 12, 2006-Prop-02 Presentation in Chelsea. Amy indicated there is a panel presentation on the MI Civil Rights Initiative on October 12 in Chelsea. Anyone interested in attending can coordinate with Amy.
(d) Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan. Teresa Killeen reported that she opened the “Speakers Series” with a presentation on the Probate/Family Court. Teresa reported that the presentation was well attended, although the audience was largely staff.
(e) Mary Foster Award. Amy reported that at present, there are no nominations posted.
(f) WLAM Statewide Meeting. Amy reported that Kim Winokur has the binder which maintains an updated master list of the statewide membership. It was suggested that the Washtenaw region compare its list against that in the binder.
(g) Legislative Committee at the State Level. Marla reported that she will be serving on the Legislative Committee for the state organization. The purpose of the committee is to track pending legislation at the state level that impacts women. The committee is looking for members to serve. It was suggested that Marla draft an information piece for the Board’s review and approval. Once approved WLAM can publish it to the regional membership and post on the website.
(h) November Swearing-In Ceremony. Amy reported that new admitees to the State Bar of Michigan will be sworn in November. Amy indicated that she will attend the ceremony. She will also use it as an opportunity to recruit new members to WLAM.
(i) Membership. There is lots of emphasis on membership. Each local is to get a “membership” chair. We should consider a new young attorney since that is the demographic we must tap to increase membership. We need to be sure that at the meeting there is a sign in sheet to track current members, lapsed members and potential members. We will need to designate a person for each event to do an instantaneous check. It may help with getting lapsed membership renewed on the spot.
4. Next Meeting. The next meeting was scheduled for Friday, October 27, 2006 at noon on the 4th Floor of the 200 N. Main St. Bldg. Amy will place an item on the agenda dealing with Board Polices and Endorsements
5. Adjourn.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Nancy J. Spezia, Secretary
October 27, 2006
