March 2021

Greetings Appellate Practice Section Members,

The older I get, the more I find that springtime is my favorite time of year. As a kid, my favorite was summertime, probably because there was no school and it was light out longer. But, as an adult, especially one who lives so far south in tropical Naples, I live for days like today where the temperatures hold steady in the 60’s, the humidity is low, the continual cool breeze is refreshing, and I can comfortably have the windows open or sit outside without becoming a hot mess.

As cliche as this may sound, I also like how springtime brings the promise of new beginnings and opportunities. True, these new beginnings and opportunities are not always positive – like last spring. But often they are positive or, even when negative, there is a silver lining or a way to spin it into a positive.

Our Section experiences similar new beginnings and opportunities each spring as the Section’s officers begin planning for a successful new Bar year that starts in July. As part of that planning, your Chair-Elect, Kim Jones, and I have already had several meetings to discuss this transition, which will include her making appointments for Section Committee leaders, nominating for election the next slate of Executive Council members to fill those who term out, and nominating a new Section Secretary to join the officers next Bar year.

I cannot begin to describe how arduous and time consuming it is as Chair-Elect to make these necessary appointments and nominations between now and July. But, this process presents many opportunities for you, our Section members, to become more involved by seeking appointment and nomination. Our Section only continues to thrive when new and diverse members volunteer to become our next leaders. Please let Kim or me know if you are interested in leading a Committee or desire to be considered for an Executive Council opening – or even if you would just like to become more involved with a particular Committee.

On a final note, I also hope you will join us for virtual networking next week at the Section’s St. Patrick’s Day Extravaganza, which is scheduled for next Thursday, March 18th at 5:00 pm. These Zoom events are a perfect example of the Section spinning last springtime’s negative into a positive, allowing us to stay connected more regularly. Register here.

I look forward to seeing you virtually next week, and I wish you many positive beginning and opportunities this spring.