SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
PREPARING FOR THE NEXT YEAR AND UPCOMING LEGISLATIVE SESSION
TONY J . WEILER SBAND Executive Director
It ’ s a busy time at SBAND . We are budget planning for 2025 , and it will be discussed and approved by your board of governors in November . SBAND staff and I work hard to set and manage a budget where we spend less than we take in . That becomes more difficult each year with a somewhat consistent revenue budget , and ever-increasing expenses . We are always looking at ways to trim costs while continuing to provide the member benefits you expect and manage the association to the best of our ability . Another component of yearly budgeting is providing you with the Keller notice , which gives members an opportunity to reduce membership fees based on a calculation of expenses we have determined are not germane .
This is a process that has been in place since 2015 and followed the lawsuit against SBAND . The process was approved by plaintiff ’ s counsel and the Federal Court . While there remain challenges to unified bars across the county , the United States Supreme Court has failed to grant cert in a single case and signifies unified bars remain Constitutional , so long as member money is managed in a way that doesn ’ t violate Keller v . California , which held that unified bars cannot take positions or advocate on anything other than what would “ improve the practice of law ” or “ discipline the profession .” We are very mindful of our Constitutional limitations on spending member money , and we operate in a way that both maximizes what we can do for our members without violating anyone ’ s rights .
I work closely with bar leaders , executive directors , and government relations specialists through my involvement in the National Association of Bar Professionals ( NABE ). I have been on the NABE Board for several years , and recently was slated as NABE Vice President . I will then serve as president-elect and follow that with a year as president of the association . I will be the second ever North Dakota bar professional to serve in this role , and I ’ m proud of the work we do and the support I ’ ve received from the SBAND board and membership in this role .
My involvement in NABE is valuable not only for me personally , but for what I can bring back to my board , and ultimately our membership . Bar associations around the country are all very different , not only in size ( for example , the Texas Bar Association has more than 100,000 members , and other state bars have closer to 3,000 like SBAND ). Some also have a larger regulatory role than SBAND , while our Supreme Court does most lawyer regulation in North Dakota . But the lessons learned from each of these bars is important in looking at how we manage our association , what programs we offer you , and how we can best utilize our resources to work with the courts , our members , and ultimately , help you better serve your clients . That is our mission at SBAND : We serve our members so you can serve your clients .
With all of that in mind , the 2025 Legislative Session begins Jan . 7 . If you are interested in anything legislatively , all of it can be streamed online . We manage our legislative efforts under our Keller policy , and while this isn ’ t always easy , it means we don ’ t take positions on much of anything . We support the Court ’ s budget , as well as that of the Indigent Defense Commission . We have traditionally also supported legislation put forth by the Uniform Laws Commission .
During the session , I read ( or at least skim ) every introduced bill . This can be 750-plus pieces of legislation . I then assign those that may impact SBAND or a particular area of the law to a member of our legislative committee . I chair this 15-member committee , which is a mix of lobbyists and subject-specific lawyers . They provide a review of the legislation and give a report to the committee . The members also suggest whether SBAND supports , opposes , tracks , or takes no “ action ” at all on a particular bill . This committee meets every Monday during the first part of the session , or until no further bills are introduced . The board of governors then meets every Tuesday to review the bills and the recommendations of the legislative committee and take SBAND ’ s official position .
At that point , I create a weekly legislative report that will list all bills by practice area . This allows you to look at legislation we think is important and provide testimony on it . The legislature has made it easy to testify remotely and , if you are interested in doing so , I ’ d encourage you explore that option .
We recently completed an economics survey and general survey , both of which can be found on our website . Finally , your board will undertake strategic planning this winter in an effort to better serve you . Let me know if you ever have any questions .
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