PRESIDENT ’ S MESSAGE
Dean T . Xenick 2020-21 PBCBA President
Since I am Greek , I will leave you with this Greek proverb , which loosely translated says “ A society grows great when old people plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in .” Paraphrased that means , “ Leave it better than you find it .” As Board members , our goal is to leave our Association better than we found it , so that it prospers in the future and provides more service to our members and the community . I am pleased to say that our Board , our committees , and our Bar staff have achieved that goal this year , even during a pandemic .
We started the Bar year with our “ Vision 20 / 20 - Focused on Recovery ” initiative to make sure our members were informed and had all the tools necessary to recover their practices during this unprecedented year . Our goal was to not only survive , but to thrive . I hope that you were helped by the work product we put out and that your professional and personal life were positively affected by what we accomplished .
As we just passed the one-year mark of the pandemic lockdown , here is a list of what we achieved this past year :
• We did not have to lay off a single Bar staff employee , which unfortunately cannot be said for other voluntary Bar Associations in Florida and around the country .
• We remain in a positive financial position .
• We provided over 80 CLEs and countless virtual networking opportunities , including Coffee and Bagels with the Judges , bingo , wine tastings , trivia nights , and art and cooking classes , just to name a few .
• We put on two virtual Bench Bar Conferences which were very well attended .
• Our CDI Committee started an inaugural “ Road to the Bench Academy ” program , a bold move during a pandemic . I am pleased to report it was an unqualified success !
Vision 20 / 20 – Focused on Recovery Step 11 – THANK YOU and “ Leave It Better Than You Found It ”
• Our various committee chairs worked diligently with their committee members to provide valuable programming to our
members in almost every practice area . THANK YOU to our committee chairs and all their members , who are the lifeblood of the Bar Association .
• We donated thousands of dollars and
thousands of pounds of food to local charities .
• We conducted three Town Hall sessions with Chief Judge Krista Marx to keep our members advised of courthouse happenings
and the restarting of jury trials .
• Launched a self-referral lawyer referral webpage to aid the public with a faster referral to our members .
• Reactivated our 100 % Membership Club
• Celebrated our sitting African American Judiciary during Black History Month
• Celebrated Women ’ s History Month in March .
• Celebrated Membership Appreciation Month with prizes and food .
• Committee for Diversity and Inclusion was the recipient of YWCA Dorothy Height Racial Justice Award .
What was attained above by our Association was a true group effort , guided by our outstanding Bar staff , led by Executive Director Carla Tharp- Brown , who oversees the total operations of our Bar . Communications Director Lynne Poirier made sure our sponsors were taken care of , that our message was communicated to our members and the public , and led our North County Section to an amazing year . Kathy Clark , CLE Coordinator , made sure the many CLEs went smoothly and that our members got credit for same . Emily Vasquez guided our Young Lawyers Section to another successful year and made sure our membership numbers stayed elevated . Dee Maeyens and Eva Gray , LRS Coordinators , made sure that our Lawyer Referral Service program stayed active , giving the public access to legal assistance . Nicole Nelson ensured that all of the accounting and bookkeeping were in order , a crucial task over the past year . Last , but not least , Publications Coordinator Derek Loiseau made sure our bulletin , website , and social media were giving our members up to date information , which again was so important during the pandemic , as our members relied upon us for updated information about the courthouse and other related items .
So , as President of our Bar Association , I say THANK YOU to our “ Rockstar ” Bar staff , for keeping us up and running , working remotely when needed , so that our Bar is now “ better than we found it .”
Our Board of Directors “ came to play ” this year , and for that I say THANK YOU . We had tough decisions to make and were navigating in uncharted territory . I have no doubt that our Bar Association is in outstanding hands as we transition to the next Bar year . Thank you to President-Elect Julia Wyda for always being there to step in for me when needed and for consultation on various issues . Julia is going to make a fantastic President . Thank you to Past President Jessica Callow Hochradel for her experience and guidance during this year , your advice was essential . THANK YOU also to my entire Board , Scott Smith , Grasford Smith , Jean Marie Middleton , Lindsay Demmery , Andrea Lewis , Scott Perry , Nichole Segal , Jack Rice , Misty Chavez ( NCS President ), and Robbie Wight ( YLS President ) for being actively engaged and for helping our Bar Association get through this historic ( for the wrong reasons !) year . I would love to write a paragraph on each of you , but I just don ’ t have the space . I take comfort in knowing our Bar Association is in outstanding hands for as long as my eyes can see . You all truly exemplify the “ Leave It Better Than You Find It ” creed .
I would also like to thank everyone at all Palm Beach County courthouses , both in the 15th Judicial Circuit and 4th District Court of Appeal , for your dedication to keeping the courthouses open for access to the courts , some of the most important business of our country . We have the best judges in Florida and they are backed by an outstanding judicial team ( Judges , JAs , bailiffs , courthouse staff , clerk ’ s office , technology and everyone at the courthouses ) went above and beyond this year and we are thankful to be returning to the courthouse very soon .
Last but certainly not least , I would like to say THANK YOU to our members for sticking with us this year . The emails , calls and messages I have received from you have been encouraging and we finally are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel . Your continued membership and sponsorship really made the difference this year and for that we say THANK YOU .
One thing is for sure , this will be one of the most memorable years at the Palm Beach County Bar Association and I thank you all for the opportunity to serve this past year . I wish you all the best , both professionally and personally . So , for the last time , even though I will now be your past President , I encourage you to drop me a line at dtx @ reidburmanlaw . com with any suggestions as to how we can do better , whether that be for “ work ” or “ play .” I hope to see you at one of our many planned events soon !
PBCBA BAR BULLETIN 3