Spring 2018 Gavel Final Spring 2018 Gavel | Page 4

SBAND PRESIDENT
THANK YOU
FOR A GREAT YEAR!
DARCIE EINARSON
SBAND President
This is my final column as your president.
I have loved serving as SBAND president,
and I wanted to take the opportunity to
give thanks to you all for the pleasure of
representing you this past year.
Kristi Pettit Venhuizen appointed me to the
board of governors when my district needed
a representative in 2011. I’m not sure I knew
the enormity of what SBAND did when I
sat in my first meeting. Thank you, Kristi,
and to those who have shown me the ropes
over the years.
Bill Neumann led me through some of the
organizational basics, showed me around
the C.B. Little house that was home to our
organization, and introduced me to staff and
other members of the board. Sitting in my
first meeting, I’ll never forget the impressions
I had. I won’t forget it, because I still have
that feeling of admiration and respect in
every meeting. Lawyers are smart!
The board of governors is made up of an
attorney from each judicial district across
North Dakota. We also have the ABA
delegate, a Young Lawyer representative,
and the Dean of the Law School serving
as members. The past president, current
president, president-elect, and secretary-
treasurer of the association also have seats
at the table. The diversity of practice areas
and insights is simply astonishing. What a
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THE GAVEL
talented group you all have assembled to
think up solutions and debate the business
of our organization. We agree, disagree,
and, if stuck, come up with an angle no
one has considered to resolve the issue. The
thoughtfulness, respectfulness, and intellect
of this group is impressive. Thank you
SBAND board!
This has been my experience in working
with committees, too. The fact that we
often have many interested, busy, and smart
attorneys willing to devote their time is
something for which I am so proud. Thank
you all who have been willing to serve us
and the public!
SBAND has a small staff, but you would
not know it by the service we receive. Our
annual meeting, the member benefits, and
the CLEs all just keep getting better and
better. As I’ve traveled throughout the year,
I’ve been impressed with the knowledge
base of our executive director and happy
for the contacts made by Tony Weiler with
other associations and executive directors
around the country. Thank you, Tony, and
the SBAND staff for all you do!
Thank you also to my family for your
support this year, including my real family
and my work family. Both have picked up
the slack for me when I’ve had obligations
that took me away from home and the
office. Thank you Sydney, Landen, and the
gang at Brudvik Law Office, PC!
I have not made it everywhere this year. I had
hoped to hit more district meetings and to
meet more of you personally before my term
ended. Please come to the Annual Meeting.
There is so much value in getting together to
learn, to meet, and to celebrate one another!
North Dakota is also host to the Jackrabbit
Bar Conference meeting this year. The
Jackrabbit Bar is a group of smaller states
who have a very informal, collegial meeting
annually. So, no ties allowed! In fact, the
by-laws allow the chancellor to cut a tie off
if one is spotted at the meeting. I am the
chancellor and I’m ready to enforce that rule,
so bring your casual attire and kick back to
enjoy the full experience of Medora. I am
told South Dakota leadership intends to
bring a bus and the Montana delegation may
be similarly well-represented. As hosts, I
hope you will join me in helping our visitors
see the hospitality and graciousness of the
North Dakota Bar.