Spring 2018 Gavel Final Spring 2018 Gavel | Page 5

SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
REMAINING FOCUSED
ON A GROWING SBAND
TONY J. WEILER
SBAND Executive Director
The spring column allows me the
opportunity to write about the number
of lawyers who comprise the State Bar
Association of North Dakota (SBAND).
What strikes me is, during my almost five
years as your executive director, we ended
each of those years with the highest number
of lawyers ever licensed in North Dakota
(except at the end of 2017, when there were
3,039 licensed lawyers compared to 3,053
in 2016). By comparison, at the end of 2003
there were 1,840 attorneys in North Dakota.
We continue to have a large number of
members who do not have their primary
address in North Dakota, with approximately
60 percent of our members living in state.
Anecdotally, we know lawyers are busy, and
the numbers reflect that, even though it is
difficult to track. We’d like to have more
information on our members, and our new
database should help. We will, however, need
your help in filling out a profile and keeping
it up to date, but that will take some time.
Much like you, we are busy at SBAND.
Our time is devoted to working on issues
important to lawyers and the public. Member
service and member benefits drive us at
SBAND, and the board of governors, the
staff, and I are committed to great member
service.
One item that keeps us busy year-round is
the Annual Meeting, which will be held in
Bismarck June 13-15. We intend to provide
programming in a wide range of areas, and
we strive to include content that fits in with
any type of practice. The day before the
“official” start of the Annual Meeting, we
offer free programming so you can maximize
your credits. We plan to offer programming
on technology and the dangers of the dark
web, information on eliminating bias, the
annual Vogel Lecture on Professionalism
and Legal Ethics, and so much more. Our
keynote speaker will focus on work-life
balance and making sure we are “productive”
and not just “busy.”
Speaking of lawyer wellness, our Lawyer
Assistance Program’s (LAP) purpose is “to
prevent and alleviate problems that adversely
affect a lawyer’s performance.” Most of the
work being done is with lawyers who are
in the program through diversion from
discipline. We also accept “clients” who
self-refer, or who are referred to the LAP
via another lawyer or judge. While the
LAP does help those who are struggling
with addiction issues, it goes beyond that
to assist those who need help with practice
management or simply more job satisfaction.
The LAP recently hosted a team from the
ABA’s Commission on Lawyer Assistance
Programs (CoLAP) to confer and provide
evaluation on a range of issues facing lawyer
assistance programs, including substance
use disorders, depression, stress, cognitive
impairment, and other mental health issues.
The evaluation included a team sent to
North Dakota to examine the structure,
operation, and procedures of our LAP.
The evaluation process included interviews
with many stakeholders in North Dakota,
including all members of our Supreme
Court, UND School of Law Dean Kathryn
Rand, disciplinary counsel Kara Erickson,
and several current or former mentors and
“clients” in the program. The team also talked
extensively with members of our LAP and
my staff and I, who help run the program.
The evaluation gave us a very good look at
what we are doing well in North Dakota
and how we can do better. One of the
recommendations was to broaden the
insights of the committee and its chair.
This may sound easier than it actually is, as
we do not have full-time staff dedicated to
our LAP like other larger states. Our LAP
committee members, including the chair,
are volunteers who maintain busy practices.
One suggestion was the chair join a national
list serve of all LAP directors or chairs. That
is easy enough, except when you consider
the sheer volume of emails that lawyers
already get on a daily basis. Adding this to a
“volunteer” position becomes more daunting.
Another recommendation is our LAP
develop better records and data to track our
successes and failures. That is something we
are committed to at SBAND, and our plan is
to utilize someone on staff to work on ways
to accomplish this goal.
Finally, the team recommended our LAP
enhance its mentor training and recruit
successful program graduates as mentors.
To work toward this goal, we will host
three hours of LAP focused training on
Wednesday of the Annual Meeting. This
training will be free to all current mentors
and clients and to those who commit to
considering a mentor appointment. If you
have any questions, please let me know and
I’d be more than happy to discuss it with you.
SPRING 2018
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