SBAND PRESIDENT
SBAND PRESIDENT
GRATEFUL FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SERVE SBAND AND REPRESENT NORTH DAKOTA
JENNIFER ALBAUGH SBAND President
It ’ s hard to believe this is my last article for “ The Gavel ” as the president of the State Bar Association of North Dakota ( SBAND ). I am grateful to have had this opportunity , and sincerely appreciate the support I have received from all of you this past year . Before writing this last article , I reviewed my previous articles and realized my articles never focused on a particular theme ; however , I worked diligently to keep you updated on my role as president . Why stray from the familiar on this last article ?
This past month , I was fortunate to attend the Western States Bar Conference in San Diego . The theme of this year ’ s conference was Waves of Change : Bar Leadership , Lawyering and Governance . I am not big on change , because it takes me out of my comfort zone . I am certain I am not alone in feeling this way . Regardless of my personal feelings , change to the legal profession will occur , and this was the focus of the Western States Bar Conference . Our involvement in policymaking , management of any changes , alternatives to lawyer admissions , lawyer well-being , and increasing peoples ’ access to justice were topics discussed at length .
SBAND works diligently to address the foregoing issues daily . During Roll Call of States , I discovered we are not alone and several other states in the Western States Bar face similar issues . Throughout this past legislative session , increasing access to justice in rural areas and alternatives to lawyer admission and solutions to the same were discussed at length .
As many of you are familiar , the Rural Attorney Recruitment Program is a legislatively created program that works to assist counties and municipalities in recruiting attorneys to practice in the rural areas of our great state . Initially , participation in the Rural Attorney Recruitment Program was limited to four attorneys ; however , this number will double ! Moving forward , the Rural Attorney Recruitment Program will allow eight attorneys to participate . This decision will undoubtedly increase access to justice in our rural counties .
Another hot button topic at the legislature this year was alternative pathways to lawyer admission in North Dakota . While the landscape of this topic changed throughout the legislative session , a resolution was passed . House Concurrent Resolution 3023 encourages the judicial branch to consider forming a task force to study the retention of University of North Dakota law graduates in the state , which includes an evaluation of alternative pathways to bar admission . If the judicial branch forms a task force , then representatives from the judicial branch ,
State Board of Law Examiners , legislative branch , University of North Dakota School of Law , and SBAND may participate . The judicial branch is encouraged to report any findings and recommendations together with any legislation required to implement the recommendations to the 69th Legislative Assembly . Whether or not a task force will be formed is still a question , but alternative pathways to bar admission is certainly an issue gaining traction in our legal profession .
As we move towards warmer weather , we move closer to the 2023 SBAND Annual Meeting . This year ’ s meeting will be held in Bismarck June 14-16 . Executive Director Tony Weiler and his amazing staff are buttoning up the final details . I am certain the speakers and content will not disappoint and will be just as beneficial and informative as previous annual meetings . Hopefully , everyone can clear a few days of their calendar to come and enjoy everything this year ’ s meeting has to offer !
Looking back on this past year , I am reminded of all the great work done by SBAND . I am immensely proud to be such an integral part of the association as a board of governor member and look forward to continuing this work next year as past president of SBAND . Thank you for the opportunity to serve you in this capacity , it has truly been an honor to represent the great state of North Dakota .
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