president’s message
Remarks of Outgoing President Rita A. Sheffey:
Enhancing Our Relationships: Making Connections
for Our Future
By Rita A. Sheffey
Hunton & Williams LLP
R
eflecting on the past year and what I would say at
our annual meeting and in my final message for The
Atlanta Lawyer evoked more emotion than I had
expected. I thank each of you for your confidence in me
and for the opportunity to serve as the 104th President of
the Atlanta Bar Association. It has been a distinct privilege
and a high honor. I am humbled by the experience.
As President, I had a single agenda -- to add value to
an already strong institution and to make it stronger. My
focus has been on creating and strengthening enduring
relationships -- on making key connections for our future.
And I hope and expect those extend well beyond my tenure
as President.
During the State Bar of Georgia’s recent annual meeting
in Savannah, I was pleased to celebrate the installation
of the State Bar’s second female president, a past chair
of our Litigation Section, Robin Frazer Clark. I also was
delighted to accept three awards on behalf of the Atlanta
Bar Association:
• Best Website for bar associations with more than
500 members
• Award of Merit in the same category for dedication to
improving relations among local lawyers and devoting
endless hours to serving our community; and
• The President’s Cup Award, a traveling award
presented to the voluntary bar association with the
best overall program in Georgia.
I extend special, heartfelt thanks to our Board members,
Section Chairs, Committee Chairs, and the Atlanta Bar
Staff for making this recognition possible. It was particularly
exciting to bring the President’s Cup back home. During
the coming year, it will serve as a reminder to all who visit
the Atlanta Bar offices of our hard work during the past year.
Of course, our real success has been on strengthening our
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THE ATLANTA LAWYER
June/July 2012
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relationships. I want to share with you just a few reflections
on the past year.
Members and potential members
As a voluntary association, we focused on membership.
For the first time in several years, we turned the corner and
increased our membership which had been in decline. (We
also recently learned that we ended the year with a (slight)
surplus for the first time since the 2006-2007 fiscal year!) We
focused on identifying and delivering value to our members
and potential members, and we did it one person at a time,
inviting friends and colleagues to join and telling them why
they should. We took nothing for granted.
We also made drastic changes in how we communicate
with our members. We turned the challenge of not
being able to print and mail The Atlanta Lawyer into an
opportunity, establishing a regular and aggressive schedule
for publication, and updating it to a new format that is
easier and more fun to read online. We continue to pursue
opportunities to resume printing and mailing hard copies
for those who want them. For a time, we also changed our
email communications to come directly from me and we
made them more informative and predictable as to content.
I also made it a priority to write personal messages, things I
would want to know as a member of the Atlanta Bar. Many
of you have told me how much you appreciated it, and I
thank you for the feedback.
Often during the year, we asked for your suggestions and
input. And you provided them and we listened.
We made sure we are offering programs and benefits of
value, continuing with those that work and adding others
to generate interest. We experimented with a new event,
the Up On The Rooftop Holiday Gala, a fun and unique
opportunity to showcase some of our talented members who
have published books or recorded music. Thanks to David
Schaeffer, Greg Presmanes and Doc Schneider, among
The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association