SBAND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
ALWAYS STRIVING TO DO
BETTER: SETTING AND MEETING
GOALS MAY REQUIRE CHANGE
TONY J. WEILER
SBAND Executive Director
The saying “hindsight is 20/20” is a proverb
meaning it’s easy to understand something
after it has happened. The expression is
usually stated when someone has made a
mistake, and in looking back, it’s easy to see
that more clearly than when it’s being made.
Looking back at what we haven’t done well is
often uncomfortable because we seldom like
to admit it when we’ve made a mistake! But
hindsight can also be beneficial in setting
goals for an upcoming year, and my hope
for the year 2020, is it will be one filled with
many blessings for you, your family, and
your colleagues. Each New Year provides
an opportunity to utilize hindsight and
look back at our past accomplishments and
failures and set new goals, and then work
hard toward those goals.
This may also require us to make changes
and, as lawyers, we struggle with change.
It takes us out of our comfort zone. We
like routines, schedules, and a sense of
control. Change may lead to a feeling of
loss of control. No two cases are alike, but
the routines we employ to get from the
beginning of a case to the conclusion of a
case provide comfort.
This won’t come as a surprise to anyone,
but technology has required us to change
the way we deliver legal services, how we
communicate with clients, and how we
file documents with the court. Clients and
consumers are tech savvy and are looking
for alternative ways to deal with legal
issues. North Dakota citizens take pride in
doing things for themselves, and this may
include a belief that legal work is much
like updating a bathroom. As lawyers, we
know this is not the case. Service and advice
from a competent lawyer meet the needs
of the client and also provide assurance
documents will be drafted properly. The
services provided by a lawyer are backed up
by the requirement that we follow the rules
of professional conduct and malpractice
insurance.
At SBAND, we set goals and strive to meet
those as well. This may require us to make
some changes, and the board of governors
wants your help in doing so. The board
of governors is a forward-thinking group
dedicated to the practice of law, service
to the public, and to the betterment of
the association. In order to better serve
members of the bar, a survey will be sent to
you in early 2020. The survey will focus on
the demographics of our bar, issues related
to your current position and practice
setting, and a large focus on priorities
and services provided by SBAND that
are important to you. The survey will also
ask about your bar involvement, pro bono
service, and your overall satisfaction with
practicing law. I do hope you will take the
time to complete the survey as it will allow
us to provide better service to you in 2020
and going forward.
Looking back at years past will hopefully
provide us with a clearer understanding of
how we could have done something better.
Going forward in 2020, this will continue
to be our goal here at SBAND, to gain a
clearer understanding of the benefits and
services we provide you and work hard to
do it better. We do a lot of things well, and
we will continue to improve where we can.
As always, reach out to me at tony@sband.
org if you have any comments or thoughts
on what your association can do for you.
WINTER 2020
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