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Get Involved!
Enhance your HBA membership by joining committees and sections Have you participated in a Houston Bar Association activity and wondered how the event came together? Although some HBA programs and events are staff-driven, others are planned, coordinated and implemented by attorneys who serve on HBA committees or sections. Joining a committee or section can provide extra value to your HBA membership. Committees Over 550 HBA members serve on one or more committees, and it is easy to get involved. The Houston Bar Association standing committees for the 2009-2010 bar year are listed in the bottom of the page. The HBA Website, www.hba.org, lists brief information on each committee, along with the current chair or co-chairs and their contact information, on the left navigation bar. The incoming HBA president appoints all committee chairs and members before he or she takes office. In February, each HBA member receives a Committee Volunteer Form, which provides the opportunity to volunteer for up to three committees of your choice, in order of preference. Committee volunteer forms are due back in mid-March. After the deadline, the staff of the HBA Committees, Events and Programs Department puts together lists of all attorneys who wish to serve on each committee. The president then reviews the lists and appoints members to each committee. It is likely that you will receive an appointment to all committees in which you listed an interest. The order of preference is important for some committees, such as the Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Committee and The Houston Lawyer Editorial Board, because there are many members who want to serve on them but only a limited number of positions. Bear in mind that all HBA committees require time spent at meetings, planning activities and attending the activities. If you have time for only one committee, it is best to volunteer for only one. It is a misconception is that if you serve on an HBA committee, you will be reappointed automatically to that committee until you decide you no longer wish to participate. In most cases, you must be reappointed to a committee each year by returning a completed Committee Volunteer Form. In addition to the mailing done each February, this form is on the HBA Web site under the Committee navigation bar. Many programs and projects recruit volunteers from outside the committees that coordinate them. Examples include the Lawyers in Public Schools Program, which provides substitute teachers for a day in Spring Branch ISD middle schools; the Elder Law Committee’s annual Will-A-Thon, which recruits volunteers to provide wills and medical directives for low-income seniors; and the Habitat for Humanity Committee, which recruits volunteers to build houses. Some committees work in conjunction with other professions, such as the IDEA Program, which sends teams of lawyers and doctors to talk to 5th grade students about substance abuse, and the Law & the Media Committee, which plans an annual seminar for both lawyers and reporters. Each committee has a chair or co-chairs, and some have additional leadership positions responsible for specific elements of a program or project. For instance, the CLE Committee has an overall chair, but there is a subcommittee chair in charge of planning the weekly seminars. The incoming HBA president appoints all committee chairs, with consideration given to factors such as dedication, longevity of service, leadership skills and diversity. Three committees serve as boards for the HBA’s ancillary organizations: the Houston Lawyer Referral Service, the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program, and the Harris County Dispute Resolution Center. The terms of membership for these programs are a little different, and more information is available by calling the HBA office. A staff member from the HBA serves as liaison to each committee. That staff member assists with setting up meetings, as well as some aspects of coordination and planning for committees and programs. If you would like to know more about a committee, call the HBA office and speak to the staff person who serves as liaison to that committee. Sections Sections are groups of attorneys who have the same practice area or interest. They operate much like small bar associations within the larger association. In order to join a section, you must be a member of the HBA and you must pay section dues in addition to your HBA dues. The HBA has 29 sections listed on the bottom of the page, including a new Transportation Law Section for the 2009-2010 bar year. It is easy to join one or more sections when paying your annual HBA dues by simply checking off the sections you want to join on your annual statement and submitting the dues along with your HBA dues on one check. It also is possible to join a section at any time during the year by contacting the HBA membership director. Most sections meet monthly on a regularly scheduled day for a luncheon and speaker, usually providing CLE credit. In addition to CLE that is targeted to practice areas, sections are a great way to network with attorneys who share your same professional interests. Some sections sponsor community service projects, such as the Family Law Section, which provides a family law specialist for each LegalLine program. Many sections contribute financially to other HBA programs, such as Habitat for Humanity. Some even provide scholarships for law students with an interest in specific areas of the law. Each section has a chair and a council elected by section members on a yearly basis. The HBA staff handles the financial and administrative duties for each section. In order to form a new section, an attorney or group of attorneys must petition the HBA board and show why they believe there is enough interest among members to sustain the section. Sections also have their own bylaws, based on a model form. HBA members have myriad interests and talents, and the HBA provides opportunities for members to utilize those talents in serving both the community and the profession. The Houston Bar Bulletin each year publishes a committee and section directory with more information [see the October 2008 Bulletin on the HBA Web site, www.hba.org]. Take a closer look at HBA committees and sections, and find the programs that meet your volunteer and professional needs. Tara Shockley is the communications director for the Houston Bar Association. HBA COMMITTEES
HBA SECTIONS
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