Fall Greetings to All!

I am looking out the window of my office and although the view is always beautiful, it is more so as the leaves start to change. It is that time of year where we are coming to the last really great days to be outdoors before we are closed in for the winter. Please take an opportunity to enjoy them.

As we approach winter and everyone starts to feel closed in and a little claustrophobic before spring comes, it is a time to pay special attention to our mental health. With the holidays, short days/long nights, and being cooped up, some of the problems associated with depression begin to show in our personal lives and certainly can show in the professional lives of lawyers in our state.

A few years ago, the State Bar had a CLE program where the presenter spoke about issues associated with depression and what to look for. I encourage all of you as we are going about the important work we have for our clients, to pay attention to one another, our partners, colleagues, opponents, staff, family, and friends, and be aware of any issues we see that we might associate with depression. If you see someone who is totally non-responsive, becomes totally reclusive, is "frozen at the wheel," just to name a few telltale signs, let's make sure we reach out and see if there is anything we can do to help. I think this summer we are going to look at the prospect of another CLE to discuss how you approach someone with those issues and how you might assist them in getting help.

I also want to let everyone know that the great trial academy begun by our past president, Tom Welk, is going to be operating again this summer and I encourage everyone to be talking with lawyers in your office or looking at it yourself, and taking the time to encourage someone to attend the program or consider attending it yourself. In the past, Tom has put together such a wonderful program, which was very well received by all who participated as students and as instructors.

As we close on the upcoming election, there are a number of issues that are very important to South Dakota, its citizens, and in particular, the State Bar. I urge all of you to encourage your family, friends, and staff to get out and vote. It is so easy to do it now with the advance voting. When you are at the courthouse, just go by the auditor's office and you can get your voting done early and avoid the lines on Election Day. Please afford your employees the opportunity to have a little extra time to get their voting done either ahead of time or on Election Day. The issues on the ballot are vitally important to all of us and we need to make sure we all exercise the unbelievable privilege we have to participate in the electoral process.

With regard to issues of special importance to the Bar, please visit with your family, friends, colleagues, clients, and staff on any questions they have regarding the upcoming judicial elections and the issues associated with Amendment E.

Finally, if any of you have thoughts, questions, concerns, or suggestions regarding the Bar, I want you to know how important your input is to me. Please feel free to contact me directly. I would be happy to visit with you at any time.

Back to School Greetings to Everyone!

It sometimes seems like everyone has renewed interest in their files and tries to get everything done once summer begins to leave us and we are looking at the end of the year. As I was contemplating the impending close of another year in the not-too-distant future, I recalled how quickly the years pass and find myself looking back and reflecting on how the practice of law has changed in the past 30+ years.

As we are all checking our Blackberries in meetings and driving down the road talking on cell phones, it seems almost unimaginable to me that probably less than 20 years ago, I remember having a debate in our office regarding whether we really needed a fax machine, given the cost, or whether we should just share one with our landlord at that time.

I recently attended the National Council of Bar Presidents' meeting and listened to a futurist. He discussed thinking in a larger, global sense and painting with broader brushes. I really liked when he said that he was the person who asks the questions no one wants to answer.

It is absolutely amazing how the practice of law has changed and how the practice of law will change over the next 20 years. The question arises whether the Bar will be prepared to deal with those coming changes and provide appropriate service and assistance to the membership. We need to be prepared to address that issue.

I think the Bar needs to be prepared to take a serious look at what the future brings so that we can be a dynamic body and be prepared to change in order to assist our members to better provide service to our clients. I think this kind of planning is going on everywhere. I know that the Law School is looking at the concept of what the law library of the future will look like.

To this end, I have decided to create a "Future Committee." I have not yet selected all of the members of this committee, but have selected its chairman, Professor John Hagemann from the University of South Dakota Law School. John is working on the law school's library issue and I am certain he will do an outstanding job on this newly-formed committee. I have discussed this with John and am very excited that someone with his background, vision, wisdom, and foresight would agree to chair this committee.

I envision the work of this committee will probably take a couple of years to fully develop. As the committee begins its work to present a plan to the Bar, they will be looking for thoughts, ideas, and input from all of you. I encourage you to participate when the committee seeks your opinions. We have a very bright and creative Bar and I think if everyone assists in this, we will be able to keep our Bar viable and important in assisting our membership to provide service to our clients.

A number of states have done this, so we are not going to reinvent the wheel. We will copy a great deal of what they have done. But, I think all of the states that have done it, have found it to be very helpful, very enlightening, and very thought provoking. I think the last several decades have shown us if you try to stand still, you are going backwards. I want to make sure that this wonderful Bar of ours, not only does not go backwards, but is second to none in planning for the future.

As a final thought, I was invited by the Law School to address the first-year students in their orientation process. The Law School continues to have an outstanding group of first-year students with diverse backgrounds and experiences. When you have the opportunity, I encourage you to participate in a program at the Law School or even just stop by to see what is going on. We have a great Law School with an outstanding administration and faculty.

We are in a unique situation in South Dakota to have such a close working relationship among the Bar, the Bench, and our Law School. It is important for all of us to do everything we can to keep the Law School as good as it is and to help it to be even better. After all, it is the ultimate source of human resources for all of us in the practice of law in our state. It behooves all of us, not just because it is the right thing to do, but because it is helpful to all of us, to support the Law School by participating in programs, providing insight, and providing financial support. I encourage all of you to do so.

Have a great Fall!