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Moot Court, National Trial and the Sopinka and Gale Cups. In May, we will hold another Diversity Trial Advo- cacy program for lawyers from racially diverse backgrounds in Chicago. And once again this year, the Foundation is supporting Just The Beginning—A Pipeline Organization, to help econom- ically-disadvantaged and first-genera- tion law students obtain paid intern- ships or externships with federal judges.
As I travel around North America, I have been reminding Fellows that the first sentence of our mission statement describes the Col- lege as “an invitation only fellowship of exceptional trial lawyers of diverse backgrounds from the United States and Canada.” Our desire to increase the diversity of our Fellows is not simply as- pirational or a matter of political correctness; it’s a value that is the key to growth. More and more, our clients want lawyers who look like our jurors. That means that increasingly the exception- ally qualified trial lawyers in our two countries are women and people of color. If we want the College to continue to represent
the absolute top trial lawyers, then it’s imperative that we find and nominate more candidates of col- or and more women. If we do that and if we then work at ensuring that everyone feels included and like they belong, then we will continue to have a vibrant organization of the best the bar has to offer.
Our 2023 Spring Meeting will be held from February 23 to 26 in Key Biscayne, Florida. President-Elect Bill Murphy has lined up some great speakers, including, among others, (1) Dr. Jennifer Languell, who will speak about how we can better plan buildings and communities to withstand the effects of global warming and climate change; (2) Berit Anderson, who chairs the Nobel Peace Prize Committee; (3) Casey Cep, who has written a book called Furious Hours about a series of unsolved murders in Alabama that Harper Lee was investigating; and (4) Justice Steven Breyer, who was chosen to give the Lewis F. Powell lecture, but instead will be interviewed by his brother, Judicial Fellow Charles Breyer. Secretary John Day has arranged a CLE presentation for the afternoon of February 23 during which two professional actors will address how to effectively communicate to others via remote video camera. Topics will include choosing an appropriate setting, appropriate dress, dealing with the gap/lag in the software, how to look at the camera, how to sit, the proper use of notes and other topics. The goal of the program is to help lawyers be more effective advocates in a legal world increasingly using remote video for courtroom appearances.
Susan Harriman San Francisco, CA
WINTER 2023
JOURNAL 6
I look forward to seeing many of you at the Spring meeting and others at the state, province and regional meetings. As I meet more and more of you, it reinforces how fortunate I am to serve as President of this wonderful organization.