2011 plenary national board reports

Table of Contents

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer

Plenary Report

Table of Contents Leadership Division

National Chair .............................................................................................................................. 2 National Vice-Chair .................................................................................................................... 14 National Chief of Staff ................................................................................................................ 17 National Secretary ..................................................................................................................... 20 National Parliamentarian ........................................................................................................... 22 National Convention Coordinator .............................................................................................. 27

Regional Chairs Mid-Atlantic Regional Chair ....................................................................................................... 31 Midwest Regional Chair ............................................................................................................. 36 Northeast Regional Chair .......................................................................................................... 39 Rocky Mountain Regional Chair ................................................................................................ 44 Southern Regional Chair ........................................................................................................... 46 Western Regional Chair ............................................................................................................. 51

Financial Division National Treasurer ..................................................................................................................... 54 National Financial Secretary ...................................................................................................... 60 National Director of Corporate Relations ................................................................................... 62

Advocacy and Communications Divisions National Attorney General ......................................................................................................... 64 National Social Action Chair ...................................................................................................... 70 National Director of Communications ........................................................................................ 80 National Director of Public Relations ......................................................................................... 85 National Director of Membership ............................................................................................... 90 National Historian ...................................................................................................................... 95

Competitions Directors National Director-Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition ................................................ 98 National Director-Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition ................................................. 104 National Director-International Negotiations Competition ....................................................... 108

Programming Division National Director of Programming ........................................................................................... 111 National Director of College Student Division .......................................................................... 114 National Director of Alumni Affairs and Development ............................................................. 118 National Director of Education and Career Development ....................................................... 121 National Director of Community Service .................................................................................. 124 International Relations Chair ................................................................................................... 127

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2010-11 Officer Plenary Report

TO: 2010-2011 National Team

FROM: Melinda M. Hightower, National Chair

DATE: 43rd Annual National Convention – March 2011 (Houston, Texas)

OBJECTIVES OBJECTIVES FOR 2010-2011

1. Leadership Development & Succession Planning: Work to proactively identify, recruit, and

develop new NBLSA Leadership.

a. Board Job Descriptions. Work with the National Vice Chair to develop officer job

descriptions that set forth programming and/or infrastructure responsibilities, reporting

structure, and required skills.

b. Leadership Info Sessions. Work with the National Elections Committee to implement

call-in info sessions or podcasts about NBLSA leadership positions and how members

can prepare themselves for the roles.

c. Current Board Recruitment. Conduct one-on-one meetings with current Class of 2012

National and Regional Board members about leadership opportunities within NBLSA.

d. Chapter “Rising Star” Nominations. Connect with chapter presidents to identify strong

candidates for regional and national board positions.

e. Succession Report. Compile list of contacted members and their positions of interest

for 2011-2012 Board.

f. Board Orientation Book. Develop a board orientation book containing meeting minutes,

policies, contact information, and other resources for board members.

g. Board Transition Process. Develop a training guide for incoming national and regional

board members.

2. Member Programming & Satisfaction

a. Programming Vision. Create a simple, reusable programming framework that affords

incoming boards flexibility, but stays true to NBLSA’s purpose.

b. National Conventions. Work with National Convention Coordinator, National Director of

Programming, and the Convention Committee to execute a rewarding, memorable, and

economically sustainable convention.

c. Two-way Communication. Implement, through the Communications Team,

opportunities for chapters to better communicate with National leadership and for the

National Board to better connect with chapters.

2010-2011 OFFICER PLENARY REPORT

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3. Board Operations & Meetings: Provide leadership to the NBLSA Board of Directors.

a. Organizational Structure & Appointments. Work with the National Vice Chair to

develop the 2010-2011 organizational structure including new positions, duties, and

reporting responsibilities. Create and communicate Call for Appointment Officers to

NBLSA members with a target of May 2010 for full board strength.

b. Committees. Determine Committee assignments and tasks by June 2010 board

meeting and work with National Chief of Staff to create a National Advisory Board.

c. Board Meetings. Work with National Vice Chair, National Secretary, and National

Parliamentarian to chair efficient board meetings including (1) agenda development, (2)

clarifying the board’s role, (3) setting meeting dates, and (4) implementing reporting

guidelines.

d. Policies & Accountability. Develop and provide policy recommendations for

consideration by the Board. Work with National Vice Chair to develop accountability

tools and to educate Board members about all Board roles and key metrics for each

division and officer.

e. Chapter Support. Develop chapter toolkit and programs that address key chapter

management issues including fundraising, finance, advocacy, organizational structure,

membership, and communications.

f. Administrative Team. Establish strong working relationships with Regional Chairs,

Division Team Leaders, National Vice Chair, National Secretary, and National Chief of

Staff to ensure that NBLSA develops processes, fulfills its executive duties (e.g., contract

approval, reporting), and facilitates change.

4. Fundraising & Finances: Ensure the financial health and longevity of NBLSA through strategic

development and expense management initiatives.

a. Diversification. Work with the Finance Division to identify other sources of revenue (e.g.,

individual supporters, foundations, and corporations) to support NBLSA’s mission and

develop opportunities for non-cash involvement (e.g., in-kind).

b. Expense Management. Work with the National Treasurer to present a budget for the

Board’s approval by July 2010 and prudently manage organizational expenses.

c. Capital Campaign. Work with the Finance Committee to explore the feasibility and

desirability of launching a NBLSA capital campaign. The Committee will prepare its

written recommendations to the NBLSA Board by the January 2011 board meeting that

summarizes their findings, articulates a planned course of action, and lays out a

substantive timeline.

d. Officer Commitment. Work with Finance Division to develop expectations for board

member involvement in fundraising.

e. Personal Commitment. Play a leading role in fundraising activities including connecting

with current sponsors, reaching out to potential sponsors with whom I have a

relationship, and securing guidance on how to approach prospective donors.


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5. Community & Public relations: Ensure NBLSA, its purpose, programs, and members are

consistently portrayed in a strong, positive light to internal and external stakeholders.

a. Appearances/Travel. Develop Chair travel schedule prioritizing NBLSA’s Regional

events and chapters, long-term partnerships, and sponsors. The NBLSA Chair role

requires service on the: (1) NBLSA National Executive Board, (2) National Bar

Association Board of Directors, and (3) American Bar Association Law Student Division

Board of Governors.

b. Partnerships. Work with National Chief of Staff to identify, coordinate, and strengthen

NBLSA’s partnerships with outside organizations.

c. Brand Management. Direct Finance, Communications, and Advocacy/PR Divisions in

creation of a NBLSA Annual Report and other initiatives that increase awareness and

value of the NBLSA brand.

6. Strategic Planning: To lead/guide the strategic planning process and ensure NBLSA is

appropriately posited for its 50 year milestone.

MODIFICATIONS TO 2010-2011 OBJECTIVES

1. Board Operations (Executive Director) – Create and lead a committee to explore whether

NBLSA requires an Executive Director and possible implementation methods.

2. Fundraising & Finances (Regional Oversight) – Take on a more direct financial stewardship

(e.g., vendor/expense management) role of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Western Region as a

result of mid-year leadership changes in these regions.

3. Fundraising & Finance (Compliance) – Work with the Finance Team to address the

Association’s legal, accounting, and tax compliance shortfalls.

4. Fundraising & Finance (Capital Campaign) – Due to the amount of time devoted by the

Finance Team to compliance issues, this deliverable was removed.

OVERVIEW OF PRODUCTIVITY & ACTION ITEMS STATUS OF OBJECTIVES

1. Leadership Development & Succession Planning – We have developed job descriptions for

each Board position, conducted info sessions for potential candidates, and recruited 1L and 2L

members to run for office. We also developed a transition process and board orientation manual

for the incoming board.

2. Membership Programming & Satisfaction – We developed a re-usable national programming

framework and additional resources for chapter leaders. Our programming has been

streamlined and we’ve achieved record attendance/turnout numbers. We expanded the National

Convention experience and launched efforts to make convention affordable for both members

and the Association.


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3. Board Operations & Meetings – We developed new reporting tools, staffing programs, and

policies and procedures to guide the Association. We also developed preliminary

recommendations regarding a NBLSA Executive Director role.

4. Fundraising & Finances – We have formed creative fundraising partnerships and significantly

improved our financial reporting and compliance efforts. We have surpassed our fundraising

target and have developed a protocol to guide future fundraising efforts.

5. Community & Public Relations – We have significantly improved our internet and social media

outreach using Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Nblsa.org to provide current and informative

content. We also developed new partnerships across our advocacy, community service, and

education & career development initiatives.

6. Strategic Planning – We developed a strategic plan that represents a return to NBLSA’s core

mission as denoted by this year’s theme, A Legacy of Empowerment.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS & LESSONS LEARNED SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS ADDRESSED WITHIN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. Leadership Development & Succession Planning

a. Board Job Descriptions. Developed a job description template for use in creating

National Officer job descriptions. Created the Alumni Affairs and Chief of Staff job

descriptions.

b. Succession Planning (Leadership Info Sessions/Current Board

Recruitment/Chapter Nominations/Succession Report). Connected personally with

first- and second-year National Board members regarding renewing their commitment to

NBLSA Board Service. Participated in information sessions for interested National Chair

candidates.

c. Board Orientation Book. Created electronic and hard copy versions of the National

Board Orientation Book. Created an online document retention program for National

and its six regions.

d. Board Transition Process. Worked with National Vice Chair to develop a transition

process for the incoming National Board and to educate incoming Regional Board

members about NBLSA and their responsibilities. Defer to National Vice Chair’s report

for additional information.


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2. Membership Programming & Satisfaction

a. Programming Vision. Worked with the National Board to develop the following

programming framework:

o Vision: NBLSA actively works toward the respect, acceptance, and engagement of

Black law students in our law schools, our communities, and our profession. To that

end:

Empowering Members and Communities. NBLSA is dedicated to the

development of talented, involved Black attorneys. Our members’ academic

and technical skills place them among the most talented law students. In

addition, NBLSA members are involved as agents of lasting change not only

in their profession, but also in their communities. NBLSA’s national

programming encourages students to continue the traditions of service and

excellence.

Advocating for Diversity in Law Schools and Legal Profession. NBLSA

serves as the leading national advocate for Black law students. We use our

collective voice to call for the meaningful representation and support of

Black students in law schools and in the legal profession. NBLSA’s multi-

media platform drives change by directing national attention to these

concerns. NBLSA also works with select organizations to develop and

implement initiatives that support the success of Black law students.

Programming/Infrastructural Framework: Our external, community-facing

programs will focus on (1) youth advocacy and empowerment, (2) equity in

the criminal justice system, (3) access to political and legal institutions, and

(4) engaged global citizenship. Our internal, member-focused initiatives will

revolve around (1) effective alumni and employer networks, (2) valuable

professional and soft skills development, and (3) meaningful chapter

support. Last, our infrastructure efforts will target (1) strengthened national

and regional partnerships, (2) improved membership communication, and (3)

a comprehensive governance review.

b. Programming Results. Streamlined national programming and selectively focused on

our core areas. Please refer to the respective officer report for additional information.

o Programming Team

Director of Programming: Conducted a Chapter Leadership Retreat during

Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Weekend in September. Launched a

Chapter Grant program to provide chapters with financial assistance in

achieving their programming goals. Expanded National Convention


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programming to include additional career-orientated workshops.

Alumni Affairs: Hosted alumni+student networking receptions in all six

regions. Began collecting alumni information in anticipation of a

mentoring call to action and/or a NBLSA Alumni Membership offering.

College Student Division: Launched effort to increase the number of pre-

law chapters with a specific focus on HBCUs.

Career & Education Development: Provided administrative support to the

NBLSA Regional Job Fair Program. Launched e-development tools to

provide greater access to career counseling.

International: Continued our support of Haiti through NBLSA C.A.R.E.S.

(Contributing through Advocacy, Resources, Education, and Service)

Winter Break Service Trip. Expanded our international service

commitment to include furnishing books for a library in Kenya.

Community Service: Undertook a National Board service commitment

where Board members participated in community service along with their

in-person board meetings. Offered community service opportunity in

conjunction with CBC Weekend and Chapter of the Year recognition to

chapters with a demonstrated legacy of service.

o Advocacy Team

CBC Weekend: Achieved record attendance at various NBLSA initiatives

over CBC Weekend including participation in panels and networking

events.

Lobby Day: Formed a coalition with the National Latino/a Law Students

Association and the Hispanic National Bar-Law Student Division. NBLSA

members met with congressional leaders to promote the Elementary and

Secondary Education Act.

Amicus Brief Program: Partnered with public interest groups and law firms

to participate in two Amicus filings – J.D.B. v. State of North Carolina,

advocating that the age should be considered in determining whether a

child is in custody for Miranda purposes, and Friendly House v. Whiting

advocating that Arizona’s immigration bill (SB 1070) is unconstitutional.

Social Action Rally: Formed a coalition and hosted a rally to support the

elimination of felony disenfranchisement and the adoption of the

Democracy Restoration Act. Participated in the One Nation coalition led

by the NAACP to support the equal opportunity and access to education

and jobs.

Juvenile Justice Commercial: Produced a performative documentary to

increase awareness of the tragic consequences of youth in adult prisons.

o Competitions Team. The competitions team executed our mandatory

programs – the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition and the Frederick


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Douglass Moot Court Competition – as well as continued the International

Negotiations Competition.

c. National Convention

o 2011 National Convention. Worked with the National Convention Coordinator to

enhance the National Convention in the following ways:

Affordability. Launched the Travel Award Program, which provides

NBLSA members with the opportunity to participate in National Convention.

Travel Awards provide a combination of complimentary airfare,

complimentary hotel, and/or complimentary registration. Launched the

Volunteer Day Pass Program, which provides NBLSA members with

complimentary access to workshops and seminars in return for serving as a

convention volunteer.

Workshops. Added a series of workshops to educate students about

specific practice areas unique to the convention location such as energy law

and environmental law.

Accessibility. Added small group networking opportunities such as

Breakfast Roundtable to aid in one-on-one interactions between students

and attorneys.

o Future Conventions. After reviewing the practices of other organizations,

particularly student associations, NBLSA opted to begin executing its convention

contracts in advance. The following National Convention sites have been secured:

2012 National Convention (Washington, DC Metro). The 2012 National

Convention will take place in the Mid-Atlantic Region from March 7-March

11, 2012 at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View.

2013 National Convention (Atlanta, GA). The 2013 National Convention

will take in the Southern Region from March 6-10, 2013 at the Westin

Peachtree Plaza.

Defer to the National Convention Coordinator’s Report for additional information.

3. Board Operations & Meetings

a. Organizational Structure & Appointments. Kept the Association fully staffed and

expanded our structure in the following ways:

o NBLSA Fellows Program. Launched the NBLSA Fellows Program, which provides

pre-law students the opportunity to gain non-profit experience while being mentored

by National Board members.

o National Specialists. Added additional support for the Advocacy, Financial, and

Competitions Teams.

b. Committees. Created new committees to support the Alumni Affairs and Social Action

positions. Created a National Committee Guide and assigned board members to

committee. Incorporated committee reporting into monthly board meetings.

c. Board Meetings. Led the adoption of a consent agenda process to streamline


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approvals on straightforward matters (e.g., meeting minutes). Created the following

reporting tools:

o Monthly Dashboard – An snapshot of NBLSA’s financials, registration numbers,

and officer progress.

o Weekly Group Leader Report – A weekly report template used by the leaders of

each division – Programming, Competitions, Advocacy, Communications, and

Finance – to provide an overview of group progress.

o Executive Board Member Survey – A semi-annual tool used by the National Chair

and National Vice Chair to determine the progress, attitude, and climate of Executive

Board.

o After Action Reports – A tool used by the Programming, Advocacy, and

Communications Teams to provide an assessment of core national programs.

d. Policies & Accountability. Developed the above reports in an effort to increase

transparency on the board and accountability. Drafted the following policies to bring us

in compliance with best practices and federal/state law:

Administrative Policies

o Regional Competition Reimbursement Policy – Policy that governs reimbursement of

regional competition expenses.

o Document Retention Policy – Policy that outlines document retention process (e.g.,

type of records to store and retention requirements). Required by Sarbanes-Oxley

Act.

Accountability Policies

o Impeachment Policy – Policy that governs removal of National Officers and serves as

a guide to the removal of Regional Officers.

o Grievance Process – Policy that governs process for membership to address

concerns with National officers.

Governance Policies

o Conflicts of Interest Policy – Policy that governs Board member disclosure and

recusal in the instance of a conflict.

o Whistleblower Policy – Policy that governs insider disclosure of suspected illegal

activity. Required by Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

o Statement of Board Duties & Responsibilities – Document that outlines

responsibilities of Board members as fiduciaries and as individual officers.

o Code of Ethics – Polices that outlines the commitment of the organization to the

highest level of integrity.

e. Chapter Support. Conducted a State of NBLSA Call to provide chapters with

information about NBLSA. Also drafted a chapter operations manual to address

frequently asked questions about chapter fundraising and chapter administration.

f. Administrative Team. Conducted in-person meetings and conference calls with

Regional Chairs. Conducted weekly meetings with the National Vice Chair, National


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Chief of Staff, and National Deputy Chiefs of Staff. Conducted periodic one-on-one

meetings with Division Leaders.

g. Executive Director. Examined NBLSA’s growth and potential need for an Executive

Director using a Committee, which recommended the creation of a part-time Executive

Director/Association Management Company to oversee NBLSA’s day to day

administrative needs. Developed recommendations for the incoming board regarding

implementation possibilities.

4. Fundraising & Finances

a. Diversification. Expanded our sponsorships beyond law firms by soliciting innovative in-

kind sponsorships and financial commitments from service providers and corporations.

Defer to the National Director of Corporate Relations’ report for addition information.

b. Expense Management. Budget was presented to board for approval at the August

Board meeting. Defer to National Treasurer’s report for additional information.

c. Officer/Personal Commitment. Personally fundraised approximately $163,000 in cash

commitments, $71,000 in in-kind commitments.

d. Compliance. Conducted a non-profit compliance review which encompassed (1) legal

compliance & transparency, (2) financial & managerial oversight, and (3) responsible

fundraising to identify compliance deficiencies for the organization. Also:

o Worked with the Finance Team to ensure that NBLSA was in compliance with its

Internal Revenue Service Form 990 filing requirement and that NBLSA outsourced its

bookkeeping and Form 990 preparation needs. Defer to the National Treasurer’s

report for additional information;

o Secured general liability and directors & officers insurance policies. Defer to the

National Treasurer’s report for additional information;

o Worked with Constitution & Bylaws Committee to standardize National and Regional

Constitutions. Defer to the National Parliamentarian’s report for additional

information;

o Amended NBLSA’s Articles of Incorporation to reflect NBLSA’s current name.

Communicated name change to Internal Revenue Service;

o Drafted sponsorship agreements and began invoicing sponsors for their financial

commitments;

o Filed and obtained sales tax exemption in Texas to achieve cost savings for the

National Convention; and

o Identified compliance issues for the 2011-2012 National Board to address.

e. Regional Oversight. The Mid-Atlantic Region was flagged for financial oversight in

October 2010. The Western Region was likewise closely monitored beginning November

2010. Both the Mid-Atlantic and Western Regional Chairs resigned in late

December/early January. The National Board leant extensive transitional support to

each region’s Vice Chair including programming execution, fundraising support, expense

management, and policy development.


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5. Community & Public Relations

a. International Efforts. Delivered keynote address at the Society of Black Lawyers

Conference in London.

b. Social Media & Website. Created a separate convention website. Consolidated

Facebook and Twitter presence. Defer to the reports of the National Director of

Communications and the National Director of Public Relations for additional information.

c. Partnerships. Developed and participated in the following strategic partnerships:

o Alliance of Black Student Professionals. Re-formed Alliance of Black graduate

student groups including SNMA (Student National Medication Association) and

NSBE (National Society of Black Engineers). Hosted Alliance mixer event in

September during CBC weekend.

o Big Brothers Big Sisters. Created mentoring partnership where NBLSA members

are encouraged to serve as Big Brothers or Big Sisters. Obtained Chapter

commitments in launch cities across the nation.

o Black Leadership Forum. Participated in partnership of Black civil rights

organizations that works closely with the administration on issues affecting the Black

community. Participated in Obama administration briefings on heath care and

education.

o National Bar Association (NBA). Participated in NBA Board of Governors’

meetings through NBLSA’s voting seat on the Board.

o American Bar Association (ABA). Participated in ABA Law Student Division Board

of Governors’ meetings as a non-voting affiliate representative.

Please refer to the reports of the National Director of Communications and the National

Director of Public Relations for additional information.

6. Strategic Planning – Led the development of a strategic plan over a series of meetings which:

o Identified, using NBLSA’s Constitution, four critical areas of focus. NBLSA exists to (1)

empower our communities, (2) help members improve themselves, (3) change the legal

profession, and (4) insure NBLSA’s lasting legacy.

o Mapped each purpose to a strategy and ultimately, a program. An excerpt is

immediately below:

Purpose Long-Term Strategy 2010-2011 Program(s)

Instill in the Black

attorney and law

student commitment

to the needs of the

Black community

Child Advocacy & Youth

Empowerment

o Mentor youth and

college students

o Advocate for youth in

the juvenile justice

o Pre-Law Mentoring Program

o Amicus Filing re: juvenile justice

o Support of Elementary and

Secondary Education Act

o Juvenile Justice Commercial

o Big Brothers Big Sisters Partnership

o Selected a theme, A Legacy of Empowerment, that best represented our strategic plan of

returning to NBSLA’s core principals.


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SUPPORT NEEDED FROM TEAM TO ACCOMPLISH OBJECTIVES

1. Division Leaders – NBLSA is a group effort and I want to recognize the outstanding work of

our group leaders Jeree Harris, National Director of Programming; Ashlyn Shockley, National

Attorney General; Sharonda Jackson, National Director of Communications; and Rhonda

Jones, National Treasurer. They have worked to not only fulfill their duties but also to manage

teams up of to ten law and pre-law students. They have been fantastic and the backbone of

NBLSA this year. Much of our success is owed to them.

2. Administrative Team – We had an amazing “behind the scenes” team this year comprised of

Calvin Lowery, National Vice Chair; Courtney Lindsay, National Chief of Staff; Pia Winston,

National Parliamentarian; and Osa Imadojemu and Wilneeda Emmanuel, National Deputy

Chiefs of Staff. Without them, I would have not been continuously organized, briefed, advised,

and encouraged.

3. Regional Chairs – Regions are the link between NBLSA and its chapters and without thorough

and thoughtful Regional Chairs, much of what National Board envisions would not come to

fruition. I extend my heartfelt thanks to MABLSA Regional Chair Sheila Isong, MWBLSA

Regional Chair Sir Williams, NEBLSA Regional Chair Shetera Patterson, RMBLSA Regional

Chair Andre Benning, SRBLSA Regional Chair Van Freemen, and WRBLSA Regional Chair

Tiviea Wade-Moore for tailoring the National Board’s vision to fit each region’s unique needs

and turning it into reality.

4. National Convention Coordinator – National Convention, NBLSA’s premier event, is a

daunting undertaking, particularly as a law student. This event truly would not be possible

without the enthusiasm, vision, and meticulous attention to style and detail of Chibundu

Nnake, National Convention Coordinator. Thank you for convincing me to consider, and

ultimately choose, Houston. Your knowledge of NBLSA and the convention experience, has

been an invaluable resource and we owe the success of this convention to your efforts.

5. National Team – The 2010-2011 National Officers, Specialists and Fellows have been truly

extraordinary. Their responsiveness, passion, and productivity culminated in wildly successful

programming this year. Thank you so much for your hard work and your dedication to NBLSA.

6. Past National Chairs – The history of NBLSA is rich and I would be remiss if I did not

acknowledge the incredible support that I received from past national chairs, especially, our

founder A.J. Cooper (1968-69); Theresa Cropper (1978-79); Brian Roberts (1992-93); Mishonda

(Baldwin) Mosley (2002-03, 2003-04); Raqiyyah Pippins (2005-06); Eddie Koen (2007-08);

Wintta Woldemariam (2008-09); and Tiffany Munsell (2009-10). Thank you for helping me to

better understand NBLSA’s wonderful legacy and for your patience in answering my many,

many questions.


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RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR 2011-2012 NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

1. Support – NBLSA should seriously consider hiring administrative staff/advisors or expanding

its board, through specialists or another means, to support the tremendous growth its enjoyed

over its 43-year history. NBLSA should aim to provide additional support in the areas of (1)

chapter relations, (2) fundraising, (3) regional guidance, (4) compliance, and (5) event

management.

2. Meetings – Board service is a valuable experience; however, the cost of travel preclude many

from the opportunity. NBLSA should consider reducing the number of its in-person meetings

from six to four and/or funding board member travel.

3. Regional Guidance – NBLSA has typically taken a hands-off approach to regions. While

regional autonomy is valuable, NBLSA should consider providing a core set of services (e.g.,

leadership training, financial/bookkeeping, and event planning, .etc) to regions to ensure all

regions have the same understanding of NBLSA and its resources.

4. National Board Training – National Officers are incredibly talented, but each comes to the

table with different strengths. The Joint Retreat should be extended or supported to include

sessions on team building, leadership, communications, and corporate governance.

MISCELLANEOUS/ADDITIONAL COMMENTS

The role of National Chair has been a challenging, rewarding, and life-changing experience. I am

humbled by the honor and thank you for the privilege of serving as your National Chair. Through my

national service, my regional participation, and my local chapter, UVA BLSA, I have experienced

personal growth and made lifelong friends. I am grateful to NBLSA for an incredible law school

experience and encourage each of you to become more involved. Through this year’s theme, A

Legacy of Empowerment, the National Team has worked to ensure that NBLSA’s core mission –

empowering Black law students and the communities in which they live and serve – is not forgotten.

We have worked hard to uphold that legacy this year and taken significant steps to ensure NBLSA is

well positioned through its infrastructure and programming to continue on the Road to Fifty.

Vice- Chair

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer

Plenary Report TO: 2010-2011 National Team

FROM: Calvin Lowery, National Vice-Chair



1. To implement a more efficient and effective communication model that will serve as one of the major

tools that will help Regional and National representatives provide better services to the NBLSA

membership.

2. To ensure that the National Chair, National Board Members, and Regional Vice Chairs/Executive

Directors have the resources and support they need in order to successfully satisfy the SMART and LINK

criteria

3. To create materials that can be provided to subsequent NBLSA E-Boards to ensure that those boards are

not put in a position where they are forced to encounter the year with minimal guidance from previous

boards.


4. Additional Objective- To provide leadership and guidance to the National Competition Directors to

ensure that they have the resources and information necessary to conduct successful 2010-2011 NBLSA

Competitions.


1. Objective 1- This objective was successfully completed.




ACTION ITEMS

1. None at this time.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS & LESSONS LEARNED


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SUBSTANTIVE MATTERS ADDRESSED WITHIN AREA OF RESPONSIBILITY

1. Objective 1- At the beginning of the term, National and Regional counterparts were informed of the

communications policy that would hold each member responsible for checking and responding to their

official NBLSA email within 24 hours of receiving relevant inquiries. With the exception of a few

members, and isolated instances the overall communications strategy was effectively implemented,

executed and supported throughout the year. Any violations related to the communications strategy

were addressed in accordance with the immediately line of authority.

2. Objective 2- Once National board members adopted SMART and LINK criteria, I was committed to

providing overall board governance to assist everyone to achieve their individual goals. This included

being available to provide assistance to all board members throughout the year and managing the

reporting to committees, team leaders and individual board members.

a. The initial step was supporting the Chair as we attempted to fill the appointed positions on the National

Board.

b. The following step was working with the Chair to develop and implement the National Board structure

that would best support the previously identified goals.

c. Next, we identified the active committees, the chair of the committees, and the members of the

committees for the 2010-2011 term.

d. This led to the development of the Chapter Handbook.

e. There has been some research and inquiry into the possible need for a National Board Executive

Director.

3. Objective 3- A major focus of 2010-2011 NBLSA Executive Board has been succession planning.

a. The first step in developing a successful succession plan involved me developing the National Board Job

Descriptions. This process involved reviewing the job descriptions provided in the NBLSA Constitution and

NBLSA By-laws, and then working with the individual team leaders and group members to provide the

most detailed description of the duties associated with the individual positions.

b. I also provided support to individuals as they attempted to complete or satisfy their assignments

associated with the individual positions.

c. I worked closely with the Chair to develop a productive board transition process.

d. Lastly, in support of our attempt to identify and recruit leaders for the 2011-2012 term all board member

participated in telephonic leadership information sessions.

4. Objective 4- Modifications to Objectives- Serving as the team leader for the competition directors

allowed me to serve as the first line of support to the competition directors as they successfully

administered their individual competitions.


1. None.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2011-2012 NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

1. None.


Vice Chair

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Thank you for allowing me to serve. It has truly been an honor.

Chief of Staff

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Courtney Lindsay II, National Chief of Staff



1. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) - Use your officer report as a basis for your objectives, but remember your

audience. Please explain any acronyms/ terms with which membership may not be familiar.

2. Executive Director Search – Assist the Chair in evaluating whether it would be necessary for NBLSA to

employ an executive director. Any tasks delegated to an executive director would be administrative in

nature. The respective chair positions of the organization would retain their programming and vision

functions.

3. Convention Keynote Speaker – Secure a keynote speakers for the National Convention Awards Gala

dinner.

4. Recruit Panelist for the Environmental Panel

5. Past Chair outreach project – This year we made an attempt to complete our past chair contact database.

We also made an attempt to get as many past chairs in attendance at this convention as possible.

6. Black Leadership Forum Partnership – Deputy Chief of Staff managed the relationship NBLSA has with

the organization. He attended their conferences in Washington, DC and handled communication

between them and our organization.

7. Alliance for Black Student Professionals

8. Track News Items Affecting the Black Community

9. NBLSA Fellowship Program – Solicit applications from undergraduate students to participate in the

NBLSA Fellowship program. The program gives prospective law students the opportunity to

10. General Assistance to the Chair


1. Not Applicable


1. Big Brothers Big Sisters – Complete. The partnership has been finalized and solicitation for volunteers


Chief of Staff

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has been sent out to chapter leaders.

2. Executive Director Search – This task is somewhat ongoing. The future board may want to revisit this

issue and make a determination of its own.

3. Convention Keynote Speaker – A speaker has been secured. Kim Keenan will deliver the keynote address

at the Awards Gala.

4. Recruit Panelist – The panel on environmental law has been staffed.

5. Past Chair Outreach – The database is just about complete and we made efforts to reach out to all past

chairs of the organization.

6. Black Leadership Forum – This partnership is ongoing. NBLSA will continue to seek opportunities to work

with the organization to achieve both organizations’ goals.

7. Alliance for Black Student Professionals - This partnership is ongoing. NBLSA will continue to seek

opportunities to work with the organization to achieve both organizations’ goals.

8. Track Issues in the Black Community – NBLSA will continue to track issues affecting the black community

to get a better understanding of where we can make a difference.

9. NBLSA Fellowship Program – We continue to work with our fellows and believe that this is a valuable

program that should continue.

10. General Assistance to the Chair – This is an ongoing task that will continue through the remainder of the

term.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Continue encouraging chapter members to get involved with the Big Brothers Big Sisters organization.

2. Continue working with NBLSA partners.


1. Big Brothers Big Sisters Partnership – NBLSA and BBBS formed a partnership during my term. We

recently sent out a commuication to chapter leaders encouraging their members to get involved.

2. Executive Director Search Committee – We discussed this matter in detail throughout the term. I believe

we are on the right track towards finalizing this issue.

3. Past Chair Outreach – Initially the Director of Programming and later the Deputy Chief of Staff worked

very hard on this project. We have an almost complete database of past chairs.

4. Securing Convention Speakers – Several speakers were secured for this convention. I appreciate the

willingness of our past members and members of the community as a whole.

5. Assisting the Chair – Work with the chair in her day-to-day tasks.



Chief of Staff

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Not Applicable


1. Time Management – Ensure that you have an agenda and an organized work schedule. This helps

getting through what can be some extremely busy times.

2. Relationships – Approach any position with a positive attitude and as an opportunity not just to execute

meaningful objectives, but also as an opportunity to meet and work with genuine and gifted

individuals.


I truly value the opportunities to meet so many people through this experience. I especially want to thank the

National Chair, Melinda Hightower, and the Deputy Cheifs of Staff, Wilneeda Emmanuel and Osa Imadojemu.

It has been a pleasure serving as the National Chief of Staff.

National Secretary

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Amanda Matchett, National Secretary



1. Execute Meeting Responsibilities.

2. Maintain and Manage Internal NBLSA communications.

3. Perform Other Duties at Discretion of the National Chair.


4. Complete the Document Retention Project with the Regional Secretaries.


1. This objective has been largely met. There were a few times that the deadlines were pushed back or

reports and agendas were sent out late. The minutes were always done in a timely fashion and were

available to anyone who needed them.

2. This objective was also met. Again, maybe not every email was responded to within 48 hours as was the

goal, but all emails were responded to or forwarded appropriately.

3. Any tasks that the Chair asked me to complete were completed or delegated.

4. The document retention project is nearly complete. The follow regions have completed the project:

MABLSA, MWBLSA, WRBLSA as of February 28, 2011.

ACTION ITEMS

1. I would suggest continuing to follow up with the current and future regional secretaries to complete the

document retention project.



National Secretary

Page 2

1. For the first three (3) objectives, largely the work done was to keep a tight reign on deadlines, to set up

meetings and set deadlines, and send reminders.

2. I worked with the regional secretaries on the document retention project which included sending

reminder emails prior to each deadline, following up after missed deadlines, and explaining each section

if there were questions or concerns.


1. The biggest support the board can provide to the National Secretary is to be timely with their

communications.


1. I began sending out weekly announcements and I would suggest continuing with this practice.

2. I would use texting and phone calls to remind the board members of deadlines because emails alone

may not be sufficient.

3. It may be a good idea to have a conference call with the regional secretaries to support communication

and improve responsiveness.


I have enjoyed serving as the National Secretary this year and appreciate the opportunity to serve this dynamic

organization!

National Parliamentarian

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Pia Winston, National Parliamentarian



1. Ensure all national competitions comply with the NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws

2. Ensure NBLSA is run within the confines of the National Constitution and Bylaws

3. Ensure that Regional Constitutions and Bylaws are in compliance with the NBLSA Constitution

and Bylaws

4. Ensure that all NBLSA meetings and conventions are run in an organized and effective manner

using parliamentary procedure

5. Ensure that the National Constitution and Bylaws Committee maintain the NBLSA Constitution

and Bylaws


1. Ensure the NBLSA Grievance Policy is up to date, clear, and in compliance with the NBLSA

Constitution and Bylaws

2. Ensure the NBLSA Impeachment Procedure is up to date, clear and in compliance with the

NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws


1. Objective 1: Competitions Division Compliance – In an effort to ensure that all competitions were being run within the confines of the NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws I was tasked with reviewing all competition rules. This objective was accomplished before August 2010.

2. Objective 2: Ensure Constitution and Bylaws are controlling- Answer all questions in terms of NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws interpretation and ensure that all NBLSA policies and procedures were run in compliance with these documents. This objective was accomplished.

3. Objective 3: Constitutional Campaign for Compliance – This campaign was divided into 3 Phases. The purpose of this campaign was to ensure that all regional and local chapter constitutions do not conflict with the NBLSA constitution. This campaign was also established to ensure that Regional and local constitutions are in compliance with the NBLSA Constitution. Phase 3 has yet to be completed; however phases 1 and 2 were accomplished within the proscribed timeline.

4. Objective 4: Plenary Rule Reform –In an effort to increase accountability and efficiency of plenary



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sessions at national convention, new plenary rules were put forth. These rules outline penalties that chapters can incur for tardiness to plenary session. This objective was accomplished.

5. Objective 5: National Constitution and Bylaws Committee – The Committee, which is made up of the National and Regional Parliamentarians, reviewed the NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws for errors and inconsistencies to ensure that the NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws remained up to date. This objective was accomplished.

6. Objective 6: Grievance Policy- The NBLSA Grievance Policy was written to ensure that clear and transparent guidelines were available for members who wished to file a grievance. The National Grievance Policy outlines the procedure for filing a grievance against a National Board Member who violates the NBLSA constitution or any of NBLSA’s policies and procedures. This objective was accomplished.

7. Objective 7: Impeachment Procedure – In an effort to establish a transparent and clear impeachment and appeals procedure, a new policy was drafted in collaboration with the National Chair. This policy outlines the procedure for filing, conducting, and appealing from an impeachment of a National and/or Regional Officer. This objective was accomplished.

ACTION ITEMS



1. Objective 1: Competitions Division Compliance – At the beginning of my term I established deadlines for rule submissions with each of the 3 competition directors. Upon receiving the completed rules for each competition I reviewed and checked each document against the NBLSA Constitution to ensure that the rules were in compliance.

2. Objective 2: Ensure Constitution and Bylaws are Controlling – As Parliamentarian I held final say regarding NBLSA Constitutional interpretation and answered any and all questions board members (or general members) had in regard to the Constitution and Bylaws. Each executive board meeting was run in compliance with the Constitution and under Roberts’s Rules of Order. I updated the NBLSA Constitution with the 2010 amendments voted on by the membership at the 42nd National Convention. Also, at the beginning of the year I distributed parliamentary procedure informational sheets to all National Executive Board members and local chapter presidents. Additionally, I drafted and distributed Cease and Desist letters to chapters who were not in compliance with the NBLSA Constitution in regard to the remittal of dues payments. This letter was edited and approved by the National Chair, National Director of Membership, and the National Director of Communications.

3. Objective 3: Constitutional Campaign for Compliance – As discussed above I implemented this campaign in 3 phases (Please see phase timeline below). Phase 1 consisted of either creating or updating all 6 Regions constitutions and ensuring that each was in compliance with (and did not contradict) the NBLSA Constitution. SRBLSA, RMBLSA, and MWBLSA, having no previous constitutions, created new documents using a constitutional template. I created these template



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Regional Constitutions and guided the above Regional Parliamentarians in the creation of new constitutions. NEBLSA, MABLSA, and WRBLSA’s constitutions were checked against the NBLSA constitution using a Uniform Points of Importance spreadsheet that I drafted. The Uniform Points of Importance spreadsheet outlines areas of the National Constitution that were required to be in each Regional Constitution. Also, Regional Constitutional language could not conflict with these uniform points of importance. Any conflicting statements were stricken and replaced. Once all 5 regions’1

Regional Constitution Compliance timeline

documents were approved for content, we began Phase 2. Phase 2 included regional approval of the newly created and newly amended Regional Constitutions. Each Regional Parliamentarian was tasked with presenting and getting approval for their newly drafted or amended constitutions. All Regional Constitutions were approved by their corresponding Regional Executive Board by the end of December 2010. Phase 3 would consist of ensuring that local chapter constitutions were in compliance with their corresponding regional constitution. Regional Parliamentarians were to begin Chapter constitution review in mid-January and complete review of all chapter constitutions in their region by March 1st. Phase 3 has yet to be completed and should become a focal point of the 2011-2012 National Parliamentarian.

1. Phase 1 i. July 1, 2010-- Dissemination of Uniform Points of Importance Spreadsheet ii. August 1, 2010--Template Regional Constitution will be disseminated (only to

regions without Constitutions) iii. September 1, 2010—Completed spreadsheets and constitutions due to

National Parliamentarian at [email protected] by 5:00pm EST. 2. Phase 2

i. October 11, 2010—Dissemination of reviewed regional constitution language with edits and proposed changes

ii. November 1, 2010—Completed drafts of proposed regional constitution and/or amendments due to Regional Executive Board

iii. January 1, 2011—Regional Constitutions must be voted on and accepted by Regional Executive Boards by this date

3. Phase 3 i. January 10, 2011—Compete drafts of Regional constitutions and/or proposed

amendments ii. January 17, 2011—Begin review of Chapter constitutions iii. March 1, 2011—Complete Review of Chapter constitutions

4. Objective 4: Plenary Rule Reform – I drafted and presented New Plenary Rule Reforms in

response to the lack of compliance with and deference to plenary sessions that was apparent at the 42nd National Convention. This project was undertaken in an effort to increase Chapter accountability and professionalism. These changes consisted of a sign in/out policy at plenary; contact information gathering from Delegates; and a seat requirement ensuring at least one Chapter representative is seated throughout plenary session. The reforms included penalties for tardy chapters and chapters who are absent without a verified proxy. Chapters who miss at least one plenary session will lose their voting privileges for National Elections. Tardy chapters will be marked late if they are not seated at least 10 minutes after the start of plenary. Each tardy counts

1 WRBLSA did not participate in the Constitution Campaign for Compliance due to the fact that they had no Parliamentarian throughout the majority of the year.



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as one infraction. After 1 infraction a notification letter is sent to the chapter’s faculty sponsor/advisor indicating the chapter’s tardiness and lack of professionalism; 2 infractions result in point deductions for the Region of the Year competition; 3 infractions (and any subsequent infractions) result in a fine charged to the chapter in the amount of $25.00. Chapters who refuse to pay the fine will lose their voting privileges and will be deemed “inactive” for the purposes of the upcoming school year until the fine is paid. Notification of the changing rules was a key component to implementation. The new rules were used in 5 Regional Conventions, posted on the National Web site, emailed to the membership, emailed to convention delegates and chapter presidents, and discussed in a nation-wide Chapter President conference call. The New plenary rules were approved and adopted by the National Executive Board. Additionally, Chapter presidents were emailed a Parliamentary procedure quick tips sheet and were given brief instruction on the use of Roberts Rules of order at National convention.

5. Objective 5: National Constitution and Bylaws Committee – The Committee reviewed the NBLSA Constitution and Bylaws for contradictions and inconsistencies and suggested changes and amendments to the National Executive Board. The committee drafted and distributed an Amendment Submission Form to ensure that the national membership had an opportunity to propose changes to the Constitution and Bylaws. The Amendment form was posted on the NBLSA website and was emailed to all chapter leadership. The deadline for submission was February 20, 2011.

6. Objective 6: Grievance Policy – The National Grievance Policy was drafted in collaboration with the National Chair and the National Grievance Committee. The policy was approved by the National Grievance Committee and was adopted by the National Executive Board in October 2010.

7. Objective 7: Impeachment Procedure – I drafted this procedure with the assistance of the National Chair. The policy outlines how impeachment proceedings are initiated and who has standing to bring such an action. Impeachment hearing guidelines were set forth with instructions in terms of parties, procedures and deciding a verdict. The document includes an appeals procedure as well that outlines who may be appealed to, and applicable appeal deadlines and procedures. The Impeachment Policy was accepted by the National Executive Board in December 2010.


1. Regional Chairs/Regional Membership Directors –In order to complete the Constitutional Campaign for Compliance I will need the Regional Chairs and Regional Membership directors to assist their Regional Parliamentarians in contacting and obtaining the constitutions of their local chapters.


1. Regional and Chapter Bylaws Review –I would recommend that the same attention and review be given to the Regional and Chapter Bylaws as was given this year to the Regional and Chapter Constitutions. Although Constitutions took priority this year, Bylaws should be reviewed



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to complete consistency and efficiency of the Campaign for Compliance. 2. Parliamentary Procedure Info session- I believe it necessary to conduct a Roberts Rules of

Order information session and/or lecture to all Regional boards and the Executive board at the Joint Board Retreat. This will ensure compliance with proper NBLSA procedure and reduce mistakes throughout the year. Also, I would recommend a private session be held with each Regional Chair and Regional Parliamentarian giving instructions on how to Chair and conduct meetings and plenary sessions at Convention.


I have had an amazing, enjoyable and enlightening experience serving as your National Parliamentarian this year. I want to thank the entire National Executive Board for their support and the Regional Parliamentarians for putting up with my emails and deadlines. All of the initiatives I accomplished this year would not have been possible without their help, and together, I feel that we have moved NBLSA forward as an organization. Thank you for the opportunity to serve and I hope that my actions this year have ensured NBLSA’s continued progression.

National Convention Coordinator

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Chibundu Nnake, National Convention Coordinator


OBJECTIVES

OBJECTIVES FOR 2010-2011

1. Objective 1 – Have all the Venue options for the 43rd Annual Convention confirmed by June 30th 2. Objective 2 – Increase the convention registration numbers from the past 2 years to at least 550

3. Objective 3 – Have marketing materials begin to go out to the membership by the middle/end of August 4. Objective 4 – Decrease the overall budget of the convention while still providing as good if, not a better

experience than previous years 5. Objective 5 – Position the Convention to produce revenue or break-even 6. Objective 6 – Provide advice and guidance to each regional convention coordinator so that each region

can enjoy a successful convention 7. Objective 7 – Begin the formulation of the strategic marketing plan for convention 8. Objective 8 – Plan a memorable convention


1. Have all venues (excluding the courthouse) confirmed by the end of July. 2. Begin the formulation of the strategic marketing plan for convention 3. Find a place to host the finals for our Moot Court and Mock Trial

OVERVIEW OF PRODUCTIVITY & ACTION ITEMS

STATUS OF OBJECTIVES

1. Objective 1 - Have all the Venue options for the 43rd Annual Convention confirmed by June 30th

a. The hotel has been confirmed. – Omni Hotel b. Wednesday

i. Chair’s Reception – Poolside at the Omni ii. Evening Social – The Omni Black Swan Lounge

c. Thursday i. Legacy of Service Luncheon – The Ensemble Theatre

ii. Welcome to Texas/Houston Reception – Grove Restaurant iii. Evening Social – Mardis Gras Masquerade – The Bell Tower

d. Friday i. Legacy of NBLSA Reception – African American Library at the Gregory School

ii. Evening Social – The Drake e. Saturday

i. Afterglow – Omni Hotel f. All Venues have been confirmed and solidified for the 2011 Convention.



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2. Objective 2 - Increase the convention registration numbers from the past 2 year’s to at least 550 a. The Convention Challenge Team has done a phenomenal job marketing the convention. We hope

that next year this program will continue and that more Chapter Presidents will be responsive to their Convention Liaisons!

b. We have 700 registered as of March 1st. 3. Objective 3 - Have marketing materials begin to go out to the membership by the middle/end of August

a. We finished the Save the Date by July and it went out in August advertising our Early Bird Rate. Individuals were slow to recognize the deal, but once they caught on, we sold out of the earlybird rooms quickly!

4. Objective 4 - Decrease the overall budget of the convention while still providing as good if, not a better experience than previous years

a. The initial budget was cut by about 25% and then we over budgeted a few items and we have thus far been coming in under that budget. We hope to demonstrate that if appropriately planned and approached from a standpoint of using our resources to provide the best value, we will have the best, most inexpensive convention in the recent history of NBLSA.

b. We still went over budget slightly, but have not spent near as much as in past years. 5. Objective 5 - Position the Convention to produce revenue or break-even

a. We have set modest numbers for attendance and based our recommended registration rates based on these numbers. If we do increase our registration numbers, we will produce revenue.

1. We smashed the projected registration numbers by a long shot. Thank you membership for registering for this event!

b. We have generated revenue as a result of great, strategic fundraising, decreased costs, and increased registration numbers.

6. Objective 7 - Provide advice and guidance to each regional convention coordinator so that each region can enjoy a successful convention

a. Spoke with many of the Regional Convention Coordinators on a semi regular basis. There were a few who reached out to me more than others. I tried to speak with them all once a month. I have heard good things about all of the Regional conventions.

7. Objective 8 - Begin the formulation of the strategic marketing plan for convention a. We had a plan. It was a little more disjointed than I would have liked, but it workd well. Kudos to

Sharonda and Safisha Mance! Sharonda made sure to stay on me about my updates and the message I wanted to communicate. Madame Chair kept developing other ideas to generate convention hype! I just acted as a hype man, as I visited almost each and every convention.

8. Objective 8 - Plan a memorable convention a. The membership will be in for some surprises thanks to Melinda, Mance & Associates and hours of

research and thought. I’m excited to see it all come together. b. The contrast in this year’s plenary will also add to the memorability. c. But at the end of the day, its up to the membership to decide whether or not the Convention was

memorable.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Action Item 1 – Enjoy Convention and SMILE!!!




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1. Objective 1 – Have all the Venue options for the 43rd Annual Convention confirmed by June 30th

a. Have contacted the South Texas College of Law President about securing the courtrooms on their campus. Subsequently reached out to Ashley Earl, who has been an absolute pleasure to work with. I appreciate her and South Texas for allowing us to host the final rounds of our Moot Court Competition in their world-class facility. Thank you Ashley!

2. Objective 2 – Increase the convention registration numbers from the past 2 year’s to at least 550 a. We are forming a Convention Challenge Team that will sell the convention in different regions

and schools. i. Dan Druilhet has taken the lead on setting up the bus tour for the individuals in that region.

I am excited and I believe that they will be able to get 50 members from their region in attendance.

1. The bus got cancelled. This saddens me, but I encourage next year’s Convention Coordinator to encourage something similar for the Chapters in Virginia, New York, Boston, and other large cities with multiple law schools relatively close to DC.

b. Get 100+ registered from RMBLSA i. Didn’t quite meet this goal, but the Rock represented very well, nonetheless!

3. Objective 3 – Have marketing materials begin to go out to the membership by the middle/end of August a. Save the Date flyer was completed

4. Objective 4 – Decrease the overall budget of the convention while still providing as good if, not a better experience than previous years

a. Madame Chair has gone through the budget and removed some things that she believed to be unnecessary and we are also still looking at venues that will be inexpensive. Additionally, with the competitions being onsite, we saved money there.

5. Objective 5 – Position the Convention to produce revenue or break-even a. See Budget. b. We are still working to confirm venues (fixed costs) so the budget is tentative and should be

finalized no later than the end of July. But although, we cut numerous things, we still priced things on the high end, so when the actuals come in, it should be much lower.

c. Final Rounds for Moot Court and Mock Trial will cost money. Trying to keep it under $1000, but it may cost upwards of $3000 if we must rent multiple courtrooms.

6. Objective 6 – Provide advice and guidance to each regional convention coordinator so that each region can enjoy a successful convention

a. Their Conventions are over and were successful. 7. Objective 7 – Begin the formulation of the strategic marketing plan for convention

a. We worked closely with Sharonda and Mance & Associates to ensure that our message was well communicated in and around the community.

b. The buzz has been at an all time high. 8. Objective 8 – Plan a memorable convention

a. See Program Booklet


1. Area of Support 1 – Competition Directors were very instrumental in us getting that area of Convention

situated. It has been a pleasure to work with such knowledgeable and passionate individuals.

2. Area of Support 2 – The Parliamentarian and I were on a similar accord regarding the look and feel we

wanted plenary to have this year. Professionalism is of the utmost importance. We are not lawyers yet,



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but we will be entering a noble profession that requires that we conduct ourselves accordingly.

3. Area of Support 3 – National Board has been great with their support overall, and they will be able to

assist ANYONE during this week’s activities. So please look for us and ask us questions. Of course your

program guide is a go-to source for most if not all the information that you should need during

convention.


1. Recommendation 1 – Make sure that you fight for Mance & Associates to be our Event Planners next

year. Myrlin has done a phenomenal job assisting with hotel & other venue site selection, vendor

selection and correspondence, and making sure that we are in line with our timeline. Safisha has done a

great job coordinating many of the onsite logistics with regards to registration, employer and sponsor

correspondence in relation to the career fair, and other things that will ensure we run smoothly March

7th -14th. These ladies are GREAT!

2. Recommendation 2 – Implement the Convention Challenge Team and introduce the Chapter

Presidents to the Challenge Team as early as possible. I think that it’s a great marketing tool and a way

to generate excitement, especially with the convention in Washington DC next year.

3. Recommendation 3 – Regional Chairs, I believe that it should be mandatory for your Convention

Coordinators to attend the Joint Leadership Retreat in June. This is a great opportunity for them to

share ideas with other convention coordinators, including the National Convention Coordinator.

4. Recommendation 4 – All regions should work with Mance & Associates for much of their convention

planning assistance and their site selection.


Thank you for allowing me to serve as this year’s National Convention Coordinator. Serving NBLSA and its

membership is truly a joy and pleasure. I look forward to seeing who will carry the mantle as next year’s

Convention Coordinator and take the NBLSA Convention to the next level in Washington D.C.

I hope everyone is enjoying himself or herself, and please let me know if there is anything I can do to ensure

that you have an even better time! Pleasantries!

Mid-Atlantic Regional Chair

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2010 - 11 Officer


FROM: Sheila Isong, Mid-Atlantic Regional Chair (MABLSA Chair)



1. To provide our members with top-notch programs & professional development opportunities in order to equip them to advocate for social change, give back to the community, and become an effective young lawyer.

2. To increase active participation and excitement surrounding MABLSA and NBLSA through effective communication and the execution of successful, quality, memorable, and educational programming.

3. To facilitate an open dialogue between chapter leaders, members, and regional board members in hopes of enhancing everyone’s BLSA experience, while also creating a more cohesive membership that is united under an effective theme: The Next Level: MABLSA Strong - Standing Together. Reaching Out. Nurturing a New Generation.

4. Strengthen relationships with our local chapter leaders, members, potential sponsors, and other regions by focusing on professionalism and growth.

5. Become more visible within our region and nationally to make MABLSA a household name that instills a feeling of trust and professionalism within the legal community.

6. Build strong relationships with our community members, particularly high school and college students, to expose them to, and encourage them to pursue legal careers.

7. Reconnect with our MABLSA alumni and create a network. 8. Plan, organize, & recruit for a successful 2010 Leadership Retreat 9. Maintain a working relationship with all the Presidents of the local chapters within MABLSA

through the Director of Communications & Sub-Regional Directors. 10. Keep in contact with all members of the MABLSA Executive Board to ensure that everyone is

informed and on task.


1. Performing the duties of the Regional Director of Moot Court until that position was filled. 2. Performing the duties of the Corporate Relations Direction and being responsible for all aspects

of MABLSA’s fundraising.


Objective 1: Accomplished. We had a successful programming year beginning with our Job Fair & Leadership Development Weekend and ending with our 43rd Annual Regional Convention at the Hyatt Regency on the Inner Harbor. Our members were provided ample opportunities to develop professionally through various workshops, panels, speakers, and networking events. Additionally, we



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provided a community service program at every major event and participated in the DC AIDS Walk in October raising over $650 and involving over 25 participants. Objective 2: Accomplished. We increased the visibility of MABLSA and NBLSA through expanding our reach with our e-blasts, TWEN page, facebook account, twitter account, and tumblr account. Our numbers at all of our major events increased significantly with our Convention registrants rising above 200 members. We even took things to a more individualized level visiting as many chapters in person to encourage them to get involved with MABLSA and attend our regional convention. Objective 3: Accomplished. We had numerous spaces for chapters leaders, members, and regional board members to dialogue including but not limited to: Job Fair & Leadership Development Weekend—Chapter Leader Leadership Retreat, Membership Retreat, CBC Weekend, and the 43rd Annual Regional Convention. Objective 4: Accomplished. This was once again accomplished at our major events. Additionally, we took a very proactive approach regarding fundraising towards the end of 2010 reaching out to over 125 potential sponsor. We fundraised over $25, 000 in one and half months through a collective effort since we did not have a Corporate Relations Director. Objective 5: Accomplished. This was accomplished through more personalized outreach to our various chapters and facilitating numerous social networking mechanisms to keep everyone informed of MABLSA’s activities. Objective 6: Accomplished. This was accomplished through our CSD outreach on a regional level. Objective 7: Not Accomplished. We did not create a formal program to help facilitate this objective. In the future, it is something that should possibly be considered within a committee or an appointed position. We did reach out to alumni in terms of our programming but we did not institute a formal program. Objective 8: Accomplished. Our Leadership Retreat was a tremendous success and we had all but a few chapters absent. Our attendance was over 75, which was a significant increase from the previous year, and the event was jam packed with informational sessions, panels, speakers, and spaces that provided an open dialogue for all chapter members. Objective 9: Accomplished. This was facilitated through our e-blasts, which were sent out by our Director of Communications and the Presidents Council events that occurred at the Membership Retreat and Regional Convention. Objective 10: Accomplished. This was accomplished through various communication avenues and an active, responsive, and alert team that was eager and responsive.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.




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1. Fulfilling our vision A. Coming together as a family

i. Providing a more supportive, collegial network 1. Attending local chapter events 2. Adding a “Family Weekend” component to ensure fellowship 3. Planning events centered around interaction and ensuring that no

one feels isolated due to their role (i.e. delegate, competitor, networker at convention) or class

B. Serving as advocates of change & being at the forefront of legal issues that plague our community

i. Enhancing our commitment to community service 1. Adding community service components to all major programming

a. Job Fair – Suited for Change Clothing Drive b. Membership Retreat & Family Weekend – Hunger

Awareness Banquet; Canned food collection to donate to Food Bank

c. Convention – Charity Date Auction; the boys & girls club – the be great wall

2. Providing community service opportunities to engage in throughout the year

a. Participation in the DC AIDS Walk on October 2nd with the MABSA Team - – We raised over $650 and had over 26 walkers.

C. Professional & Personal Development i. Expanded Job Fair to add a workshop component ii. Resume collect option through November 30, 2010 iii. Career Expo during Regional Convention

1. A Twist on Table Talk with the opportunity to conduct on-site interviews.

2. Communication & Programming Communication: This year, we have implemented several venues by which to spread the word and ensure that members are abreast of activities.

i. NBLSA.org ii. TWEN Site (Westlaw) iii. Facebook iv. Twitter v. MABLSA List serve: The NBLSA E-board is included on the list serve so that

you know what’s going on in MABLSA vi. MABLSA Blog spot vii. Flickr Account: Following our Job Fair, a lot of employers reached out to me

for pictures in order to show their respective bosses and diversity committees.

Programming – This year, we are thinking outside of the box in order to ensure more creative and relevant programming for our membership:

A. MABLSA's Job Fair, Professional Development & Leadership Retreat a. Almost two hundred students were in attendance throughout the duration of the

weekend! b. Our clothing drive went very well. We collected over 100 items!! c. The Leadership Retreat featured a luncheon panel related to the relevance of

BLSA and the importance of the local chapter leaders. We concluded with a motivational speech from Professor Tucker, which reinvigorated a lot of chapter’s



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dedication to the core tenets of BLSA. All of the Mid-Atlantic Chapters were in attendance!!

B. Membership Retreat & Family Weekend a. Details: October 8-10, 2010 at Hyatt Regency Crystal City b. Events: Academic Retreat, Law Symposium, Felony Disenfranchisement Letter

Writing Campaign (Speaker: Kimberly Haven, Executive Director of Justice MD); Hunger Awareness Banquet (Speaker: Brian Banks, Director of Public Policy & Community Outreach of Capital Area Food Bank), collecting canned food donations, and Game Night.

C. Regional Convention a. Details: February 2-6, 2011,Hyatt Regency Baltimore on Inner Harbor b. Host Chapters: University of Baltimore and University of Maryland c. Workshops:

i. Is the Criminal Justice System the new Jim Crow? ii. Hip Hop Theory of Justice (Paul Butler) iii. Diversity: Beyond Race iv. The Impact of the current political climate on the legal field v. Diversifying your JD vi. This Doesn't Make Cent$ - Navigating the Windy Road to Financial

Sanity & Stability d. Convention boasted over 200 attendees and exciting and well attended events.

We had amazing speakers and presenters, talented competitors, and a productive plenary session. We launched the inaugural MABLSA Hall of Fame Induction

3. Open dialogue

A. TWEN Forums B. Sub-regional teleconferences C. MABLSA Mobile

4. Relationship enhancement & Customer Service

A. 48 hour turn around policy B. Core focus - professionalism and conveying excitement. C. Relationship enhancement

i. In person meetings with sponsors and potential sponsors/personalizing the process

ii. Strengthening our ties with local MABLSA chapters & members by visiting their schools and regularly interacting with them.

5. Regional Unity and Support – Focus on working as a cohesive unit with our local chapters

in order to strengthen our member’s BLSA experiences. We have reached out to local chapter executive boards in order to create a mega calendar so that all MABLSA members are aware of what is going on and go out and support other BLSA chapters.


N/A.


None at this time.




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Starting out as Regional Vice Chair, I had to adapt and grow into my role quickly as there were numerous vacancies. As Regional Vice Chair, I was responsible for not only my duties but also the duties of the Corporate Relations and Moot Court Director (until we filled this post). I think I handled the responsibility well, while balancing my already established duties. I soon had to transition into the role of Acting Chair, then Chair due to resignation from the previous Chair. My biggest challenge was leading the board into a successful convention to end our programming year. It has been a very educational and worthwhile experience thus far and I would not have accomplished anything without the support of the entire Regional Executive Board. I would like to thank our entire constituency for the opportunity to serve. I take this business of leadership very seriously and I am honored and humbled at the opportunity to serve as Mid-Atlantic Chair during the 2011-2012 year. Here’s to finishing 2011 MABLSA S.T.R.O.N.G – Standing Together. Reaching Out. Nurturing a New Generation.

Midwest Region Chair

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20 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Sir Williams, Midwest Region Chair



1. Bridge the communication gap between the National Board and the local chapters within the Midwest Region 2. Successfully execute the major Regional Events (i.e. Job Fair, Academic Retreat, and Regional Convention) 3. Increase MWBLSA’s visibility through fostering partnerships with other professional organizations 4. Create an MWBLSA Alumni


1. Objective 4 was an objective that I added mid-year.


1. Bridge the communication gap between the National Board and the local chapters within the Midwest Region

a. We were successful in achieving this goal. Subregional directors connected with chapter presidents regularly via telephone and/or email in order to keep the lines of communication open. I also revived the Chapter President’s Listserve as a way for chapter leaders to connect with the regional board and one another.

2. Successfully execute the major Regional Events (i.e. Job Fair, Academic Retreat, and Regional Convention)

a. Job Fair

We successfully completed this initiative. The 2010 MWBLSA Recruitment Conference took place on August 14, 2010 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel (Milwaukee Airport) in Milwaukee, WI. Over the course of half a day, several employers interviewed approximately fifty students for summer and permanent employment positions situated around the country. Additionally, a number of employers who were not physically present at the event participated via a Resume Collection.

b. Academic Retreat

We successfully completed this initiative. The 2010 MWBLSA Academic Retreat took place on October 22-24 in Cleveland, Ohio and was hosted by Cleveland Marshall College of Law. The event, uplifted and engaged all present, and was attended by about fifty students. The Academic Retreat also included a community service event at a local elementary school, and panels for MWBLSA College Student Division and general members.

c. Regional Convention

We successfully completed this initiative. The 2011 MWBLSA Regional Convention took place from February 16-20 at the Crowne Plaza Chicago-Metro, and was hosted by the John Marshall Law School. With about 180 registered attendees, the Conventions featured



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NBLSA Mock Trial and Moot Court Competitions, two luncheons, several panels, and MWBLSA Regional Board elections. The Convention culminated with a Saturday night Awards Gala where we honored our sponsors, competitors, and outgoing/incoming board members.

3. Increase MWBLSA’s visibility through fostering partnerships with other professional organizations a. We successfully achieved this objective. We fostered meaningful partnerships with multiple organizations including: The

National Bar Association (NBA), Counsel on Legal Education Opportunity (CLEO); and the National Black Prosecutors Association (NBPA).

4. Create a MWBLSA Alumni Directory a. We did not achieve this objective, however we did lay the foundation by appointing a Regional Historian and creating a

database with all of the contact information for the past several boards.

ACTION ITEMS



1. Objective 1 – See Above





1. Area of Support 1 – MWBLSA will greatly benefit from the new corporate relations policy, and support from the National Board in

procuring sponsors.


1. Recommendation 1 – Get on top of planning next year’s events as soon as possible. By locking down the logistics, your team will be able to focus on the more difficult task of securing funding.

2. Recommendation 2 – Continue the relationship we have established with Mance & Associates and take advantage of their full range of event planning services, especially when it come to your larger events like Regional Convention.


I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the MWBLSA membership and the NBLSA membership generally for allowing me the distinct

honor of serving as the 2010-11 Midwest Regional Chair. I will cherish my time serving in this capacity for the rest of my days, and look forward

to helping the next group of take NBLSA higher in the years to come.

Sincerely,

Sir M.V. Williams Sir M.V. Williams



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CLEO/Thurgood Marshall Fellow University of Wisconsin Law School | Class of 2011 Midwest Region Chair, 2010-2011 National Black Law Students Association [email protected] http://www.nblsa.org/mwblsa Mobile: 312-857-5788

mailto:[email protected]�

http://www.nblsa.org/mwblsa�

Northeast Regional Chair

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Shetera Patterson, Northeast Regional Chair



1. Provide the NEBLSA membership with worthwhile programming 2. Build a stronger relationship with alumni 3. Mentorship 4. Ensure that NEBLSA is meeting the needs of our members 5. Collaboration with other professional organizations 6. Maintain a strong presence in the community 7. Ensure membership is informed


1. Not Applicable




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1. Planned and hosted the following Events (recaps can be found in newsletters accessible from our

website at www.nblsa.org/neblsa): • Summer Happy Hour Series – Great opportunity to form relationships early

o NY Metro Members from all sub-regions as well as MABLSA, WRBLSA, MWBLSA

and SRBLSA were in attendance. o Connecticut

Large turnout for small region. Members from CT, CNNE and NY sub-region in attendance

o Upstate NY Gathering in Rochester, NY where a large number of members worked

was a successful beginning of the year o Combined Northern New England

Over 75 students, interns, and associates mixed and shared ideas for the year

• Leadership Retreat o First year implementing such event. Hosted this program to provide Chapter

leaders with an overview of National and Regional initiatives for purposes of early chapter planning. Also provided chapters the opportunity to provide feedback so that we might modify programming accordingly

• Summer Job Fair and subsequent social gathering o Over 65 employers interviewed while about 15 employers held information tables o Career Services Professionals and Practicing attorneys conducted mock

interviews and resume reviews. Updates were made real time and printed for those students interviewing at the job fair.

o Brooks Brothers was on site for suit fittings and clothing consultations o Ended the day at Lucky Strike NYC for bowling and billiards

• NEBLSA Welcome – 2010 o This year, the executive board decided to transition away from our annual boat

cruise to try something new. Planned the Welcome Back event at Mid-town loft in NYC. Also planned this event to coincide with the alumni reception. Positive feedback. Great venue. Great turnout – 200+. My caution against this venue is that it is not full service so we contracted with multiple vendors – catering, bartending, glassware, etc – to pull the event together. Costs add up! If this event is held again, more outreach to other professional/graduate students should be done. Consider other ideas such as a daytime rooftop party or the boat cruise but try to minimize internal costs.

• First Annual Alumni Reception – NYC o More than 30 professionals attended our first ever alumni reception which

provided great networking opportunities for our members.



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• Academic Retreat and Law School Symposium o Continued to hold these events as joint events. This year both events were held

at Harvard Law School. Over 100 members attended the Academic Retreat while over 60 members attended the law school symposium. The day ended with a cupcake social.

• Regional Convention o Convention was held at the MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Over 70%

of NEBLSA’s chapters were in attendance. Despite atypical winter storms, nearly 260 members participated in our competitions, attended our many panels, and events. Feedback has been more than positive. Note that Convention also included our second alumni reception and winter career fair

• Sub-Regional Events o New York Metro

Joint Community Service – New York Cares Day End of Fall Semester Mixer Joint Sub-Regional outing – Knicks v. Magic Scheduled March 28, 2011

o Connecticut Annual CT Sub-Regional Dinner Joint Community Service Week Joint Sub-regional outing – Knicks v. Magic Scheduled March 28, 2011

o Upstate New York Career Panel, Attorney Networking, and Bowling - Fall Networking Event – Scheduled for March 25, 2011

o Combined Northern New England Social gathering/networking - Fall End of year Brunch – Scheduled for March 27, 2011 at 2 PM

2. Built a stronger relationship with Alumni • Through alumni receptions, outreach to black bar associations in our region, and our

chapters, we have built an alumni database. We have been able to tap into this source for networking opportunities, speaking opportunities, and judging during our competitions. I suggest that this database be updated further and that the next board(s) begin to tap into this source for mentorship opportunities as well as a financial resource.

3. Mentorship • Community Service and Attorney General programming included mentorship initiatives.

Provided chapters with lists of organizations they might partner with to establish mentor relationships.

• As mentioned in connection with Objective #2, alumni should be a source of mentorship for NEBLSA members in the future

4. Ensured that NEBLSA members’ needs were met. • Planned and implemented programming with members in mind • Held leadership retreat and quarterly conference calls with Chapter leaders to provide



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updates and solicit feedback from their respective chapters. Incorporated the feedback through NEBLSA programming/communications

5. Collaboration with other professional organizations • Done through community service initiatives and attorney general initiatives. We also

became more involved with NBA affiliates and partnered with the organizations to provide communication and attend our events.

6. Maintained a strong presence in the community through community service at each event and chapter involvement as well as chapter involvement in our AG programming

7. Ensured membership was informed by communicating through following means: • Chapter Presidents • Sub-Regional Directors • Director of Membership • Monthly Newsletters • Membership Group/OneHub portal • www.nblsa.org/neblsa • Word of mouth

ACTION ITEMS

1. “None at this time.”


1. Managed the implementation of all items addressed in previous section 2. Managed the executive board 3. Served as NBLSA Elections Committee Chair. Implemented Elections Information Session

conference calls. Distributed Elections Information Packet early. 4. Filled in when and where NEBLSA executive board members were unable or unwilling to fulfill

responsibilities 5. Instituted new programming 6. Represented the region at national events/initiatives and ensured other members of the regions

did so as well 7. Solidified contracts through 2012 8. Secured multi-year sponsorship agreements (in progress) 9. Ensured that NEBLSA provided programming but was financially responsible and left the

Northeast financially healthy. 10. Forged new relationships on behalf of the organization

http://www.nblsa.org/neblsa�



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N/A


1. NBLSA Board members should be required to attend his/her respective Regional Convention as part of NBLSA’s duties. He/she is a leader of the organization and must lead by example. If we are to expect members to attend, NBLSA executive board members should be held to the same standard.

2. NBLSA Executive Board members should also attend at least one regional or sub-regional event. Again, we lead by example.

3. NBLSA’s executive board should be sure to understand regional structures to understand/consider the effect that decisions will have on regions

4. NEBLSA executive board members must recognize that their duties to the organization should be fulfilled and should not come subsequent to any other duties, law school or otherwise. NBLSA is a 501(c)(3) organization, which means we are a corporation. Sitting on the board of directors is no easy task; it requires great amounts of time and dedication as any other corporation in which you hold a position would – paid or not. If NEBLSA executive board members cannot commit to fulfilling their duties as described in this paragraph, they owe it to the region to communicate a resolution with the chair or step down so that another may fulfill the responsibilities.

5. NEBLSA should continue to solidify multi-year sponsorship agreements 6. Find ways to get more chapters more involved with our competitions. 7. Move towards obtaining state tax exempt status. The money that the organization spends on

taxes on a regional level is significant and wasteful given that the national organization allows us the ability to apply for state tax exempt status.

8. Continue to build relationships and partnerships 9. NEBSLA members should get involved!


Thank you Northeast for the opportunity to serve as your Chair for the 2010 – 2011 year.

Rocky Mountain Chair

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FROM: Andre Bennin, Rocky Mountain Chair



1. Objective 1 – Provide members of the region with the tools to become better advocates and members of their respective communities.

2. Objective 2 – Be able to communicate effectively with the regional board members, disseminating information from the national board;

and be able to communicate effectively with local chapters, disseminating national and regional board information.

3. Objective 3 – Develop initiatives that will enhance the personal and professional development of our members.


1. Modifications to objective 3 - Ensure financial stability of the region after term


1. Objective 1 – We successfully completed the job fair and academic retreat in the region. During the job fair/academic retreat weekend, the AHAVA community service initiative was introduced and concluded before the convention. Further, the Regional Convention was able to provide

members with tools to become better advocates through the various workshops. The community service project during the convention

was an excellent opportunity for members to serve the community. Overall, the combination of Academic retreat, Job fair, and

convention events helped accomplished this objective.

2. Objective 2 – The Chair and Vice Chair held monthly conference calls with Chapter Presidents where they disseminated information from

the National and Regional boards. Additionally, the regional board communicated with the general membership through emails and

postings on our regional website until the website had to be discontinued. This objective was accomplished

3. Objective 3 - During this term, the board did not spend a lot of money and consequently the next board will be left with over $6000 at

the beginning of their term.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Action Item 1 – None at this time


Rocky Mountain Chair

Page 2


1. Objective 1 – Job fair: The job fair was successful because it gave members of the region an opportunity to interview with various

employers. There were a total of 12 employers including large and medium firms, and government agencies. I learned that planning was

the key and that having the same coordinator from last year was essential. My recommendation for the next year’s board is to find a

new host for the job fair. Also, reach out to firms in areas outside of TX like Colorado, New Mexico, and UT.

The academic retreat was successful because the attendees were able to learn from the speakers. The timing of the academic retreat

was also great because it allowed more 1Ls to attend. My recommendation for next year is to start advertizing early to ensure better

attendance and hold the retreat after orientation.

The convention was successful. The workshops, competitions, and community service project were great. My recommendation for next

year’s board is to have specific assignments for each board member before convention week.

2. Objective 2 – Every month, the Chair and Vice Chair were able to communicate with the various Chapter Presidents. These calls provided

a forum for Chapter Presidents to discuss different programs they had implemented in their respective chapters. It also helped in

unifying the region.

3. Objective 3 – this objective was accomplished because of the hard work of the treasurer. We will have over $6000 left over for the next

board. She was able to communicate with her national counterpart to make sure that we were in compliance with Nationals. My

recommendation is to keep following the national standard and make it a RMBLSA standard to have over $6000 left over for the next

board.


1. Area of Support 1 – None

2. Area of Support 2 – None


1. Recommendation 1 –Please see above

2. Recommendation 2 –Please see above

3. Recommendation 3 – Please see above


It has been a pleasure for my Board and I to have served each of you in the Rocky Mountain Region this year. You are a great region and we

love each of you. Thank you for making this year a success! BOOM!!!

Southern Regional Chair

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FROM: Van Freeman, Southern Regional Chair



1. Increase the involvement of members in local, regional, and national initiatives.

2. Facilitate two successful Job Fairs in Miami, Florida on August 6 - 8, 2010 and in Raleigh, North Carolina, January 13-15, 2011, during the Regional Convention.

3. Host a successful Golf Tournament in Miami, Florida, August 8, 2010 to raise fund and acquire sponsorships.

4. Ensure the effective execution of all academic retreats and sub-regional events throughout the academic year.

5. Execute a successful Convention in Raleigh, North Carolina, January 12 – 16, 2010, and select the site of the 2012 Regional Convention.

6. Explore grant proposals to fund regional and local programs and initiatives, along with other fundraising ideas.

7. Encourage local sponsorship of chapter events and initiatives by alumni giving.

8. Improve communication with local chapters and members with Facebook and Twitter.

9. Enlarge the size of the College Student Division, facilitate legal forums at local CSD chapters to increase involvement, encourage CSD members to utilize the Cleo program.

10. Ensure the successful publication of the Law Journal.

11. Revise the SRBLSA Bylaws


1. None 2. None 3. Canceled 4. None



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5. None 6. Canceled 7. None 8. Use new Gmail Accounts to improve chapter communications. 9. Employ Sub-Regional Directors to assist Chapter Presidents in developing CSD Chapters at

their local university. 10. None 11. Develop SRBLSA Constitution.


1. Increased in

2. Regional Job Fair a. Miami, FL – June 6 – 8, 2010

Job Fair successfully executed.

b. Raleigh, NC – January 15, 2011 The second SRBLSA job fair is scheduled to take place during Regional Convention. Job Fair bidding on Symplicity opened on October 1 for employers and students. Job Fair participants will be required to register separately for the Convention.

3. Golf Tournament

CANCELLED.

4. Academic Retreats and Sub-Regional Events - Program evaluation sessions are in progress to assess the effectiveness of the programs

and areas for improvement. All retreats came in under budget and on target. a. Sub-Region 1 – AR/TN

- Hosted by University of Arkansas at Little Rock, October 15-16. Successfully Completed.

b. Sub-Region 2 – LA/MS - Hosted by Loyola of New Orleans, September 24-25. Successfully Completed.

c. Sub-Region 3 – NC/SC - Hosted by North Carolina Central, September 11. Successfully Completed.

d. Sub-Region 4 – FL/PR - Hosted by Inter-American University (Puerto Rico), October 8-9. Successfully Completed.

e. Sub-Region 5 – AL/GA - . Hosted by Mencer University, October 2. Successfully Completed.

5. Regional Convention

a. Raleigh, NC – January 12 – 16, 2011 - The 40th Annual SRBLSA Convention will be hosted by Campbell University Law School

in downtown Raleigh, NC. The Hilton North Raleigh/ Midtown will serve as the host hotel. - Competitions – All judges have been secured for the TMMC and FDMT competitions.

Both competitions will be held at Campbell University Law School. - Panels – All panelist have been finalized. The following panels will be held during the

convention:



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o Public Interest in Your Community o GL Advising o Hanging Your Own Shingle o Path to becoming General Counsel o Race & Gender in the Legal Profession o A Guide to Sports & Entertainment Law o Using your J.D. for more than Lawyering

- Keynote Speakers – Congressman Cedric Richmond is confirmed for the Chair’s Luncheon and attorney Willie Gary confirmed for the Gala.

6. Grant Proposal

The financial records of the region are not in proper order to proceed with this matter.

7. Local Sponsorship - We were successful in our efforts to have local sponsorship of Academic retreats.

Furthermore, we have confirmed several local and regional sponsors for the regional convention. As host and marquee sponsor, Campbell University has agreed to donate use of campus facilities, acquire transportation for specific events, and make a monetary contribution to the region.

- Develop list of mid-sized firms and solo practitioners within the Raleigh/Durham area that are interested in partnering with SRBLSA to provide small sponsorships ($500 - $1,000).

- Academic Retreat generated revenue of $5,235. - Received sponsorship from PoynerSpruill LLP (SRBLSA Gold Sponsorship) from firm

contact Danielle Barbour. Ms. Barbour advised that Poyner Spruill was originally interested in sponsoring SRBLSA Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition. . $1,5000 Sponsorship Commitment.

- Received response from Cranfill, Sumner, & Hartzog LLP, that it would sponsor SRBLSA Frederick Douglass Moot Court Competition at Bronze Level ($1,000). $1,000 Sponsorship Commitment.

- Received sponsorship from Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz (SRBLSA Silver Sponsorship) from firm contact Rebecca Simon. Advised by Ms. Simon that sponsorship check would be sent to SRBLSA Regional Treasurer. $750 Sponsorship Commitment.

8. Communication

The Director of Communications will continue to publicize the convention and the election of board positions.

9. College Student Division

CSD Director resigned. The duties of the director have been distributed among the Sub-Regional Directors. The Sub-Regional directors have initiated contact with many local presidents to apprise them of our program initiatives. A few chapters in Sub-Region 5 have responded with programming, but many Sub-Regional directors are going to make the push during second semester.

10. Law Journal

The Law Journal has revised its By Laws. The SRBLSA Parliamentarian worked closely with the Law Journal to ensure compliance with the SRBLSA and NBLSA bylaws.

11. SRBLSA Bylaws Revision

The new SRBLSA constitution has been approved by the board and will be presented at regional convention.



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ACTION ITEMS

1. None 2. None 3. None 4. None 5. With Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law as the host for the 2012 Convention, we

must select a hotel and ratify the contract. 6. Grant proposal may be viable through an ABA minority involvement initiative. 7. Adhere to the new corporate relations guideline for fundraising. 8. None 9. None 10. None 11. None


1. All financial records between 2009 and 2006 have been located and submitted to the National treasurer.

2. National document retention policy has been instituted. All contracts, agreements, and important files have been uploaded to online server.

3. 2012 Convention site has been selected. (Birmingham, AL)


1. None 2. None 3. None 4. None 5. None 6. None 7. None 8. None 9. None 10. None 11. None


1. Recommendation 1 –Continue the strong support of local and regional initiatives.




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First, I would like to thank all the members of the SRBLSA Regional Board for all their hard work. It was an honor to serve alongside you. At the beginning of our term, we all stepped into a void left by the previous board. With little assistance or orientation each of them stepped up and took command of their duties. Never questioning what had to be done or when something needed to be completed. The level of professionalism was remarkable. Whether it was Job Fairs, Community Service, Academic Retreats, or the Regional Convention, no one dropped the ball, no one quit, no one complained. I have never worked with such remarkable group of individuals. I, along with this region should be proud of them. Second, I would like to thank the Southern Region for bestowing the honor of Regional Chair upon me. As the largest region in NBLSA, a lot is expected from the person who holds such a position. I hope I met, and even exceeded, your expectations this year. I could not have foreseen such a rewarding and fruitful experience ahead of me when I accepted this position and for that, I thank you. I will never forget it. The Southern Region has a great legacy of an involved leadership and empowered membership, which will continue to grow and flourish under the guidance of its new Regional Chair, Jamie Davis. She is a phenomenal leader. The region is in great hands. Final, I would like thank the entire NBLSA family for allowing me to be a member. It is a humbling experience to be among some of the greatest minds of tomorrow. I look forward to meeting and working with you in the future Yours in Service, Van Freeman Member, National Black Law Students Association

Western Regional Chair Page 1

2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Tiviea Wade-Moore, Western Regional Chair



1. To promote regional participation in both regional and national programming by effectively

communicating with chapter leadership and membership.

2. To motivate and increase WRBLSA participation in the FDMCC and TMMTC programming at the regional

convention.

3. To provide continued support to WRBLSA membership and address the needs of Black law students

specifically in the WRBLSA region.

4. To ensure WRBLSA membership receives both regional and national communication in a timely and

effective manner.


1. Not Applicable


1. Objective 1 – As a regional board, this was an area in which we committed to improve. We opted to

contact members directly and at the chapter level to ensure that the overall membership was abreast of

all regional initiatives and programming. While I acknowledge the overall improvement in this area, the

incoming 2011-2012 Regional Chair and board should make focusing on membership communications a

top priority.

2. Objective 2 – We successfully communicated with members more frequently and encouraged chapter

participation. By increasing our frequency in communications, we successfully increased the overall

participation in both the FDMCC and TMMTC at this year’s regional conference.

3. Objective 3- We continued to provide support to membership and address the needs of Black law

students through our programming. This goal was achieved by the implementing two successful regional

job fairs this year.

4. Objective 4 – We improved in this area but were not as successful as we hoped. By not having a board

member solely focus on regional communications, this compromised our overall efficiency and


Western Regional Chair

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effectiveness.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Action Item 1 – I recommend a Regional Director of Communications be appointed as soon as possible.

This officer should solely focus on advertising regional programming at the chapter, regional and

national level.

2. Action Item 2 - We need to secure a Regional Corporate Relations Director that can secure funding for

each sub-region.

3. Action Item 3 - We need to provide professional training in fundraising for both the Regional Chairs and

Regional Corporate Relations Director.

4. Action Item 4 - When appointing a member to the Regional Corporate Relations Director position, the

Regional Chair should ensure this member is committed to the goals of this position.


1. Objective 1 – This year the Board successfully hosted two regional job fairs and two academic retreats.

2. Objective 2 - In the midst of an abrupt change in leadership, we hosted a successful regional convention.

3. Objective 3 – This region typically hosts three job fairs and three academic retreats. However, due to a

lack of sub-regional support we were not able to provide the level of programming the region is

accustomed. As a board, we recognized the need to proceed with the two job fairs and two academic

retreats in the face of adversity.


1. Area of Support 1 –We need to improve upon the relationship between National and Regional board

members. It is my belief that we all share a common goal and should work together and not against

one another. The current dynamic between the two boards creates a superiority conflict that can easily

be avoided. In order to achieve this common goal, conference calls between the counterparts are

essentially and should be mandated.


1. Recommendation 1 – The Regional Chair and Regional Corporate Relations Director need training in

non-profit fundraising.

2. Recommendation 2 –Patience, this year has been challenging to say the least so I recommend patience

and understanding when working with many different personalities and expectations. Please try to

stay focused on your goal for the region and to encourage everyone to carry those goals out but this is a

thankless position, meaning that your reward will be based on your ability to see it through and say I

was able to be involved in something I believed in.


Western Regional Chair

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3. Recommendation 3 – Take advantage of the opportunities where programming does not smoothly and

use them as learning experiences and opportunities for improvement.

4. Recommendation 4 - Motivate all sub-regions and encourage them to get involved. In order to provide

a certain level of programming for membership, it requires the support of every sub-region.


I thank you for the opportunity to serve.

National Treasurer

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2010-11 Officer

Plenary Report

TO: 2010-2011 National Team

FROM: Rhonda Jones, National Treasurer


OBJECTIVES


1) Achieve timely financial reporting compliance between regional and national offices

2) Achieve federal income tax reporting compliance

3) Work to retain NBLSA’s tax-exempt status

4) Build and implement a Universal Chart of Accounting Accounts to be used by regional

and national in financial reporting

5) Hire a Certified Public Accounting firm to assist the organization with book keeping and

coordinating financial book keeping across the regions

6) Coordinate the research and collection of historical financial documentation across regions

and with past officers necessary to achieve financial reporting and federal income tax

compliance

7) Hire a Tax Accountant to assist the organization with filing the 2007, 2008, and 2009 tax

returns

8) File Form 1128 to update change in organization’s year-end from May 31st to March 31st

9) Coordinate operating budgets across the regions and national team

10) Identify opportunities to reduce expenses

11) Partner with Regional Treasurers to help them achieve economic efficiencies and resolve


National Treasurer

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financial related issues

12) Add the National Treasurer as a inquiry reviewer on each regional BOA bank account

13) Build a budget template to assist regional and national officers with budget construction

14) Facilitate budget discussion between national board members and individual teams

15) Increase financial transparency between membership and leadership and between national

and regional, through the use of Quickbooks (online bookkeeping and financial reporting

software)

16) Setup Financial Reporting Training with Regions and Accountant

17) Reduce bookkeeping demand of regions by outsourcing this service and implementing

operating procedures that aide this goal

18) Revise National Financial Policy and Procedures

19) Build a Change of Bank Account holders Tool Kit for new Treasurers

20) Construct and Implement the use of a Donor Information Form

21) Secure General Liability Insurance Coverage

22) Secure Directors and Officers Insurance Coverage

23) Populate OneHub with all pertinent financial, insurance, and tax documentation

24) Send the IRS Penalty Abatement Request in regards to the 2007, 2008, and 2009 returns

25) Construct a transition guide for incoming National Treasurer

26) Projected and positioned to leave the next administrative a solid cash balance

27) Cash flow solid was able to meet every financial obligation



National Treasurer

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24) The management of NBLSA’s IRS penalty exposure due to the failure by previous

administrations to timely file tax returns continues to be a work in process. As of March

1, 2011, NBLSA has only received a penalty notice of $7,380.00 for 2009. The National

Financial Team expects a similar letter for 2008 and 2007. My goal is to write a letter

to the IRS requesting that the penalty be waived. It is important to note, that if

NBLSA’s request for penalty relief is not granted, NBLSA will likely have to pay the IRS

an estimated $21,000 in 2011.

2) After the extensive federal tax reporting was complete, we soon learned that we have

compliance filing requirements with the State of New York because this is where NBLSA

is incorporated. An annual report is one of their requirements, which I will not have the

capacity to complete before April 1, 2011.

18) Several new financial reporting and compliance procedures have been implemented.

However these improvements are not reflected in NBLSA’s current Financial Policies and

Procedures.



1. With the exception of objectives 8, 18, 2, and 24, all the goals were achieved.

ACTION ITEMS

1. To ensure there is at least a $50,000 surplus in our operating account to help the new

board manage the IRS penalty exposure and potential state penalty exposure.

2. Vote to engage Darby & Lewis and Veney Financial Group no later than March 30, 2011 to


National Treasurer

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begin working to complete our 2006 Tax Returns. At the completion of the 2006 and 2010

return, NBLSA will have the suggested last five years of Form 990’s complete.

3. Motion: I propose that we not renew the Acteva relationship.

4. To collect outstanding debts from three board members.

5. Motion: If SRBLSA does not receive its Acteva membership check by March 6, 2011, I

recommended that NBLSA advances them the difference between their cash balance and

the outstanding hotel invoice the week of March 14th. Acteva reports to have reissued the

check twice and as of the date of this report SRBLSA still had not received its estimated

$16K membership check.



1. Tax-Exempt Status Revival – Successfully filed the 2007, 2008, and 2009 Form 990’s – This

project involved researching, hunting, collecting, calling, praying, and coordinating historical

and current financial data, bank account information, tax filing information, and related

ancillary information between past and present regional and national officers and the IRS.

This was a HUGE, expensive, and arduous task because our efforts required us to go back

over 6 years and try to extract historical institutional knowledge from past leadership to

reconstruct our financial reporting history. This responsibility also required us to hire a tax

and accounting professionals to aide this goal. And we got it done!

2. Implemented a monthly financial reporting system using a universal chart of accounts

3. Regional Treasurer Introductory Tool Kit

4. Launched an online membership dues collection and convention registration tool. I strongly

recommended that we discontinue our relationship with Acteva due to their poor execution of

contract objectives, including late receipt of funding and unsatisfactory reconciliation. We

need a less expensive more reliable model.


National Treasurer

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1. A Certified Public Accountant, a Tax Accountant, a Tax Attorney, a Financial Specialist,

Cooperation from past and current board members.

2. Need the remaining 5 regions to submit their Simplicity payment before March 30, 2011

3. All Regional Treasurers and Financial Secretary to submit February and March 2011 financial

activity spreadsheet no later than April 1, 2011.

RECCOMMENDATIONS FOR 2011-2012 NATIONAL EXECUTIVE BOARD

1. Hire an Executive Director

2. Participate in a effective team building activity

3. Start 2011-12 Budgeting Process now with a May 1, 2011 budget submission deadline

4. Purchase a high quality scanner and/or fax machine for your National Treasurer

5. Formal Letterhead

6. Identify NBLSA’s state tax reporting requirements and work towards that compliance

7. Every National Treasurer that is also a law student needs a Financial Specialist

8. Work closely with the tax accountant and the IRS to resolve the penalty exposure

9. Update the NBLSA D&O Insurance Policy with new officer’s no later than April 2, 2011.

10. Partner with all respective regions ASAP to complete applications for state sales tax

exemption status.

11. Enroll in a Tax for Non-profit course

12. Make sure all non elected officers are immediately removed from the respective Bank of

America accounts.

13. Note NBLSA’s new fiscal year end is March 30, 2011 and its 2010 Tax Return is due July 1,

2011.

14. Keep the monthly regional reporting deadline (16th of every month) going.


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15. Reserve at least 60min on the Joint Retreat schedule to train newly elected officers. Invite

Darby and Lewis (NBLSA Accountants) to co-facilitate.

16. The National Treasurer will need a laptop, scanner, and/or fax machine provided. In this

capacity there is a great deal of correspondence with internal and external customers.


As of January 31, 2011, on a consolidated basis NBLSA posted a surplus of $207.5K

compared to $134.1K in 2010. We have collected $556K in total income, of which the

majority represents contributions and membership dues. We are lacking activity detail that

was not available at the time of this report, but is expected to be updated before March 6,

2011. Expenses as a percentage of total income was $40K lower than the same period in

2010. Travel and meeting expenses continue to represent nearly 72% of total expenses

followed by contract services expense that represents 10%. All regions are reporting a

positive cash surplus except for WRBLSA and MABLSA. WRBLSA and MABLSA small losses

were easily absorbed by their cash balance. NBLSA has total assets of $456K supported by

only $46K in liabilities (this does not reflect all unpaid contracts, so this number is likely

higher) and $418K in equity. NBLSA balance sheet is strong. Please see attached NBLSA

Consolidated Statements.

Please note, the National Treasurer will be out of the country March 20 – 28, 2011 with

no access to email, telephones, or smoke signals.

Financial Secretary

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Sakisha Jackson, Financial Secretary



1. To accurately record and timely deposit all money received by NBLSA.

2. To improve the mail receipt/notification system, so we can alert the appropriate parties when we are in receipt of a financial instrument/matter.

3. To work closely with the Membership committee and answer any questions they have about chapters in the various regions.

4. To work closely with the Competitions Directors to ensure timely payments from competing schools.

5. To reach out and invite past NBLSA board members for the Legacy of NBLSA Reception during the National Convention.

6. To keep track of corporate sponsorships and make sure that all sponsors are included in the program.

7. To actively assist the Treasurer by building financial models to support regional and national meetings/conferences.


7. Lewis & Darby have been hired to building financial models in Quickbooks and have audited our financial records to prepare our tax return.


1. Received money was accurately recorded and timely deposited.

2. An email was sent to alert the appropriate parties when we were in receipt of a financial instrument/matter. Tracking and recording all receipts of monies is an on-going activity.


Financial Secretary

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3. Working with Membership is an ongoing activity.

4. Working with the Competitions Directors is an ongoing activity.

5. Inviting past NBLSA board members for the Legacy of NBLSA Reception during the National Convention is an ongoing activity.

6. Keeping track of sponsorships as they come in and informing the appropriate parties is an ongoing activity.

7. Lewis & Darby have been hired to building financial models in Quickbooks and have audited our financial records to prepare our tax return.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.



None at this time.


1. The Financial Secretary should either be provided access to the Bank of America website so that deposit information can easily be downloaded and placed in a spreadsheet, or be provided a monthly spreadsheet with information downloaded from the website by the Treasurer or Chair. Currently, the Financial Secretary manually creates a spreadsheet with this deposit information, and it would much more efficient to just download the deposit information.


Director of Corporate Relations

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FROM: Christopher Hollins, Director of Corporate Relations



1. Meet/exceed fundraising goals both for conference and general operations.

2. Build database of corporate relation contacts and activities for use in future years.

3. Work with regions to ensure sharing of best practices and mutual success.


1. Devise a system that increases fundraising accountability across regions and guarantees that each

region has enough funding to meet its programming needs


1. Meet/exceed fundraising goals both for conference and general operations

(accomplished: goal - $185,000; raised over $210,000)

a. Secured sponsorship from numerous past partners (Perkins Coie, Navy JAG, Walmart, Microsoft,

etc.)

b. Secured sponsorships from target firms in Houston for the National Convention (V&E, Fulbright, etc.)

c. Met with firms in New Orleans, Houston, Dallas, Chicago, Washington DC, New York, Atlanta, and

Birmingham

d. Was largely unable to promote nontraditional partnership opportunities

e. Brought on specialists to push national and regional efforts further

2. Build database of corporate relation contacts and activities for use in future years (accomplished)

a. Created template for storing important information about firms; filled it in with Chicago, New

Orleans, Houston, and DC contacts; need to update to include firms in NY and to include contacts


Director of Corporate Relations

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made by Chair and other officers

b. Edited template letters (initial contact, follow-up, etc.) to send to firms

3. Work with regions to ensure sharing of best practices and mutual success (accomplished)

a. Brought on specialists to push national and regional efforts further

b. Devised corporate relations policy to consolidate regional and national efforts

ACTION ITEMS



1. Held partner meetings with firms in eight cities.

2. Reached out to over 70 firms; made positive contact with over 35 firms.

3. Devised policy to promote accountability among corporate relations officers and “increase the size of the

pie”.




1. Implement the newly approved Corporate Relations Policy.


Serving NBLSA this year was a demanding experience, but one I will never forget. I would like to thank

Melinda for giving me the opportunity to serve and for being patient with me throughout the year. I would also

like to thank Lydie Essama and Keiko Purnell, who joined the National Corporate Relations Team at a time of

dire need and were a huge part of our success! Finally, a big thank you to our members across the nation who

make all of our efforts worthwhile.

National Attorney General

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FROM: Ashlyn N. Shockley, National Attorney General



1. Enhanced communication between regional and national Attorney Generals and increased participation in advocacy programming by local chapters. - The National Attorney General will conduct bi-weekly conference calls or one-on-one calls

with regional Attorney Generals in furtherance of this objective. 2. Development of a legislative tracking system. 3. Completion of two amicus briefs.

- Deadline for Brief #1: October 31, 2010 - Deadline for Brief #2: March 31, 2011

4. Comprehensive program or effort to inform NBLSA’s membership about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and to advocate for the reauthorization’s passage at the national and regional levels.

5. Plan Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference (CBCF ALC) events enabling NBLSA members to become better informed about issues affecting the black community and providing opportunities for professional and social networking.

6. Plan successful Lobby Day. 7. Devise strategy to improve advocacy programming for future Attorney Generals and/or Advocacy

divisions.


4. This objective was modified after the national legislation changed. The original objective was as follows: Comprehensive program or effort to inform NBLSA’s membership about the Democracy Restoration Act (DRA) and to advocate for the legislation’s passage at the national and regional levels.


1. This objective was completed on February 16, 2011. 2. This objective is complete. Please see Recommendations for 2011-2012 National Board for



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additional information. 3. This objective was completed on December 23, 2010. 4. This objective was completed on February 19, 2011. 5. This objective was completed on September 17, 2010. 6. This objective was completed on February 17, 2011. 7. This objective is ongoing and will continue throughout the 2011-2012 transition period.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.


1. Enhanced communication between regional and national Attorney Generals and increased participation in advocacy programming by local chapters

-The National Attorney General conducted conference calls with members of the Advocacy Division and the regional Attorney Generals in order to facilitate increased participation in advocacy programming and to strengthen communication between regional and national officers.

-Attorney General calls were conducted biweekly on Wednesdays at 10:00 PM EST. -Attorney Generals were provided with frequent updates on programming including CBCF ALC, Lobby Day, and the Amicus Curiae program. Regional Attorney Generals gave frequent reports on the status of their regional programs and legislation. - The calls were helpful for planning purposes and provided regional Attorney Generals with the opportunity to discuss challenges they faced in implementing programming. - All regional Attorney Generals and Advocacy Division team members were present for CBCF ALC. - All Advocacy Division team members were present for the 2011 Lobby Day. - The MABLSA and RMBLSA Attorney Generals attended the 2011 Lobby Day. The SRBLSA, MWBLSA, and WRBLSA Attorney Generals sent proxies to the 2011 Lobby Day.

2. Development of a legislative tracking system -During the 2010-2011 term, each Attorney General selected a piece of legislation that could be supported at the national, regional, and local levels. -The legislation is as follows: National Legislation: Democracy Restoration Act; in November 2010, the national legislation was changed to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)



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Mid-Atlantic Region: Democracy Restoration Act Midwest Region: Dream Act Northeast Region: Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2010 Rocky Mountain Region: Keeping Our Educators Working Act of 2010 Southern Region: Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDPA) Western Region: Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 -The National Attorney General created a Google document for legislative tracking. The document could be accessed by each Attorney General, the National Congressional Liaison Specialist, and the National Advocacy Fellow. -The document included the following: (1) the title of the legislation; (2) the bill’s sponsor(s) and office contact information; (3) a brief summary of the legislation; (4) applicable background information on the legislation; (5) legislators currently supporting the legislation; (6) the scope of the legislation i.e. federal, state etc; (7) proponents and applicable efforts; (8) opponents and applicable efforts; (9) a list of ways that the respective region could support the legislation; and (10) the Attorney General and region responsible for the legislation. -The National Advocacy Fellow managed the Google document from November 2010-February 2011. - The National Attorney General created a legislative guide in November 2010. The guide included information on ESEA and each of the regional pieces of legislation. Additionally, the guide offered recommendations for advocating for the ESEA’s reauthorization at the local level.

3. Completion of two amicus briefs -The National Attorney General contacted various firms and pro bono agencies regarding the Amicus Curiae Program in April 2010. -In June 2010, NBLSA became a joint signatory to an amicus brief filed in the Friendly House v. Whiting case. The case addressed constitutional violations resulting from the enactment of Arizona Senate Bill 1070. -The organization provided substantive feedback and reviewed and edited the brief prior to its submission. -The brief was filed by Covington and Burr, on behalf of the Asian American Institute and 37 other amici, on June 21, 2010. -A shortened version of the brief was filed on July 14, 2010. -The Amicus Curiae (AC) team was established in October 2010. The following students were selected for the AC team: Celeste Owens, Washington and Lee School of Law; Melissa Samuels, University of Virginia School of Law; Valencia Thurman, Charleston School of Law; and Elizabeth Williamson, Ohio State University Moritz College of Law. -The AC team held a conference call on November 14, 2010 to discuss pending cases and to establish research deadlines. The team decided to draft or sign onto an amicus brief in the J.D.B



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v. North Carolina case. The United States Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on March 23, 2011. -NBLSA submitted talking points and became a signatory to an amicus brief spearheaded by the Juvenile Law Center in December 2010. -The Juvenile Law Center filed an amicus brief with the United States Supreme Court in the J.D.B. v. North Carolina case on December 23, 2010. -The AC team also drafted a white paper on the achievement gap and the significance of ESEA in support of the organization’s legislative efforts. The white paper was completed on February 10, 2011.

4. Comprehensive program or effort to inform NBLSA’s membership about the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) and to advocate for the reauthorization’s passage at the national and regional levels.

-The National Attorney General provided each regional Attorney General with a package including the following: a form letter supporting reauthorization of the ESEA; a regional petition form; a Lobby Day flyer; the Obama administration’s blueprint for reauthorization of the ESEA; information on the Diverse Learners provision of the ESEA; and information on the Turn-Around Schools provision of the ESEA.

-Regional Attorney Generals were asked to disseminate information and collect signatures during regional conventions. -MABLSA, RMBLSA, SRBLSA, and WRBLSA submitted petitions in furtherance of this effort.

5. Plan Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference (CBCF ALC) events

enabling NBLSA members to become better informed about issues affecting the black community and providing opportunities for professional and social networking -The National Advocacy Division was responsible for four events or programs during CBCF ALC 2010. They are as follows: Issues Forum with Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA); Black Professional Network Happy Hour; Social Action Rally; and CBC Reception co-hosted by Reed Smith LLP. -The National Congressional Liaison Specialist planned an issues forum with Congresswoman Maxine Waters informing students on sentencing disparities within the criminal justice system. The forum was held on September 16, 2010. -The National Attorney General collaborated with the Black Professional Network to host a networking reception/mixer at District-DC on September 16, 2010. -The National Attorney General planned a reception honoring the contributions of CBC members. The National Attorney General secured the following speakers: Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D-IL); Congressman Keith Ellison (D-MN); and Congresswoman Donna Edwards (D-MD). The National Congressional Liaison Specialist secured the following speakers: Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX.)



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John Schriffen, NBC-4, served as the emcee for the event.

6. Plan successful Lobby Day -NBLSA created a coalition of partner organizations in December 2010. The partner organizations are the National Latina/o Law Student Association (NLLSA) and the Law Student Division of the Hispanic National Bar Association (HNBA-LSD). Patton Boggs LLP provided Lobby Day training. -Lobby Day was held on February 16 and 17, 2011. The program included a training session on ESEA and the LEARN Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Patty Murray (D-WA). Dr. John S. Wilson, Jr., Executive Director, White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), served as the keynote speaker. The coalition also hosted Careers in Legislative Advocacy, a series of panel discussions. Panelists included attorneys from the White House Office of Public Engagement, the Congressional Black Caucus, the Raben and Podesta Groups, Alcade and Faye, the Office of Senator Joe Lieberman, IMPACT-DC, and numerous other government agencies and law firms. -On February 17, student participants engaged representatives from more than 45 legislative offices in meetings on the LEARN Act and ESEA. -The event marked the organization’s largest Lobby Day to date. -Patton Boggs is currently developing an action plan for improving the organization’s legislative advocacy.

7. Devise strategy to improve advocacy programming for future Attorney Generals and/or Advocacy divisions

-The National Attorney General created and disseminated an Advocacy Feedback form to members of the following teams: Advocacy division; Attorney General team; Amicus Curiae team; and the Social Action Committee. -The National Attorney General has uploaded checklists for CBCF ALC and Lobby Day planning for the 2011-2012 term to the One Hub portal in addition to numerous other transition documents. -The National Attorney General will be creating a best practices document for improving NBLSA’s legislative and judicial advocacy based on observations from the 2010-2011 term and feedback submitted by the teams.


4. Petitions are requested from the NEBLSA and MWBLSA regional Attorney Generals or Chairs.


1. The National Attorney General recommends continuing biweekly calls with regional Attorney Generals as well as conducting one-on-one calls with Advocacy Division members as needed.



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2. The National Attorney General does not recommend maintaining a legislative tracking system during the 2011-2012 term. The task was extremely cumbersome and the document was not frequently used by the regional Attorney Generals.

3. The National Attorney General recommends securing a partnership with a law firm that will support NBLSA’s Amicus Curiae program or establishing a National Advocacy Advisory team comprised of attorneys with extensive experience in brief writing. The National Attorney General also recommends that NBLSA serve as the primary organization for a brief during the 2011-2012 term.

4. The National Attorney General recommends continuing legislative efforts at the regional level. The incoming Attorney General should consider the timeliness of disseminating information at regional conventions. An alternative would be to educate participants at academic retreats or to plan additional region-specific legislative activities and programs.

5. The National Attorney General recommends having law firms bid on the opportunity to host the CBC reception. The National Attorney General also recommends providing attendees with increased opportunities to attend panel discussions and informative sessions on legislative efforts. Finally, the National Attorney General recommends scheduling meetings or events with legislators who are available and interested to discuss the organization’s legislative agenda.

6. The National Attorney General recommends collaborating with the incoming National Director of Corporate Relations to secure funds that can be used for the following: meals during Lobby Day; a reception during Lobby Day or a CLA program; and transporting students to Lobby Day from various areas of the country. The National Attorney General also recommends that Lobby Day training and legislative meetings be held on the same day and that the program is scheduled on a Thursday that does not conflict with the national convention or the MABLSA, NEBLSA, or SRBLSA conventions.


Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your National Attorney General for the 2010-2011 term. It has truly been an honor and a privilege and I look forward to seeing the advancement of the organization’s advocacy program under the 2011-2012 National Attorney General.

National Social Action Director

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FROM: Germaine Austin, National Director of Social Action



1. Objective 1 –Organize a social action committee with regional representation: A. Northeast B. Mid-Atlantic C. Southern D. Rocky Mountain E. Mid-West F. Western

2. Objective 2 –Create and Design the National Black Law Students Associations Best Practices

Manual. A compilation of creative, successful and sustainable advocacy program ideas from law schools all over the nation.

3. Objective 3-Organize a judging committee for the National Black Law Students Associations

social action awards. Judges must have experience in social justice, voter empowerment and legislative advocacy programming.

4. Objective 4-Find creative ways to carry out the National Black Law Students Associations

national initiatives. The National initiatives for the 2010-2011 were: (1) Child Advocacy and Youth Empowerment; (2) Equity in Criminal Justice; (3) Global Citizenship; and (4) Institutional Representation.

A. The National Black Law Students Association social action rally B. The 2nd March on Washington with One Nation and the NAACP C. Team Juvenile Education Advocacy Network (J.E.A.N) D. Election Protection 2010 E. Child Advocacy Infomercial


1. Modification to objective 2: Originally, the Best Practices Manual focused on Advocacy

programs. However, after talking to different local chapters, we determined that some

members wanted to see other program ideas that focused on fundraising, community service

and networking. Therefore, we decided to include the previously mentioned sections in the

Best Practices Manual.

2. Modification to objective 3: Too many programs were created by covering all the national


National Director of Social Action

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initiatives. We determined that our initial program requirement would have been too

cumbersome for local members and national members to organize, implement and carry out.

Therefore, we decreased the amount of programs we planned to implement, and focused on

three of the national initiatives. The three initiatives we focused on were:(1) Child Advocacy

and Youth Empowerment; (2) Equity in Criminal Justice; and (3) Institutional

Representation.

1.


1. Objective 1 – This objective was completed in August, 2010. However, one committee member

resigned in late October 2010 and another committee member from the same school joined the

social action committee.

2. Objective 2-This objective was completed in late September, 2010.

3. Objective 3-This objective was competed in November 2010

4. Objective 4 - These objectives were completed by March 4, 2011.

A. Social action rally-completed on September 17, 2010.

B. Second March on Washington-completed on October 2, 1010

C. Team JEAN-local chapter program

D. Election Protection 2010-completed by November 2, 2010

E. Child Advocacy Infomercial-completed by March 4, 2011

ACTION ITEMS

1. Action Item 1 – None at this time.


Objective 1 –The National Black Law Students Association Social Action Committee

A. Strategic Plan: The strategic plan involved the following criteria: (1) organizing a social action committee member in Washington D.C to help organize Congressional Black Caucus weekend events; (2) organizing a social action committee member in Las Vegas to help with our original production plans for the Child Advocacy Commercial; (3) organizing a social action committee member from the National Director of Social Action’s home school to help with big projects; (4) organize two



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committee members to help the Election Specialist with Election and Voting programs; (4) to fill in the other gaps by making sure the other regions were represented.

B. Recommendations: The advocacy team came together in July and August and made

recommendations for the social action committee. Recommendations were made by the National Director of Social Action, the National Attorney General and the National Elections Specialist.

D. Interviews and Informational: Each recommendation for the social action

committee was called and an informational interview time and date was set. Each recommendation was interviewed and received two to three days to think about the requirements, duties and expectations of the social action committee. After two to three days, each recommendation for the social action committee had to send the National Director of Social Action an email either accepting or declining their recommendation.

E. Filling in the gaps, Regional Representation: Emails were sent out to regions

that did not have representation, recommendations were made by chapter presidents. The Chapter president's recommendations received an interview and time to accept or decline the recommendation.

F. Strategic Plan Success: As a result, some recommendations were accepted,

some recommendations declined and others were made. The 2010-2011 social action committee was chosen. In addition, each committee member represented a different region. However, the Rocky Mountain Region was represented by two committee members at the request of the National Election Specialist.

G. Information Packet: A welcome packet was created with the information of

each committee member. The Packet included: (1) the picture of each committee member; (2) biography of each committee member; (3) A quote that described each committee members philosophy and personality; (4) a break down of social action committee programming for 2010-2011; and (5) and the duties and responsibilities expected of each committee member.

Objective 2- The National Black Law Students Association Best Practices Manual

A. Request for Contribution: A committee member was assigned to coordinate the creation of the best practices manual. First, the National Director of Social Action sent emails to chapters requesting previously implemented program ideas. These programs must have had a big, positive affect in the community and at the contributor’s law school. In addition, the program must have been successful and sustainable.

B. Criteria: Each contribution went through a screening process for effectiveness and

creativity. This criteria was created by the social action committee.

C. Formatted: Each program was formatted by the social action committee manual coordinator and the National Director of Social Action. The format was as follows: synopsis; measure of success; process; organization contacts; and contact information of contributor.

D. Edits: The Best Practices manual went through a numerous edits. Since it included time



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sensitive information, the advocacy programming was edited by the National Director of Social Action, the National Attorney General, the National Election Specialist and the National Director of Communications. The other sections of the manual was split up between committee members and the National Congressional Liaison. Once committee members sent back the edits, it was automatically sent to the Communications team to go through the final clearance process.

E. Graphics: A graphics coordinator was used to add the graphic dividers that divided each

section of the manual and the manual cover.

F. Continuation: The Best Practices Manual must be monitored through the years by the National Director of Social Action and his or her committee. It must be continually updated, edited and formatted.

G. Benefit: Local chapters will have a programming guide that will help them in their

creative programming process. No local chapter will run out of ideas and can continue to implement successful, sustainable programs at their local chapter that demands good results.

Best Practices Manual:http://www.nblsa.org/index.php?pID=304 Objective 3- The National Black Law Students Association Social Action Award Judging Committee

A. Recommendations. The National Director of Social Action wanted to organize a committee independent from the social action committee. Being on the social action committee is hard work and no member should be excluded from being rewarded if they were continuously involved in NBLSA events and other events in the name of NBLSA. Since National members are exempt from receiving awards, The National Director of Social Action contacted members of Advocacy team and requested their participation on the judging committee. The Advocacy team was more appropriate since they conduct NBLSA’s social action and legislative programming. In addition, to create balance an outside committee member was added. The outside Judge was Dr. Jarvis Hall, the Executive Director of the Institute of Civic Engagement and Social Change and the Advisor of the Civic Engagement Task force.

B. Information Packet: The National Director of Social Action drafted the criteria for the

social action awards. The criteria came from the combined program requirements implemented by the Advocacy team. Programs from the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, Lobby Day, Election protection initiatives and other local programs like team JEAN and Kids in the House were also included in the judging requirements. The program packet contained the following documents: a packet cover; an introduction letter for judges; a judging template for the Oliver Hill Social Action Award; a judging template for the Johnnie Cochran Social Consciousness award; an explanation rubric for the judging and scoring criteria; the biography of Oliver Hill; the biography of Johnnie Cochran; and social action award applications. The deadline for the applications were set closer to the convention to allow chapters to participate in Lobby Day and to gather the necessary documents after regional conventions and other programs. The deadline to apply for the social action awards was February 28, 2011. In addition, the National Chair provided the incentives for award recipients.

http://www.nblsa.org/index.php?pID=304�



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C. Judging: The social action awards packet was sent out to the social action award committee members on March 1, 2011, and they were given until March 5, 2011, to score and send the applications back to the National Director of social action. The National Director of Social Action added up the scores of all committee applicants and chose the winners.

D. Review: A copy of the scores may be reviewed by any applicant upon their written

request sent by email to [email protected]. The applicant must also cc the National Attorney General at [email protected]. Only applicants may review the scores.

Objective 4- Programming, National Initiatives: I. The National Black Law Students Social Action Rally Institutional Representation-Legislative and grassroots advocacy for voter restoration

A. Topic and Support: The topic recommended by the Advocacy group was Felony Disenfranchisement. Felony Disenfranchisement is the denial of voting rights to those who were previously incarcerated. This issue is important because the incarceration rate of African Americans remains high and after incarceration some states require, productive citizens, people working and living in our communities, to go through a burdensome voting restoration process. These barriers leave many people without their voting rights. The National Black Law Students Association joined a coalition group in support of the Democracy Restoration Act. This group kept us updated with the status of the Democracy Restoration Act and the continued fight to restore voting rights. This call also increased the visibility of the National Black Law Students Association.

B. Venue: the social action committee members and the National Director of Social Action

worked hard to secure the venue for the breakfast and the venue for the rally site. However, they could not have done it without the help of Howard University School of Law’s BLSA chapter and the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law BLSA chapter. The social action committee also received commendable support from the administration of both schools.

C. Food & Shirts: the National Black Law Students Association provided the funds to feed

participants and to provide them with T-shirts for the event.

D. Publicity: The flyers were outsourced to an inexpensive graphics designer. Flyers and posters were made, highlighting all the National Black Law Students Associations events during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference weekend.

E. Participants: Letters were written by the National Director of Social Action soliciting the

participation of organizations, undergraduate students and law school students from all over the nation. Social Action committee members worked hard to contact and maintain contact with rally participants. The rally received approximately 115 energized participants.

F. Speakers: The speakers were recommended by the Democracy Restoration Act coalition

group and it’s main organizer, Erika Wood from the Brennan Center for Justice.

G. Materials: Introduction letters were written to every speaker and agendas were made.





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The social action committee was also able to organize all the sign materials for the rally. In addition, purchase orders were drafted and confirmed, the paperwork to reserve venues were processed and materials to educate participants on the topic were provided by the Brennan Center for Justice. The educational materials were emailed to participants or through personal delivery. Some of the organizations on the Democracy Restoration Act call passed out materials on their spare time before the day of the rally.

H. The Venue and Event: Two social action committee members were assigned to coordinate

the social action rally. The rally was held in Washington D.C on September 17, 2011, during the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. The rally started at Howard University School of Law. While at Howard participants were able to meet, greet, make signs, get T-shirts, eat breakfast and prepare for the march to the rally location. Then the Howard University School of Law Choir marched the participants to the rally location at the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. Rally participants were met by speakers who were ready to educate them on Felony Disenfranchisement and the Democracy Restoration Act. Some of the speakers were from the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, ACLU Legislative Counsel, Progressive Democrats of America, and others were disenfranchised. The participants were educated, waved their signs in the air, shouted in their freedom fighter voices, and were empowered in the name of voting rights restoration. The Howard University School of Law Choir ended the rally with a few selections and the BLSA chapter at the University of the District of Columbia held a barbecue to feed our participants.

I. Restoration: Two of the disenfranchised members applied for their voting rights after the

social action rally and their voting rights were restored. The social action rally also gained media attention.

J. Thank you: Thank you cards were mailed to the administration and rally speakers.

II. The National Black Law Students Association Child Advocacy Infomercial Child Advocacy & Youth Empowerment-Advocate for youth in the Juvenile Justice System Equity in Criminal Justice-Provide a national spotlight and local solutions to higher rate of contact

A. Topic: The National Black Law Students Association decided to join the National Campaign to raise the juvenile age. New York and North Carolina still try 16 and 17 year olds as adults regardless of the severity of the crime. As a result the number of youths being tried in adult courts and placed in adult jails are continuing to rise. Most of these youths are African Americans.

B. Support: Grassroots organizations were contacted during the summer of 2010. The

main topic of these grassroots were raising the juvenile age. Some of the organizations in support of these efforts were Action for Children, the Juvenile Justice Institute and Spirit house. Other organizations like the campaign for Youth Justice started petitions to stop trying youths in adult courts. These grassroots organizations provided materials and guidance for the National Black Law Students Association to create the Child Advocacy Infomercial.

C. Sponsorship: The National Director of Social Action and the Social Action committee

created a sponsorship packet to gain financial support for the Infomercial. Organizations and firms were contacted by the Director and by social action committee members. The Infomercial received on corporate sponsor and the contract



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was negotiated to substantially decrease the financial burden placed on the National Black Law Students Association. The Sponsorship packet was cleared by the National Communications team.

D. Social Action Committee: Three social action committee members were selected to

help the National Director of Social Action create and complete the Child Advocacy Infomercial. The committee members selected producers, reviewed pricing, negotiated pricing and chose a producer that was inexpensive, creative and guaranteed quality work. The producer selected was Impression House Media out of the state of Virginia. Committee members also researched the topic of the infomercial, grouped statistical data and completed the statistics for the infomercial. Members of the committee were able to reserve venues such as local courthouse, jails and deliver the props needed such as clothing, handcuffs chains, and other needed equipments. The social action committee came together to think of a title for the infomercial and select the music that provided the tone of the infomercial.

E. Interviews: The social action committee had support from Professor Ferguson at the

University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law and his organization, Free Your Mind Book Club. The book club provided names of interested participants who went to jail at 16 and 17 years old and wanted to tell their story to the National Black Law Students Association. Other stories were suggested by Spirit-house. Those interviewed told their personal stories of being tried in adult courts and placed in adult jails. Many of them were psychologically, emotionally and physically scared.

F. Actors: Actors were provided by a local high school theatre group. The actors were

used to act out some of the recollections of those that were interviewed. The group of actors shared their experience on camera. After the project, many of them said that they wanted to be lawyers and all of them said that they didn’t know about the National Black Law Students Association but they are happy that it exists.

G. Schedule and Clearance: A schedule was made after venues were reserved and all

participants signed the actor release form created by the National Black Law Students Association. After the Infomercial was produced it went through the social action committee's clearance team. The clearance team consisted of the following people: Professor of Juvenile Justice, copyright lawyer, Juvenile Justice Institute representative, Action for Children representative and a state representative who is drafting the bill to raise the juvenile age. The clearance committee checked the infomercial’s content for appropriateness and copyright violations.

H. Recording: After all the preliminary work was done, we shot the infomercial during a

4 day period from 9 am to 9 pm everyday during those 4 days. The producer and I worked closely to edit the scenes and the interviews. We chose 2 out of 8 stories because the infomercial ended up being too long and we recorded about 6 scenes that recalled the psychological trauma experienced by those interviewed. We completed the commercial on March 4, 2011. We added the graphics, statistics, credits, acknowledgements, interviews, scenes and the music.

I. Publicity: The infomercial will be placed in all the online social medias such as Vimeo,

Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, Broadband, and the blog sites of many other child advocacy and juvenile justice websites.

J. Benefit: The infomercial will be used by nonprofits to raise awareness about the



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juvenile age. The infomercial will dramatically increase the visibility of the National Black Law Students Association.

K. Recommendation: The next board should follow the “Raise the Age campaign, and

allow BLSA chapters to use the infomercial to raise awareness through programs and meetings.

III. Second March on Washington:

Global Citizenship: Pro bono & community service on issues affecting Black people worldwide.

A. Meetings: The National Director of social action attended an in person organizing in Washington D.C with the National Black Law Students Association’s Chief of Staff. The organization meeting was a coalition of organizations who wanted to find out more information about the March on Washington. After learning about the purpose for the March on Washington, the National Black Law Students Association decided to support the March on Washington as one of the organizers. The March on Washington was in honor of jobs, justice and education. The National Black Law Students Association believes in education reform, more jobs for students and working America and equal justice for all people. The National Director of Social Action joined several organizing calls to stay updated with the issues related to the March on Washington.

B. Organizing: Two members from the social action committee were on the organizing

team for the March on Washington. The two social action committee members that helped organize the social action rally contacted organizations, undergraduate students and law students for their participation in the March on Washington event. The National Director of Social Action worked closely with One Nation working together to organize buses and participants for the event.

C. Publicity: The National Black Law Students Association created a flyer to publicize

the March on Washington and sent it to participants, organizations and students.

D. Attendance: The National Black Law Students organized approximately 118 students for the March on Washington. Most students were undergraduate students. A total of 6 law school students attended the event. One law student was able to secure summer employment while attending the March on Washington.

E. Benefit: The March on Washington provided networking opportunities for participants

and increased the National Black Law Students Association’s visibility.

IV. Team Juvenile Education Advocacy Network. Child Advocacy & Youth Empowerment-Mentor teens and college students. Advocate for youths in the juvenile justice system.

A. Local Chapter Program: Local chapters were encouraged to mentor and educate youths on juvenile justice issues and children’s rights. They were also encouraged to show youth’s how to interact effectively with law enforcement officials and other figures of authority. The purpose of this program is to decrease the juvenile delinquency rate through education.

V. Election Protection 2010 Institutional Representation-Obtain equal access to legal and political institutions for the Black Community.



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A. Partnership: The National Black Law Students Association partnered with the

Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to protect the 2010 midterm election process. The Social Action Committee and the National Director of Social Action joined bi-weekly calls organized by the Lawyers Committee. The calls provided training information, updates for election protection programming and other important information.

B. Participants: The National Black Law Students Association helped by providing the law student volunteers needed to make the Election Protection program successful.

C. Materials: The Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law disseminated election information when necessary. Time sensitive information were sent straight to regional chairs and regional chairs were encouraged to disseminate the materials to their local chapters.

D. Other Partners: Law students were also encouraged to partner with other election

protection organizations in their area.

E. Benefit: The National Black Law Students Association was encouraged to partner with the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law because of our resources. There are organizations that recognize us as a strong force that could achieve social and political change in our communities. Lets continue to send that message.


1. Area of Support 1 – Social Action Committee–None 2. Area of Support 2- The Best Practices Manual –The Manual had to go through clearance

checks by Advocacy Team and the National Communications Team. 3. Area of Support 3- Social Action Awards Committee-Advocacy Team and Clearance from the

National Communications team. 4. Area of Support 4- National Initiatives-Social Action Committee, National Communication

Team, Advocacy Team and Programming Team.


Recommendation 1-Encourage Regional Chairs to start a social action position on their regional

board, to support the Regional Attorney Generals with their Legislative initiatives.

Recommendation 2-Organize a social action committee and encourage a committee member to

monitor and improve the Best Practices Manual.

Recommendation 3-Organize more social action committee members in the Washington D.C area

to help with CBC events.



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Working on the board has been a complete pleasure. This year, board members pushed everyone

to rise to their true potential, held them accountable for projections and programming issues and

challenged their way of thinking. The National Black Law Students Association is on a successful

track. In a few years I project that it will be the strongest, most sought after, organization to

promote political and social change in the legal community.

National Director of Communications

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FROM: Sharonda Jackson, National Director of Communications



1. Develop a 2010-2011 Communications Strategy. 2. Streamline the communications infrastructure to ensure internal communications are

disseminated at the national, regional and local level in a timely and efficient manner. 3. Create a Communications Calendar. 4. Educate the National Board on the division between External and Internal

Communications. 5. Ensure the timely delivery of the Legal Pad. 6. Improve the look and feel of the Legal Pad. 7. Develop templates for National board members. 8. Oversee the maintenance process for the website and social media outlets.


1. Educate both the National and Regional Boards on the division between External and Internal Communications.

2. Educate Regional Board members about the benefits and necessity of complying with the Communications Strategy.

3. Provide training to regional counterparts concerning membership communications, website maintenance and the use of social media.

4. Work with the National Director of Public Relations to draft and disseminate Logo Use Guidelines to disseminate to National, Regional and Local board members.

5. Standardize Signature Blocks for National Board members. 6. Standardize Forms/templates disseminated by the National board. 9. Design a custom email layout. 10. Coordinate programming communications: CBC, Lobby Day, and National Convention. 7. Actively participate in website maintenance to ensure timely updates. 8. Develop a system to track website updates. 9. Develop a system to track all internal and external edits.



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10. Work with the National Director of Public Relations and Communications Fellow to rebuild and improve our internet presence and brand name.

11. Ensure that all materials disseminated internally and externally are of a professional quality (error-free).

12. Move away from paper documentation by creating online forms.


1. All National Correspondence, intended for delivery to the Joint Board, Regional Boards or General Membership, was reviewed, edited and disseminated by the National Director of Communications.

2. All Regional internal communications concerning nationally mandated programming, intended for delivery to regional membership, were reviewed, edited and logged by the National Director of Communications prior to dissemination.

3. All internal communications were reviewed by the National Director of Communications; all external communications were reviewed by either the National Director of Public Relations or the National Director of Communications. The NBLSA Fellow was responsible for social media updating and assigned press releases.

4. The 2010-2011 Communications Strategy: Received and incorporated the feedback from Regional Chairs and National Board Members. To date, the National and Regional Board members are in compliance with the strategy and are adhering to the guidelines. We initially experienced a deficit in communication between the Regional counterparts and Regional Chairs and the National Director of Communications. To date, all regions are on board with the strategy.

5. The Communications Calendar was not used efficiently at the national or regional level and has been suspended.

6. Drafted a memorandum to disseminate to National and Regional Board members to explain the division between external and internal communications.

7. The National Blast was created and is sent to membership on the 1st and 15th of every month (respectively).

8. Worked with the National Chair and National Director of Programming to develop a template to for this year’s Fall Legal Pad edition that is interactive and inviting to readers.

9. Developed project timelines for CBC, Lobby Day and the National Convention. Coordinated with the Communications Fellow and Mance & Associates to ensure programming was advertised internally and externally for the National Convention.

10. Drafted a design for the custom layout and finalized the template with EmailNow. The layout is now available.

11. Worked with the National Director of Public Relations to draft logo use guidelines and publish to the website. These are now available on the website.

12. Created Wufoo forms for both document reviews and website updates. 13. Created a Communications tab on the national website so that the membership may



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access the Logo Use Guidelines. 14. The organization is now using electronic forms to collect, manage, and store data.

ACTION ITEMS

1. The Communications Team (including the Communications Fellow) should stay on board until the National Director of Communications and National Director of Public Relations positions are filled.

2. Seek appointments for these positions immediately. 3. The Communications Team should provide training for the appointees. 4. All Regional communications concerning nationally mandated programming, intended

for delivery to regional membership, should continue to be reviewed, edited and logged by the National Director of Communications prior to dissemination for the 2011-2012 term.

5. The 2011-2012 Regional boards should seek to appoint a Regional Director of Communications and Regional Director of Public Relations as soon as possible so that they can participate in the website and membership software trainings.


1. Coordinated Monthly Conference Calls with Regional counterparts. The purpose of the call is to update regional counterparts with pertinent information, trainings and to provide regional specific support. The 2011-2012 Regional Chairs should seek to appoint members who are committed to the organization and position. The 2010-2011 regional counterparts were not active in these conference calls and often times did not participate in the trainings. This ultimately resulted in outdated regional websites and regional membership not receiving timely information.

2. Coordinated monthly Conference Calls with the Communications Team. The purpose of the call is to update the National team with pertinent information, coordinate release dates and membership notifications.

3. Developed the Website Update Form. This form is located on the national website. The form is used by National and Regional board members to submit website update requests. The form is delivered to both the National Director of Communications and the National Director of Public Relations. Those who submit a form receive a confirmation email.

4. Developed the Communications Check Request Form. This form is located on the national website. The form is used by National and Regional board members to submit document review requests. The form is delivered to both the National Director of



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Communications and the National Director of Public Relations. Depending upon whether the request is internal or external, either the National Director of Communications or the National Director of Public Relations responds to within 24 hours confirming a delivery date. Those who submit a form receive a confirmation email.

5. Created a bi-monthly newsletter: The National Blast. The purpose of the Blast is communicating with membership and to update them with important information and dates from the National board.

6. This is a very important position that requires a minimum of 20 hours per week. This position requires one to multi-task, be a project manager, team manager and focus on the membership’s needs. Website and communications software experience are strongly recommended. In order for the National Director of Communications to be successful in their position, a strong candidate must be appointed as the National Director of Public Relations.


1. Regional Directors of Communications should be appointed as soon as possible. 2. Regional Chairs should create the position, Regional Director of Public Relations, in

order for communications at a regional level to improve. 3. The National Chair should create a Webmaster/mistress position and appoint for the

2011-2012 term. 4. National Board members are not exempt from a Communications Check. Please

remember to send all communications (letters, emails, Facebook entries, etc) to the appropriate member of the Communications team prior to dissemination.

5. Contact the National Director of Communications with any programming changes/updates including logistics, dates and/or times.

6. All communications check request must be submitted a minimum of 24-72hrs prior to their dissemination to ensure a timely turnaround.

7. Only final versions of communications should be submitted. A final communication is one that is reviewed initially for grammatical and structural edits.

8. Regional Counterparts should respond to their emails within 24hours, if possible. 9. National Board members need to meet deadlines for the National Blasts. 10. In the event communications check requests or website updates are not delivered on the

intended date, please follow up with an email to the Communications Team.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR 2011-2012 NATIONAL BOARD

1. When seeking applicants for this position, make sure they have a clear vision for carrying out the 2011-2012 Communications Strategy.

2. Applicants should possess the following skills: detail-oriented, strong writing and editorial skills, project management experience, strong leadership skills, marketing experience, website experience, and familiarity with productivity/communications



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software. 3. The organization should seek to find another mailing system that will allow the user

more flexibility with editing text within the program. In the event this is not possible, the organization should continue to use EmailNow

4. The incoming National Chair should consult with the current National Director of Communications prior to filling both the National Director of Communications and National Director of Public Relations positions.

5. Conduct a survey in September 2011 to determine the membership’s needs. 6. Conduct a survey in February 2012 to determine the success of the 2011-2012

Communications Team. Provide these results during the 2012 Convention. 7. Create a new position where the appointee will be solely responsible for website

maintenance. This will enable the National Director of Public Relations to focus solely on PR and marketing on behalf of the organization.

8. Ensure that a committed and detail-oriented Director of Public Relations is appointed. This position should solely focus on PR and marketing.

9. Appoint a Communications Fellow to assist the Director of Communications with programmatic and social media marketing.


I would like to thank all National, Regional and Local board members for their assistance with implementing this year’s Communications Strategy. I would also like to thank the membership for the opportunity to serve and for their feedback. There is a continued need in this organization to improve upon the way the National and Regional board members communicate with membership and I hope that I was able to accomplish this. I am committed to this organization and will work with my incumbent to ensure the membership stays well informed at all levels.

National Director of Public Relations

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FROM: Erica Washington, National Director of Public Relations


OBJECTIVES


1. Regularly Update the nblsa.org Website • Turn-over last year’s web site - implementation of new look and feel

(officially turned over on 08/03/10, national and regional pages)

• Regional Autonomy – conducted Website training sessions to ensure that regions were familiar with use, worked with regional DOCs to deliver accurate, quality and timely information to their members and external followers

• Regular Updates - press releases (programming information and

materials, membership information, administrative information (constitution/bylaws/plenary rules) and convention materials – accomplished with implementation of website update system (over 200 web requests and notifications accounted for with the system)

2. Actively Build and Monitor NBLSA’s Brand Ensuring that NBLSA external materials look, feel, and sound cohesive

• Monitoring the NBLSA brand – periodic use of email and RSS alert programs like Google and yahoo alerts (especially good for detecting infringement), Google blog search and yahoo pipes

• Facebook - Consolidation NBLSA’s official social media pages, deactivate unofficial pages – initiated back in Aug. 2010, ongoing (deletion of old pages), NBLSA initially had two different FB pages, those pages were consolidated into one fan page (shut down/admins. of unofficial pages were asked to remove) and followers were rolled over.

• Implemented Strategic Communications Platform – distinction between internal and external communications and requiring communications checks before documents are released to the public. (this includes sponsorship packets and letters, substantive postings to the website, academic journals and other external publications on the national and regional levels) – accomplished with implementation of communications request system

• Creation of Press Release Process/Guidelines – ensure effectiveness of releases, meet demand for NBLSA’s legislative advocacy programs, meet immediate needs and concerns of the community


National Director Public of Relations

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• Developed logo use guidelines for 2010-2011 logos – received 237 views as of 03/01/11 (issue regarding usage of old logos on materials that have been circulated on the World Wide Web)

3. Increased NBLSA’s Presence in the Legal Community by Offering

Commentary on Important Issues • Focus on drafting releases for important issues (asserting political

stances): 1) PR on SB-1070 or AZ Immigration Bill (04/29/10), 2) Kagan Nomination (6/27/10), 3) SB-1070 Amicus Brief (6/29/10), 4) CBC-ALC Programming (09/29/10), 5) Social Action Dir./Election Protection Panel (09/18/10), 6) LD Education Agenda (12/01/10), 7) J.D.B. v. NC Brief (06/05/11), 8) NEBLSA&DKMS Bone Marrow Drive (01/24/11)

4. Submit Effective Stories to Appropriate Editors, Reporters and

Producers • Effective Use of PR distribution sources – prweb, prlog, etc. to

increase reach of PR messages • Targeted Electronic Mailings – Washington Post, Washington Times,

Community Papers (chose D.C. because it is NBLSA’s place of business)

5. Identify Media Sources that are Most Likely to Cover NBLSA • Compiled Media List (ongoing)


Participation on calls with Regional Counterparts (dates set by National Director of

Communications)

Participation in Communications Team Calls and Weekly Progress Reporting

Implement smooth transition for incoming leadership (technical)

Pending Objectives (recommended to incoming PR Director)

1. Gage the interest of the public by asking for commentary on ways NBLSA can cater to the needs of the African American legal community.

• Utilize NBLSA’s social media to accomplish this goal: create an online survey for students, volunteers, political spokes persons, etc.

2. Send complimentary copies of NBLSA programming materials to appropriate media outlets. • NBLSA’s brand and purpose can be furthered by sending yearly programming materials to

media outlets and other organizations in support of NBLSA’s mission and purpose. This task may require some action from the Chair and Vice Chair in approving dissemination. Also this type of information sharing could give way to misuse of NBLSA’s brand, so be sure to include a usage policy in this dissemination.

3. Develop a virtual media kit for the NBLSA website to include: history of NBLSA, mission and goals,



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profiles and photos of current board members, most recent news releases, and a downloadable version of yearly programming.

• Take time to create a quality virtual media kit that is easily accessible to the external audience. This should be factored into the budget unless someone is an absolute expert in this area of design. This kit should be posted on the website, and should resemble a lasting work product rather than a temporary fix (something NBLSA can roll over from year to year).



1. Objective 1 - Regularly Update the nblsa.org Website. • To date, the website is updated. As of 03/02/11, the Communications

Team has received 167 various website update requests, and I have completed over 100 web requests. I expect to receive some requests during Convention, and these will be completed between 03/14/11 and 03/20/11. In the coming weeks, I will be working with each region and a national board representative to turn over the website to reflect the new leadership. This transition period is expected to extend into the second week of May.

2. Actively Build and Monitor NBLSA’s Brand • I have drafted 18 press releases as of 03/02/11. I will assume all other

duties under this task until the end of the transition period, est. second week of May.

3. Increased NBLSA’s Presence in the Legal Community by Offering Commentary on Important Issues • The last relative release was disseminated on 02/28/11. I have drafted

and disseminated18 press releases as of 03/02/11. I will assume the duties under this task until the end of the transition period, est. second week of May.

4. Submit Effective Stories to Appropriate Editors, Reporters and Producers • I have submitted 18 press releases for publishing, 5 were published. I

will assume this task until the end of the transition period, est. second week of May.

5. Identify Media Sources that are Most Likely to Cover NBLSA • I will assume this task until the end of the transition period, est.

second week of May.



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ACTION ITEMS

NONE AT THIS TIME



1) I have worked to build and maintain relationships and contact with members of the Washington, D.C.

media for the Annual Congressional Black Caucus Weekend activities. I will turn this information over

the incoming PR Director.

2) I have directly submitted numerous PR pieces to members of the Washington, D.C. media to keep them

abreast of NBLSA’s involvement in the community.

3) I have monitored use of the current NBLSA logo on the World Wide Web, and have stressed the

importance following logo use guidelines.

4) I have worked with different members on the regional and national boards to effectively convey

NBLSA’s mission to the public by spotlighting significant events, decisions and involvement.


1) Assistance from

Communications Team with transition.

2) Full participation

from regional DOCs or communications representatives to transition website from 2010-2011 to

2011-2012 Leadership.

3) Full compliance

with the logo use guidelines on the local, regional and national levels.


• Split the social media, PR and website tasks between two board members (fellows included) Recommendation 1

• The National Director of Public Relations should focus on drafting press releases and conveying NBLSA’s mission, purpose and interests to the public and the media. He/she should also focus on managing the NBLSA brand

• Another individual (possibly the Communications Fellow) should focus on website updates and social media updates. THIS PERSON SHOULD BE WELL-VERSED IN THE NAMED METHODS OF TECHNOLOGY.



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• See pending objectives above Recommendation 2


I would like to thank the entire membership for the opportunity to serve, and want to especially thank my fellow board members for all their support. This has truly been a wonderful year for NBLSA, and I look forward to many more.

National Director of Membership

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FROM: Stacia C. Robinson, National Director of Membership



1. Recruitment: a. Tailored recruitment: advise chapter presidents on recruitment techniques according to the

type of school and recruitment based on the number of Black students in the school. b. Membership flyer: provide chapters with a tool for recruitment. c. Reactivation and Charter: work with Regional counterparts to reactivate and charter chapters.

2. Retention: a. Member of the Month: Manage a successful Member of the Month Program. This program

highlights six members (one from each region) for their implementation of the NBLSA Theme: “A Legacy of Empowerment.”

b. Personalization of the organization: ensure that members feel appreciated and connected to the National and Regional Boards

c. Discount and Benefits: secure and maintain practical and tangible discounts for members. d. Provide NBLSA Members with membership cards.

3. Chapter Relations and Support a. Program Guide: provide chapters with a clear understanding of the National and

Regional Boards’ vision for 2010-2011 b. Manage chapters’ NBLSA domain email accounts. NBLSA domain email accounts

were created to improve the way National and Regions communicate with chapter leaders; allow continuity in chapters and improve the appearance of external communications by chapters

4. Membership Registration: make online membership registration as simple and error-proof as possible.


1. Chapter Relations and Support: Worked with the National Director of Programming to launch a Chapter Grant Program in January 2011.

2. Membership Cards: This project has been postponed. See below for more information.




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1. Tailored recruitment: at the beginning of the year each chapter had a discussion about recruiting with a Director of Membership.

2. Membership flyer: created flyer and distributed to chapter leaders 3. Reactivation and Charter:

a. Ave Maria Law School (SRBLSA): chartered b. Nashville School of Law (SRBLSA): reactivated. c. Creighton University (RMBLSA): reactivated d. University of Nebraska (RMBLSA): reactivated e. University of Colorado (RMBLSA): has not completed Part 2 of the reactivation process f. University of Utah (RMBLSA): there is one interested student. However, the school

requires three students for a student organization so we cannot charter a chapter with one student at the school. We may have to explore at-large membership for this student.

g. University of South Dakota (MWBLSA): contacted student but she is still working on putting a group together.

h. University of San Diego (WRBLSA): reactivated. i. University of Arizona (WRBLSA): reactivated. j. Golden Gate University (WRBLSA): has not completed Part 2 of the reactivation

process. k. UC Irvine (WRBLSA): contacted a student but she is still putting a group together.

4. Member of the Month: Six members were chosen. I received 44 applications over the course of the program this year. These members were recognized on the website. These six members will receive a bar course from Barbri a. Sharron Williams (MABLSA) b. Debrechea Hopkins (SRBLSA) c. Dominique Saint-Fort (NEBLSA) d. Marquia Johnson (RMBLSA) e. Donesha Peak (MWBLSA) f. Elisabeth Flemming (WRBLSA)

5. Personalization of the organization: members feel comfortable reaching out to me with any issue. I also held two National Connections, organized two sets of chapter calls and organized the State of NBLSA Conference call for chapter leaders that was held on January 9, 2011.

6. Discount and Benefits: secure the following discounts: a. Kaplan PMBR b. Avis Car Rental c. National Car Rental d. Themis Bar Review e. Brooks Brothers f. Barrister Books



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g. Law Books for Less h. Jos. A Banks i. LaQuinta Inn and Suites j. Micromash Bar Review k. Dell l. Budget Car Rental m. Alamo n. Adaptibar o. HP

7. Membership cards a. Duracard was selected after requesting quotes from multiples vendors b. The proof was created. See attachment. c. This project has been postponed because of the fear of not been able to provide cards for

all members because of the technical issues with Acteva. 8. Program Guide has been distributed. 9. Chapter Grant Program was launched on January 9, 2011. Three chapters have received

grants. 10. Membership Registration: membership registration has essentially been completed since

November 1, 2010. However, students are allowed to register and pay a $15 late fee. All chapters that were active in 2009-2010 are currently active. Including reactivations and the charter we are now up to 195 law student chapters.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time


1. Verified membership status of convention attendees, travel award applicants, competitors, national board members, regional board members, chapter leaders and scholarship applicants.

2. Held multiple conference calls with regional counterparts. Assisted my regional counterparts with tasks throughout the year.

3. Created a late fee policy. 4. Created a dues collection policy. 5. Created a membership policy. 6. Managed chapter leaders One Hub Portal.



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7. Maintained chapter leaders’ roster. 8. Participated in division conference calls. 9. Participated in multiple conference calls with Acteva and tested the system multiple times before

we went live with online membership registration. I continue to communicate with Acteva. I participated in a demo for another membership registration system.

10. Hosted conference calls with Regional Directors of Membership and Regional Chairs to select Members of the Month.

11. Created chapter reactivation and charter process. 12. Answered multiple questions from members about various issues.


1. It is important that chapter leaders understand that they have a very important position within the NBLSA family. The National and Regional Boards depend on chapter leaders to pass on accurate information in a timely manner. What happens on the chapter level affects the Regional and National level more than chapters think.


1. Member of the Month Program: move the deadline for submissions to the 15th from the 20th. This would better coincide with the National semi-monthly blasts. Also, inquire about a possible sponsor for the program.

2. Membership cards should be provided for members. Unfortunately, I was unable to complete this project because of problems with Acteva. The proof has already been created and the vendor selected. Membership cards will add a nice touch of authentication to NBLSA’s membership.

3. Finding more tangible benefits for members would be easier if the Director of Corporate Relations works with the Director of Membership on this project.

4. Outsource outline membership registration to another company. Acteva did not deliver a satisfactory product.

5. The National Director of Membership should be involved in the CBC Weekend Committee so that he or she is better able to answer questions about the weekend especially since the chapter leaders retreat is a part of this weekend.

6. When pricing conventions, membership dues and the late fee should be considered. For example, the difference in rate for members and non-members should not be $5. The price for non-members should be at least $50 more than members.

7. NBLSA’s three-tier membership system should be enforced. There are too many chapters that have members that are not NBLSA members. This violates the NBLSA Constitution.

8. As we move towards chapter compliance there will be a lot of questions from chapters. A specialist or fellow should be appointed to handle chapter relations and assist the National Director of Membership during the busy membership registration period.

9. A chapter president told me that the National Board is like the Mother Ship. That being said,



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you must hold yourself to a higher standard. Being uncommitted does not help you, your colleagues or the organization. For the love of NBLSA, you must give your best to the position in which you serve.


The National Black Law Students Association has been an integral part of my law school career and I am honored to have had the opportunity to serve as the 2010-2011 National Director of Membership of this esteemed organization. My position is unique in the sense that I communicated with NBLSA members on a daily basis. I have enjoyed getting to know the members of NBLSA and it has been truly a pleasure to serve this organization and its members this year.

National Historian

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Jenerra Crenshaw, National Historian



1. Capture NBLSA events on camera throughout the year

2. Upload pictures from events to Picasa, NBLSA’s online photo album, within 48hrs after events

3. Obtain contact information of Past National Chairs

4. Co-create the Legal Pad Magazine along with the Director of Programming

5. Organize and run the Region of the Year Competition


Not Applicable.


1. Photographing NBLSA’s events- With the help of professional photographers, event coordinators, and

fellow board members, I have successfully captured all of NBLSA’s events from 2010-2011 on camera.

The final event that I will taking photos at and collecting photos from will be the 43rd annual National

Convention taking place March 9-13, 2011 in Houston, Texas.

2. Uploading photos to Picasa – I have successfully uploaded photos from all of NBLSA’s events to the

Picasa photo album which is available online at picasaweb.google.com/nblsahistory. It may take a little

more than 48hrs to upload all of the Convention photos, but I intend to have them posted in the Picasa

album no later than Friday, March 18, 2011.

3. Obtaining contact information- I was able to obtain current addresses, phone numbers, and e-mails for

most of the past National Chairs, however, I did not complete this task. An excel spreadsheet was created

with the information collected thus far.

4. Legal Pad Magazine- We successfully produced an online issue of the Legal Pad Magazine in Fall 2010.

The Spring 2011 edition of the Magazine is scheduled to be available online March 9, 2011, and available

in print at this year’s Convention. The Legal Pad Magazine can be located online at

www.nblsa.org/legalpad.

http://www.nblsa.org/legalpad�


National Historian

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5. Region of the Year Competition- I am running the Region of the Year competition for the 43rd annual

National Convention. The winner will be announced at the Gala on Saturday night.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.


1. Photographing NBLSA’s events -This year, I implemented the Program Follow-Up Form (available at

nblsa.org under the Programming tab), to help organize and keep records of photos from regional and

local chapter events. Essentially, the Form allows users to upload pictures from events along with

captions and a brief description of the event; with one copy of the completed form being sent directly to

the National Historian, and a confirmation copy being sent back to the user for their records.

2. Uploading photos to Picasa – Pictures were uploaded within 48hrs after events in an effort to keep the

album as up to date as possible.

3. Obtaining contact information- There are currently 41 past National Chairs (soon to be 42), so this was a

large task to handle. NBLSA already had contact information for some of the past National Chairs, and I

began this task by sending an e-mail requesting that the chairs update their address and phone number,

and also provide contact information for other past chairs where available. In addition, I called some of

the chairs asking them to update their information, and I searched for leads using google and Lexis’

people search.

4. Legal Pad Magazine- The National Director of Programming and I, requested articles for publication in

the Magazine largely via e-mail. We had a timeline and we tried to stick to it as much as possible by

reminding members of the dates and deadlines to submit their articles. My regional counterparts also

helped me secure photos for the Legal Pad.

5. Region of the Year Competition- The primary tasks to complete were developing the rubric, interview

questions, and securing the plaque for the winner of the competition.


None at this time. However, I would like to thank all members, on the National, Regional, and Local level,

who submitted articles and photos to be included in the Legal Pad Magazine. It could not have been a

success without you.


1. Purchase a NBLSA camera- One of my biggest problems throughout the year was capturing good

quality photos. My personal use camera was not a high quality, high resolution camera, and it was


National Historian

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difficult to capture indoor photos, as well as action shots during events where people were speaking,

shaking hands, or otherwise moving about. If purchased, this camera should be lent to incoming

Historians for use during their term, for NBLSA purposes only, and then returned to NBLSA at the

conclusion of each term.


It has been my pleasure serving as the National Historian for the 2010-2011 term. I want to thank my fellow

board members for making this a wonderful experience, and I want to thank all National Black Law Students

Association members for contributing to the success and legacy of the organization. As a graduating 3L, I can

honestly say that my experiences with NBLSA were some of the most rewarding moments of my law school

career =).

Brian Roy, National Director FDMCC

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FROM: Brian Roy, National Director FDMCC



1. Revise and format 2009-10 competition rules.

2. Update 2009-10 Regional Handbook.

3. Secure sponsorship – National Moot Court Sponsor.

4. Problem development and research:

Problem writing team compiled – May 2010

Facts done - June 2010

Research done – July 2010

District Court Opinion – August 2010

Court of Appeals Opinion – August 2010

Draft Problem – August 2010

Problem release – September 15, 2010

5. Improve caliber of brief graders/judges

Regional judge solicitation – Summer, Fall semester

Regional judge confirmation – Fall, Spring semester

National judge solicitation – Summer, Fall semester

National judge confirmation – Fall, Spring semester

6. Increase participation in competition (teams and schools)

Target is 120 teams, a 13% increase from 2009-10 competition

Ensure Deans from each school, and BLSA chapter receive information and promotional material about the 2010-11 FDMCC

7. Bi-weekly conference calls with Regional Directors and Specialists

8. Bi-weekly conference calls with National FDMCC team (Advisors and Specialists)


1. Created timeline with firm deadlines for the National FDMCC and Regional team for the entire year.

2. National Specialists have responsibility for 3 regions each in order to assist in increasing team participation goals and improving the

dissemination of information to active BLSA chapters.

3. Annual Directors meeting was held July 31, 2010 in Washington, DC.

4. Regional Directors had all briefs graded electronically (as opposed to mailing hard copies to their respective brief graders), thus



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saving a significant amount of money on postage.

5. We did not score the final round of each Regional competition and had the judges deliberate to choose a winner. This did away with the

potential of a team winning by a 5-4 vote, but still potentially losing based on overall points.

6. National finalists’ briefs were graded by the pool of the best regional brief graders, based on their demonstrated understanding of the

problem, a significant level of feedback, and a high standard of excellence. The top three Petitioner and Respondent briefs were given

to the National Advisory Committee and they ranked them one through three to choose the top brief on each side.


1. Competition rules were revised and formatted and posted on Google docs, TWEN and onehub.

2. Regional handbook was revised and formatted and sent to Regional Directors and posted on onehub.

3. Passed off potential sponsors to National Chair and Corporate Relations Director.

4. The problem was released on time on September 15, 2010. Online registration ended October 30, 2010. The brief submission deadline was

November 17, 2010, and late submissions were accepted until November 23, 2010.

5. Regional Directors set deadlines two weeks prior to their competition for receipt of their brief grade score sheets. In instances where

brief graders did return their briefs on time, we utilized the National Advisory Committee to either grade briefs or find additional

graders. Due to last minute cancellations, there was ongoing oral argument judge solicitation up until each competition.

6. 111 teams registered to compete, a 5% increase over the 2009-10 competition. Regional Directors and National Specialists solicited their

regional chapters and administration by phone calls and sending information packets to increase participation for their competition. The

following are the winners by Region:

South 1. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award

Florida Coastal School of Law • Jenna Gailliard • Shavika Ruff

2. FDMCC Best Respondent Brief Regional Award

Mississippi College School of Law • Christinia Townsend • Tujuana McGee

3. FDMCC Best Oral Advocate Regional Award

Florida Coastal School of Law • Shakiva Ruff

4. FDMCC Regional Second Runner-up Award

Mercer University School of Law • Antoine Bostic • Clayton Eichelberger

5. FDMCC Regional First Runner-up Award

LSU Paul M Hebert Law Center • Riean Norman • Eronn Putman

6. FDMCC Regional Champion Award

Faulkner University – Jones School of Law • Marian Lane • Clinton Richardson



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West 7. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award

Southwestern Law School • Shanna Moore • Maria Olaguez


UNLV William S. Boyd School of Law • Kimberly Loges • Koren Boyd


Southwestern Law School • Shanna Moore


University of California Los Angeles School of Law • Kimberlina McKinney • Phillip Hoos


University of Laverne College of Law • Rebecca Soroka • Tom Cordova-Caddes


Stanford Law School • Janine Wetzel • Caroline Jackson

Northeast

13. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award Columbia Law School

• Jason Georges • Jason Anton


University of Buffalo School of Law • Matt Musial • Anant Kishore


University of Buffalo School of Law • Corey Forster


Columbia Law School • Martine Forneret • Nany Cruz


Columbia Law School • Funmi Showole • Andrew Tutt


Boston College School of Law • Carmelia Estriplet • Philip Cheng

Mid-Atlantic

19. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award Georgetown University Law Center

• Tiffany Wright • Jason Outlaw



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20. FDMCC Best Respondent Brief Regional Award Georgetown University Law Center

• Ifeolu Hassan • Janea Sears


University of Baltimore School of Law • Latoya Francis-Williams


University of Baltimore School of Law • Janet Harrison • Latoya Francis-Williams


Georgetown University Law Center • Ifeolu Hassan • Janea Sears


Georgetown University Law Center • Tiffany Wright • Jason Outlaw

Rocky Mountain

25. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award University of Oklahoma College of Law • Leah Agers • Anita Ayisi

26. FDMCC Best Respondent Brief Regional Award The University of Texas School of Law

• Alexandria Johnson • Meagan Armstrong

27. FDMCC Best Oral Advocate Regional Award The University of Texas School of Law

• Meagan Armstrong

28. FDMCC Regional Second Runner-up Award St Mary’s University School of Law • Lynette Boggs • Natalee Marion

29. FDMCC Regional First Runner-up Award The University of Texas School of Law

• Alexandria Johnson • Meagan Armstrong


The University of Texas School of Law • Brandi Mirzakhani • Josiah Golson

Midwest

31. FDMCC Best Petitioner Brief Regional Award University of Illinois College of Law • Courtney Ofosu • Morgan Moore


Loyola University School of Law • Lauren Franklin • Joelle Wilson



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Indiana University School of Law - Indianapolis • Brandon Skates


Saint Louis University School of Law • Kirsten Staples • Courtney Logan


Ohio State University Moritz College of Law • John Saxon • Elizabeth Williamson


Cleveland Marshall College of Law • Brandon Cox • Theophilus Hudson

7. Held bi-weekly conference calls with the Regional team until December. Thereafter, we had a briefing each Sunday with the Regional

Directors before their competition.

ACTION ITEMS

1. The Regional Directors should have an active role in acquiring space for the competition and especially in solidifying the courthouse

for the final round.


1. During each competition, we were able to turn around scores within 1 ½ hours, by ensuring that we had a team dedicated to calculating,

inputting checking and double checking everything.

2. Remain flexible, flexible, and more flexible, and communicate whatever delays there may be with your competitors.


1. Secure National Sponsor early in the term, by working with National Advisory Committee.


1. Have a nominal travel allowance ($500-$1000) for National Specialists to defray some of their travel costs.

2. Either do away with competitors mailing hard copies of briefs, or reduce the amount mailed from three to one. This is especially valid

if your brief graders work off of electronic copies.

3. Continue to determine the Regional and National competition winners by the judges’ vote and not the score sheet (in the final round).


1. SRBLSA’s sponsor Campbell University Law School raised the bar for all school sponsors. The Deans and their staff went over and

beyond the call. In spite of the flight delays, they waited patiently for the national team to arrive and assisted us until 3 am ensuring



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the competition would start smoothly the next morning. Unfortunately, due to the bad weather, all seven Georgia teams dropped out

of the competition. However, there were no grievances filed and the Southern Regional Director did an excellent job in remaining

flexible by virtue of the changing number of participants up until the start of the competition.

2. The NEBLSA competitors were extremely accommodating and maintained their level of respect for the competition by remaining

flexible due to the 20+ inches of snow that hit the region. As a result of the inclement weather, we only had three judges for our

largest region (31 teams) when the competition started. Preliminary round three ended at 1:30 am Friday.

3. Overall, each of the Regional Directors and their Regional Specialists was dedicated to the success of the competition, and was a

pleasure to work with. As I travelled from region to region, we were complimented on how well the competition was run. It has been

a pleasure to serve my fellow students as the FDMCC National Director.

Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition, National Director

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Kara Akins, Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial Competition National Director



1. On time/Early release of challenging TMMTC problem

2. Adequate supply of judges on the regional and national level.

3. Improve communication and transparency between competitors and competition facilitators.

4. Streamline the registration process for schools participating in the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial

Competition.he


1. I facilitated the WRBLSA mock trial competition that took place in Las Vegas from January 19-23, 2011.

I recruited judges to judge the competition in the week preceding the start of the competition and was

the point contact person for competitors, coaches, and potential judges. As well as ensuring that each

competitor was able to get from the Bally’s hotel to the UNLV Boyd School of Law competition space

by arranging transportation with the help of my wonderful team of specialists.


1. On time/early release of a challenging TMMTC problem:

The first draft of the problem was disseminated to the review board on July 13, 2010. It was a substantial

draft that included a statement of the case, exhibits, and witness statements. The review board had until

August 1, 2010 to submit all comments, questions, concerns, and suggestions to the problem author. The

problem must be released by September 15th according to the bylaws but the 2010-2011 mock trial

problem was successfully released ahead of schedule on Monday, August 30, 2010. August 30th

also marked the beginning of the substantive question period for the problem.

2. Adequate supply of judges on the regional and national level:

Beginning in July 2010 with the creation of an online judge’s registration form for all attorneys

interested in judging moot court, mock trial, or INC, TMMTC began working with organizations

around the country to secure judges for regional competitions and the national competition.



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August 2010- Fullbright & Jowarski, Hunton & Williams, Thompson & Knight, Kelly Hart &

Hollman, National Black Prosecutors Association.

September 15, 2010- Release of Judge’s orientation Powerpoint on TWEN page.

October 2010- ABA Trial Techniques Newsletter

February 2011- U.S. Attorney’s office, Houston District Attorney’s office, Houston Legal Aid

3. Improve communication and transparency between competitors and competition facilitators:

The mock trial competitions section of the website was updated with pertinent information and

important dates, and a link to the Google group on July 9, 2010.

The rules were made available to all google group members and TWEN page members on July

16, 2010. The rules, problem, and answers to frequently asked questions were added to the

mock trial webpage under “important documents” in October.


Competition.

ACTION ITEMS

1. While $2000 is certainly a wonderful addition to the budget to cover the transportation of competition

directors from region to region, there is quite a substantial amount of financial burden associated with

paying for hotel accommodations. I think it would be nice to recognize that competition directors, with

the exception of the INC director are traveling to every single region and the amount should maybe be

increased to $3500 to cover airfare and hotel accommodations in all 6 regions.


1. On time/early release of a challenging TMMTC problem: It was very helpful to have a problem author who

from the beginning I could articulate a set of definitive deadlines to so the problem could be released the

earliest point possible.

2. Adequate Supply of regional and national judges: It really is best to begin the recruitment process in the

summer and then circle back around periodically to organizations throughout the fall. I think this was a

key aspect of successfully recruiting judges.

3. Improve Communication and transparency between competitors and competition facilitators: N/A


Competition:

SRBLSA: 23 Teams WRBLSA: 7 Teams NEBLSA: 21 Teams



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MABLSA: 10 Teams RMBLSA: 6 Teams MWBLSA: 12 Teams

SRBLSA Winners Champion: University of Mississippi School of Law First Runner-up: University of Memphis School of Law Second Runner-up: NOVA Southeastern University Law Center

WRBLSA Winners Champion: University of California Berkeley Boalt Hall School of Law First Runner-up: Seattle University School of Law Second Runner-up: University of California Los Angeles School of Law

NEBLSA Winners Champion: Harvard Law School First Runner-up: Harvard Law School Second Runner-up: Massachusetts School of Law

MABLSA Winners Champions: Georgetown University Law Center First Runner-up: University of Maryland School of Law Second runner-up: University of the District of Columbia School of Law

RMBLSA Winners Champion: Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law First Runner-up: St. Mary's School of Law Second Runner-up: Texas Wesleyan School of Law

MWBLSA Winners Champions: Chicago-Kent College of Law First Runner-up: DePaul University College of Law Second runner-up: University of Kentucky College of Law


N/A


1. There were problems with regional directors not clearly understanding what documents they would

need to successfully carry out a competition. I think this was largely due to level of familiarity many

regional directors didn’t have with the documents associated with the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial

Competition. For this reason, nationals should supply the regions with all pertinent documents for

their competitions, at a fee.

2. I would recommend that the 2011-2012 board reuse the problem author from this year.



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3. So much revenue comes from the participation of members in the competition. It is pivotal that

competition directors be consulted when convention locations are being selected


I really enjoyed this year. It w as a lot of hard work but seeing the dedication all the competitors had to bringing

their best to compete made it worth the time and effort. I joke that if I wasn’t graduating and if this position

came with a salary (Hint! Hint!), I would run again. I’m only joking about the salary though.

International Negotiations Competition Director

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FROM: Alexander Simpson, International Negotiations Competition Director



1. Objective 1 – Modify Competition Structure and Rules. Previously the competition rounds

featured four teams competing against each other. The modified competition rounds will

feature two teams competing against each other. In addition, teams will be allowed a 5 minute

break during the round which was not previously allowed.

2. Objective 2 – Host a pilot competition in the Midwest Region. Obtain a problem separate

from the one to be used at the national competition during the national convention. The winner

would receive free registration for the national convention and hotel accommodations for the

night of the competition. Non-winners of the Midwest competition will also be eligible to

compete in the national competition. However, Midwest board members cannot compete at

the regional or national competition.

3. Objective 3 –Increase participation to 20 teams. Advertising for the competition to start

during the summer with a projected date of July 12, 2010. There will be an “Early Bird”

discount for teams registering early. Registration shall open by September 13, 2010.

4. Objective 4 – Secure interesting problems for the competition. Confirm problem writer(s) by

July 8, 2010 and release the problems by February 4, 2010.


1. Not Applicable


1. Objective 1 – Completed.

2. Objective 2 – Incomplete. The competition was prepared but only one team registered for the

competition. The Midwest Director of the competition, Aisha Smith, did a great job getting

everything organized. Ms. Smith along with the Midwest Chair and the Midwest Convention

Coordinator were very supportive in our efforts. Unfortunately, there was not a lot of interest in

the competition.



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3. Objective 3 –Incomplete. There were 19 teams registered for the competition before

registration was closed. The 20th team was expected to come from the Midwest competition

winner. As a result, other schools that expressed interest were placed on a waitlist. One of the

original teams withdrew, leaving a total of 18 teams.

4. Objective 4 –Complete. The problems were drafted ahead of schedule by the competition

advisor, Mr. Kurt Davis.

ACTION ITEMS



1. Objective 1 – Reviewed the rules and structure of the ABA’s international negotiation

competition. Also communicated with the ABA’s International Division’s Liaison to NBLSA,

Riean Norman who offered advice and support.

2. Objective 2 – Appointed a Midwest Director to help coordinate the competition. Prepared

announcements to the Midwest region. Emails were sent to chapter presidents and to

convention registrants informing them about the competition.

3. Objective 3 –Opened registration on time. Fielded questions from interested NBLSA members.

Updated TWEN page and submitted necessary documents to be included in the NBLSA

programming guide. Submitted necessary information for website to be updated with

competition registration directions.

4. Objective 4 – Reviewed problems after the first draft was submitted by the author. Forwarded

problems to professors for comment.


1. Area of Support 1 –National Specialists were instrumental in every step.

2. Area of Support 2 –Communications team helped disseminate information about the

competition via the website and NBLSA blast emails.

3. Area of Support 3 – Midwest Chair very helpful in identifying and appointing regional

director of the competition and supporting the coordination of the Midwest competition.

4. Area of Support 4 – National Parliamentarian assisted with reviewing the proposed rule and

structure changes.

5. Area of Support 5—National Chair and Vice-Chair assisted with various aspects of the

competition.

6. Area of Support 6 – National Convention Coordinator assisted with scheduling the rounds of

the competition.



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1. Recommendation 1 – Open registration on time! This was the biggest difference between 8

teams being registered for last year’s competition and 18 this year


None.

National Director of Programming

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FROM: Jeree Harris, National Director of Programming



1. Objective 1 – Assist in coordinating and implementing national community service, college student division, education and career development, international relations, and alumni affairs programming

2. Objective 2- Successfully inform chapter presidents of fundraising, programming, and leadership opportunities for their chapters through the Charles Hamilton Houston Chapter President Leadership Summit

3. Objective 3- Contact panelists, coordinate, and implement National Convention panels that focus on membership empowerment and community empowerment

4. Objective 4- Co-Chair the Legal Pad Committee to produce a fall and spring Legal Pad Magazine


1. Objective 5- Develop criteria and create the NBLSA Chapter Grant Program with the



1. Objective 1 – All of the programming group’s programs are complete as of the National

Convention.

2. Objective 2 – Successfully completed the Charles Hamilton Houston Summit on September 18,

2010.

3. Objective 3- All convention speakers are confirmed.

4. Objective 4- Released the Fall Legal Pad Edition on November 30, 2010. The Spring Legal Pad

Edition is set for release March 2011.

5. Objective 5- Awarded three chapter grants under the Chapter Grant Program.

ACTION ITEMS

1. Action Item 1 – None at this time.



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1. Objective 1 – I assisted in coordinating the programming for the Joint Board Retreat in June

2010, the Cora T. Walker Breakfast at the NBA Convention in August 2010. I assisted in

coordinating Congressional Kids Day with the National Community Service Director in

September 2010. I served on the selection committee for the Haiti service trip in January 2011.

I reviewed documents for the programming team before they were submitted to

communications and I assisted in creating flyers and online registration for events.

2. Objective 2 - For the Charles Hamilton Houston Leadership Summit, I coordinated six panels

on leadership and professional development. I was responsible for creating an agenda for the

event, inviting and confirming panelists, drafting a survey and order/picking up breakfast for

all of the participants.

3. Objective 3 – I worked with the Convention Coordinator and the National Chair to develop

panel programming for the National Convention. I invited panelists and keynote speakers. I

created speaker agreements for the panelists. I developed a panel chair guide and speaker

guide to assist in preparation for the Convention, and I am currently overseeing the panel

programming at the Convention.

4. Objective 4 – I co-chaired the Legal Pad Committee with the National Historian. I developed a

Legal Pad outline and timeline. I wrote article submission solicitations. I wrote an article on

the Charles Hamilton Houston Leadership Summit and an article on Tomiko Brown-Nagin’s

new book Courage to Dissent. I worked on the Legal Pad template with the assistance of the

National Chair.

5. Objective 5 – I created the Chapter Grant Program application with the assistance of the

Director of Membership, the National Chair, the National Treasurer and the National

Programming Fellow. I reviewed and selected three chapter grant recipients as a co-chair of

the Chapter Grant Ad Hoc Committee. The following chapters were awarded grants: William

S. Boyd School of Law at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Western New England College

School of Law, and DePaul University School of Law.


1. Area of Support 1 – I would like to encourage members and officers to attend panel

programming and return feedback to me through the Convention Panel Survey distributed in

each panel.


1. Recommendation 1 – Create a Charles Hamilton Houston Leadership Committee to assist in

planning the event.

2. Recommendation 2 – Next year I would recommend appointing panel chairs for the National



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Convention panel programming earlier in the process. Panel chairs could assist in inviting

speakers as well as communicate with speakers closer to the Convention.


It has truly been an honor to serve as the National Director of Programming. I would like to thank

the National Board for being phenomenal colleagues and all of the membership for participating

and contributing in ways that have made this year incredibly successful.

National Director of College Student Division

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FROM: Robert A. Elliott II, National Director of College Student Division



1. HBCU Initiative – This initiative was geared towards establishing a CSD Chapter at every HBCU within the

United States.

2. CSD Liaison Initiative – This initiative aimed to establish a CSD Liaison at every BLSA Chapter with the

goal of reaching out to related undergraduate institutions for the purpose of garnering CSD general

membership as well as charters.

3. Mentor/Mentee Program – Program geared towards providing CSD members with BLSA mentors, if

requested.

4. Regional Law Camps – Regionally based program geared towards providing current and prospective CSD

members with information dealing with law school and the admissions process along with networking

opportunities with both BLSA members and members of the legal profession.

5. Nelson Mandela Scholarship – Two $1,000 Scholarships exclusively awarded to CSD members based on

essay contest.

6. 2nd Annual CSD Law Fair at 43rd Annual NBLSA National Convention – Law Fair geared towards exposing

CSD members to various law school admissions personnel.


1. Not Applicable.

2. Not Applicable.

3. Not Applicable.

4. Not Applicable.

5. Scholarship was upgraded to three $2,000 awards based on a CSD specific outside contribution from a

NBLSA Sponsor.

6. Law Fair was cancelled based on the existence of three separate Law Fairs in the Houston area during

this school year and advisement by applicable leadership that this would possibly affect various law

school’s admission participation. Attention was then focused on CSD specific panels slated for the 43rd

Annual NBLSA Convention.




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1. HBCU Initiative – Progress currently stands at 2 new HBCU Chapters with an additional 3 Chapters

nearing completion. Objective of at least 10 new HBCU CSD Chapters not completed.

2. CSD Liaison Initiative – Progress currently stands at 17 CSD Liaisons. 40 CSD Liaison’s goal not

completed.

3. Mentor/Mentee Program – Progress currently stands at a 71% completion rate for matching CSD

members who have requested mentees to available BLSA mentors. 50% completion rate goal completed.

4. Regional Law Camps –Progress stands at 6 Regional Law Camps. Goal of at least 6 Regional Law Camps

completed.

5. Nelson Mandela Scholarship – 17 applicants and 3 scholarship award recipients. Goal of at least 50

applicants not reached.

6. CSD Panels – Progress currently stands at 15+ CSD registrants for the 43rd Annual National Convention.

Objective of 50 CSD registrants not yet completed.

ACTION ITEMS








1. HBCU Initiative – Work started on this initiative early June 2010 with the development of an HBCU-

BLSA Proximity Chart that paired each HBCU with the BLSA Chapter geographically closest to it. This list

was then separated by BLSA Region and disseminated to all CSD regional counterparts with the task of

reaching out to the applicable chapters within their region. This communication was made through a

letter that detailed and discussed the HBCU Initiative and what was expected of each respective BLSA

chapter. From here, the Director of Programming along with myself developed an HBCU Initiative Q and

A Guide to answer recurring questions presented to various CSD regional counterparts that was displayed

on the CSD webpage. Additionally I created an online google document to track real time progress of this

initiative based on CSD regional counterpart input. Based on a general lack of support from applicable

local chapters I tasked my CSD regional counterparts to take a more direct and active approach with

communicating the needs and requirements of this initiative with local chapters. The last 60 days have

seen a significant increase in HBCU officials reaching out directly to me with questions about starting a

CSD chapter that I attribute solely to the work of my CSD regional counterparts as well as the NBLSA

CSD Fellow.

2. CSD Liaison Initiative – Work started on this initiative early June 2010 with informing CSD regional

counterparts about their roles in facilitating the success of this program which included communicating



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directly with each BLSA chapter within their respective region about the goal and purpose of this

Initiative as well as what was required to complete it. NEBLSA and WRBLSA regional counterparts were

told to give this initiative top priority based on neither having HBCU’s within their region. An editable

letter was distributed to CSD regional counterparts addressed to local chapters that introduced said local

chapters to the Initiative, its purpose and our goal. From here a CSD Liaison Q and A Guide was also

developed to address some of the questions and concerns received from local BLSA chapters about their

roles and what was expected of them and was also displayed on the CSD webpage. Additionally I created

an online google document to track real time progress of this initiative based on CSD regional

counterpart input. The Communications group also assisted by converting both the general and charter

membership applications to electronic form and providing links to such on the CSD webpage.

3. Mentor/ Mentee Program – Work started on this program early June 2010 with informing CSD regional

counterparts about their role with this program. Their roles included informing local chapters of the

existence of the program by way of letter as well as garnering support from individual members to

become BLSA mentors. From here the Communications group developed an electronic form for both

CSD members requesting a mentor and BLSA members requesting to become a mentor. Completed

applications for both were sent directly to me. From here I developed an Excel spreadsheet to track

applicants as well as pair them. Pairing was based as most as possible on common interests. Once pairing

was completely I personally introduced mentor and mentee to each other via introductory email.

4. Regional Law Camps – Work started on this program early June 2010 with informing CSD regional

counterparts about their requirement to hold at least one law camp within their region for current and

possible CSD members. This program is regionally based and operated so as National Director I assumed

an advisory/overseer role in facilitating camps. CSD regional counterparts were given wide range to

complete this task so long as the core goals of informing about the law school admissions process,

providing networking opportunities, and panel discussions on law school relevant topics were completed.

Every region completed this task save Southern region.

5. Nelson Mandela Scholarship - Work started on the Nelson Mandela Scholarship mid-September with

the development of a new scholarship application, grading rubric and essay topic. The new scholarship

application was developed in collaboration with the Communications group and subsequently converted

into an online document/ application posted on the CSD webpage. I developed a 100 point grading rubric

based on grammar, organization, focus and topic development. To help ensure an unbiased

determination of scholarship recipients I removed myself from the voting procedure and facilitated a

blind voting system with the CSD Scholarship Committee consisting of NEBLSA CSD Director, MABLSA

CSD Director, WBLSA CSD Director and the National Director of Alumni Affairs. Scholarship was released

to the public November 15-January 15.

6. CSD Panels – After it was determined that the 2nd Annual CSD Law Fair would not be feasible in July,

focus shifted to developing a series of CSD oriented panels for the 43rd National Convention. Initial

discussion between the National Chair, National Director of Programming, National Convention

Coordinator and myself started early August concerning possible areas of focus for 4 CSD Panels at

National Convention. It was ultimately decided that the panels would focus on Black Greek Letter



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Organizations and Community Empowerment, Law school from a current law student point of view,

LSAT test taking tips from a former Kaplan Prep Teacher of the year and advice about the law school

admissions process from various members of the admissions field. From here I tasked the NBLSA CSD

Fellow with starting an initial communication outreach to pre-law advisors in the Texas region about the

panels in order to garner local support and attendance. September – December was spent identifying and

securing panelists and moderators while November-February was spent making a unique push in the

Houston region for CSD general membership as well as charters.


1. None currently

2. None currently

3. Speaking to BLSA members of own local chapter about stepping up and becoming a BLSA mentor

4. None currently

5. None currently

6. None currently


1. I would recommend that my successor get started as early as possible with communication and

outreach to those HBCU’s who do not currently hold a CSD chapter. Also, outreach should be made to

the advisors of current HBCU CSD chapters to tap into their potential connections with other HBCU’s.

2. I would recommend that my successor get started as early as possible with communication to local

BLSA chapters by way of respective regional counterparts. It should be stressed that this is not a time

intensive program but more of a way of forming an actual, viable connection with related

undergraduate institutions.

3. I would recommend that my successor push this program early and possibly work with the National

Director of Community Service with making participation in this program part of the scoring rubric for

Chapter of the Year competitions.

4. Because this program is regionally based and funded I would suggest that my successor follow my lead

in allowing each CSD regional counterpart to determine the role of their respective camp(s), as long as

the core requirements are met.

5. I would recommend that my successor work with the Communications group early in fall semester with

getting information about the scholarship out to current and possible CSD members

6. I would recommend that my successor work towards bringing back the CSD law fair to the 44th National

Convention in addition to a series of panels.


I want to humbly thank the entire 2010-2011 NBLSA membership for allowing me to serve as your National

Director of the College Student Division. It has been both a challenge and an honor I will not soon forget.

Director of Alumni Affairs and Development

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2 0 1 0 - 1 1 Officer


FROM: Ruby C. Brown, Director of Alumni Affairs and Development



The goal of this year’s alumni affairs and development team is to establish an alumni network that would afford members the opportunity to network and develop meaningful relationships that would promote future success. This team falls within the Programming division, under the direction of Jeree Harris. At this stage we are focused on connecting with Alumni through networking receptions so that we will be able to use those contacts to create a solid database for future events and fundraising purposes.

1. Networking Receptions: The networking receptions will take place during each regional conference, as well as the National Convention. Additional events may be added to the agenda as we build the alumni database/network.

2. Alumni Database: The alumni database will be developed using data retrieved from the exit surveys, networking receptions, and outreach efforts.

3. Alumni News Blast: Alumni will receive a monthly newsletter beginning in October 2010.


1. The networking receptions will take place in each region, not necessarily during that region’s regional conference.

2. The alumni news blast will begin circulating in January, in an effort to promote alumni attendance during National Convention.

3. The alumni affairs and development team along with the Director of Education and Career Development, will work in conjunction with the National Bar Association to develop a mentor program.

4. The Alumni Affairs and Development Team will be responsible for writing an article for the Legal Pad Magazine.


1. September 2010: Washington, DC The first alumni reception went well. We expected a larger turnout of alumni. Our records indicate that only ten (10) alumni contacts were obtained. We used Paperless Post for invitations; however, we will consider using a different tool to send out invitations for the New York reception (EventBrite). We will send constant reminders so we will have an idea of exactly how many people we can expect.

2. November 2010: New York This reception allowed NBLSA members to interact with representatives from several firms.



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Given that the reception was hosted by a firm It was imperative that we figure out a way to limit the number of invitations because the capacity limit was strictly enforced. The reception was hosted by Skadden Arps. There were twelve (12) attorneys in attendance; however, the membership turnout was low.

3. January 2011: Raleigh The Southern Region reception was hosted during the regional convention in Raleigh, NC. The turnout during this event was a great success. There were over twenty (20) attorneys in attendance and over forty five (45) students. After the New York reception we considered changing the format of the receptions to a smaller setting and invitation pool; however, given the success of the Raleigh reception, it appears that hosting receptions in conjunction with a convention yields a greater turnout.

4. January 2011: Las Vegas The Western Region alumni reception was hosted during the regional convention in Las Vegas, NV. There were fifty three (53) people in attendance (13 attorneys).

5. March 2011: Houston The Legacy of NBLSA reception will take place during National Convention. The reception will be held at the African American Library at the Gregory School. We are inviting members and alumni an opportunity to experience and celebrate the history of NBLSA.

6. Alumni received a newsletter highlighting convention and alumni receptions.

7. The Legal Pad Article will spotlight Brian Roberts, who served as National Chair from 1992-

1993.

ACTION ITEMS

1. The National Bar Association would like to launch the mentor program. I am creating an application and will need the Communications Director to convert it into a Wufoo form.


1. The DC reception was expected to be over capacity. The venue changed from Grover Park to the Ballroom, in order to accommodate the guest. Due to the venue change we were over budget $2000.

2. Made personal calls to Chapter presidents of NBA affiliate chapters in an effort to drum up alumni support for the future alumni events.

3. The New York reception was very disappointing. One issue that we have is that members and attorneys register for the event; however, the actual turnout typically does not reflect registration numbers.

4. I have been working with the convention coordinator for the Western Region, to solidify the details for the Vegas alumni reception. I have been in contact with the past MABLSA chair in an effort to drum up alumni support as well as to serve as a liaison between myself and the NBA affiliate chapter. I have contacted the Bally’s representative to finalize the menu items for the reception.

5. College Student Division: Working with the CSD director to grade essays for the annual



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scholarship. 6. Working with Director of Education and Career Development in an effort to establish an

Alumni mentoring program with the National Bar Association. 7. Working on an article for the next Legal Pad edition.


1. Board support was needed to develop the alumni database. 2. Board support was needed to approve flyers and letters sent to alumni. 3. Board presence was needed at the receptions.


1. It was a little challenging to gauge the turnout because the registration numbers were always high, yet the turnout was not always reflective of those numbers.

2. The more successful receptions were hosted during regional conventions and CBC Weekend. It seems that it is more accommodating for members and alumni to host receptions when there are other activities going on as well.

3. It was in my agenda to develop a fall and spring newsletter. I think a newsletter will keep alumni in the loop as well as create a relationship that draw greater alumni turnout.

4. Consider designating a contact person in each region and/or city where you will host receptions. It is much easier to have someone that knows the alumni network from which you are pooling because it is likely that someone locally will have significant contacts. One avenue I did not tap into was schools. You may want to consider reaching out to the alumni affairs office at the schools located in the city in which you will host a reception.

5. For receptions that will not take place during regional conventions you may want to consider hosting a small dinner with a limited number of people.


Thank you for providing me with the opportunity to serve as the Director of Alumni Affairs and Development. There were a few challenges with reception attendance; however, overall the receptions were meaningful and successful. I look forward to attending future events as a NBLSA alum in the years to come.

National Director of Education and Career Development

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2010 - 11 Officer


FROM: Monique Brown, National Director of Education and Career Development



1. Podcasts Series- to develop a podcast that addresses topics of career development and legal education. This is an effective way to disseminate information to the members.

2. Regional Career Fairs- The regional job fairs are organized to create job opportunities for

NBLSA members in each region. Each region hosts one job fair with the exception of the Western region, which normally hosts three but only hosted two this summer. The regional job fairs create exposure for NBLSA in the legal field and target employers who are interested in diversifying their firms and organizations. The regional job fairs also create networking opportunities for NBLSA members and interview experience. Some regions also provide resume reviews and interview and attire tips.

3. E-Mentoring Program- to develop and pair members with a compatible mentors in the legal

community. 4. Scholarships- Timely administering, assessment, and notification of awardees.

5. Academic Retreats- serves to help members learn how work collectively with their peers to

get the most successful academic experience.


1. Mentoring has been changed to E-Consulting. Rather than pairing students to individuals, each month, we would conduct simultaneous calls on the career tracks (e.g., judiciary, government, firm, .etc), and current law students would could call in and get one-on-one career counseling and guidance.


1. Professional Podcasting Series- a. Six (6) podcast episodes have been recorded. The final episode, What I Wish I Would’ve

Known: A Dialogue Among Students was recorded March 1, 2011. 2. Regional Career Fairs

a. Each region conducted a job fair. A wrap-up conference call was held November 3, 2010.

3. 1st Friday’s E-Consultant Series

a. The first series was conducted December 3, 2010. There were only five attendees



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including the speaker, the NBA liaison, and me. b. The second session was held February 4, 2011.

4. NBLSA Scholarships: a. Scholarship applications for Sandy Brown Memorial, Rodney Pulliam Memorial, and

NBLSA’s Outstanding Student scholarship were made available in November, 2010. b. The scholarship deadline was December 31, 2010. c. There were a total of 46 applicants, only two of whom were ineligible because they were

not dues-paying members. i. Outstanding Student Leader Award – 7 applications

ii. Sandy Brown Award - 28 applications (there were 31 submissions but 2 of them were duplicates)

iii. Rodney Pulliam - 13 applications d. A total of nine (9) award recipients were notified of their status on February 22, 2011.

ACTION ITEMS

None at this time.


1. Professional Podcasting Series-Each month, various topics were discussed on the podcasts. The podcast supports NBLSA’s strategy regarding professional development and soft skills.

a. Aug 2010- Back to School Basics- Navigating 1L Year b. Sept 2010- Back to School Basics II- Successfully Manageing 2L & 3L Year c. Oct 2010- Interviewing What You Need to Know d. Nov 2010- Networking e. Jan. 2011- Path to Practice f. Feb. 2010- What I Wish I Would’ve Known: A Conversation Among Students

2. Regional Career Fairs- The job fairs were a huge success! Some job fairs were larger than others but each was comparable to its region. Many students were offered positions and those who were unable to secure positions were thankful for the “real world” interview experience and exposure.

a. The National Career Fair Specialist helped to oversee seven regional job fairs and assisted over 1500 students with registration and personal requests/concerns.

b. Both the Career Fair Specialist and National Director of Education and Career Development oversaw seven regional job fairs and assisted over 1500 students with registration and personal requests/concerns.

c. The Career Fair Specialist was able to assess each regional job fair coordinator’s strengths and weaknesses. This was important because some regional job fair coordinators more familiar with Symplicity than others.

Areas of Support

1. None at this time


Professional Podcasting Series/ 1st Friday’s E-Consultant Series 1. Identify potential speakers early. 2. In the future, listen to what your peers are saying to create “hot” podcast/ consulting topics. 3. Give both the Programming Director and the speaker ample time to review and prepare for the

podcast.



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4. Keep episodes below 30 minutes. Regional Career Fairs 1. One of the keys to successful career fairs is to build a relationship and camaraderie amongst the

regional job fair coordinators and the National Career Fair Specialist so that everyone can work as a team and help each other, that was when we were most successful. It’s best to do this early through conference calls and National or regional events, if possible.

2. Communication: Set guidelines and due dates for everything you request from regional job fair

coordinators. If someone does not respond by the due date, send a second notice and if you still don’t receive the requested information you should ask the National Director of Education and Career for suggestions and/or assistance. Regional Chairs should be copied on EVERY email you send a member of their regional board so that Chairs are always up to date.

3. Timing: It’s helpful to work WITH each region to create a realistic schedule that will work for

everyone. As the National Career Fair Specialist you will get calls in the middle of the work day about emergencies (and non-emergencies, too). You should expect to make a few phone calls throughout the work day and if you can’t you will have to coordinate with the National Director of Education and Career Development to help you if there is an issue the regional job fair coordinator or chair cannot handle.

4. System


: Schedule a Symplicity training conference call as early as possible, preferably at the beginning of the summer right after finals. This will have to be during a work day so it is best to try to do it before people begin summer employment because they may not be able to devote several hours to a conference call if they are at work. It is also very important that you work closely with our assigned Symplicity representative to learn the system inside and out. There will be times that you have to perform functions and the Symplicity office will be closed so you will have to know all simple functions to be as efficient as possible.

I would like to extend thank you to NBLSA’s membership for participating in the Career Development programs. I would also like to express my gratitude to Monet Jones, National Career Fair Specialist for helping to conduct wonderful regional career fairs. Despite her position being new, Monet was able to navigate her position effectively and competently, and thoroughly.

National Director of Community Service

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2010 - 11 Officer


FROM: Georgette Countee, National Director of Community Service



1. Develop community service programming initiatives related to NBLSA’s vision for the year and up to date with current issues in the African- American Community.

2. Continue to hold community service events at each national board meeting to affirm the board’s commitment to NBLSA initiatives.

3. Improve the Chapter of the Year scoring formula to address inconsistencies in the method of calculating participation.

4. Ensure that local chapters understand the Chapter of the Year scoring formula with reasonable satisfaction.

5. Obtain participation information from all chapters involved in the Chapter of the Year competition. 6. Begin the grant application process by collecting satisfactory information and documentation from

chapters participating in the Chapter of the Year competition.


1. Reworked the Chapter of the Year scoring formula completely.


1. The community service initiatives for the year 2010-2011 were developed and disbursed to the membership August 2010.

2. Community service events were available at each national board meeting. 3. Instead of using the previous year’s scoring formula, in October 2010 a new method of scoring

the Chapter of the Year competition was created. 4. The initiatives, application, and scoring rubric were released to membership in August 2010. 5. As of the final regional Chapter of the year competition, 25 of 28 participating chapters turned in

participation rosters. 6. Participation information has been received from chapters participating in the Chapter of the Year

competition to be used to apply for grants next year.



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ACTION ITEMS



1. The initiatives were developed to compliment NBLSA’s focus on Youth Empowerment and Criminal Justice Reform. Youth Empowerment initiatives included: Education| Adopt a School, Prevention| Child Wellness and Safety, and Advocacy| Stop Human Trafficking. Criminal Justice Reform initiatives included: Education| Early Intervention, Prevention| Successful Re-entry and Advocacy| Incarcerated Populations.

2. National Executive Board Service Projects: At the November board meeting we partnered with the Covenant House New York to assist with wrapping Christmas presents for the residents and painting a hallway. At the January board meeting, in conjunction with the Western Region convention attendees, we hosted an education/ advocacy event for foster children aging out of the system and we did street canvassing for a local food bank.

3. Convention Community Service: There are three events available for convention attendees: The Internet Safety Rally at University of Houston, the Backpack Buddies Project at the Houston Foodbank, and the ReStore project with Habitat for Humanity. There is room for 110 participants.

4. Chapter of the Year Scoring: The participation score was taken out of the raw score calculation and did not result in a points penalty for failure to submit participation roster. The raw score was weighted against participation percentages as well as chapter size.

5. Chapter of the Year Communications: A call for any questions or concerns about the Chapter of the Year competition procedures and scoring was placed in the November email blast. To date, no inquiries or concerns have been received.

6. Chapter of the Year participation: 28 chapters applied for the Chapter of the Year competition at the regional level. Of those 28, 25 had applications that addressed all of the application requirements. Regional winners and National competitors include: Southwestern Law School, Harvard Law School, University of Texas- Thurgood Marshall School of Law, William and Mary School of Law, Florida State School of Law, and University of Chicago School of Law.


1. Board members have been asked to assist with the convention community service projects.


1. Continue using a uniform scoring process for Chapter of the Year. 2. Use only community leaders in scoring the Chapter of the Year competition. 3. Create a better conflict policy for the Chapter of the Year competition.



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Thank you for this opportunity to serve as your 2010-2011 National Director of Community Service. I hope that you have enjoyed the service opportunities available to you and find that the initiatives this year were a benefit to your communities.

Director of International Relations

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2010 - 11 Officer


FROM: Maya Yette, Director of International Relations



1. Coordinate NBLSA’s World AIDS Day Program. 2. Coordinate NBLSA C.A.R.E.S. for Haiti Project (Alternative Winter Break Trip). 3. Coordinate general international advocacy and service initiatives. 4. Support the Black Law Students Association of Canada as well as the International Law

Student Division Chapters.


1. Objective 3, “Coordinate general international advocacy and service initiatives,” includes the following programs:

a. International Book Drive b. L.L.M. Workshops


1. I developed a World AIDS Day Program Information Sheet that was included in the 2010-2011 Program Guide. The guide provided chapters with information on World AIDS Day as well as ideas for events they could host on their individual campuses. The Program Guide went out early in the semester, giving chapters more than enough time to implement an event on, or around, December 1, 2010, World AIDS Day.

2. From January 9 - January 15, 2011, a delegation of seven NBLSA members traveled to Haiti and worked with the non-profit LAMP for Haiti, researching issues of tenancy and housing in the camps. Prior to departing, the students created the surveys to be used on the ground and put together a report on the current state of housing law in Haiti. They are currently compiling all of the data they gathered from 96 surveys conducted while in Haiti and putting it together in a comprehensive report with their prior legal research. This report, scheduled for completion by the end of March, will be used by the LAMP foundation to build a working document containing other research reports to help inform their decisions in opening a Human Rights Center in Haiti.

3. Three chapters participated in the International Book Drive, raising a total of $644.41, which was donated to the International Book Project. We did not reach our goal of raising $2,000, which



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would have allowed the library in Tengecha Village, Kenya to be named the NBLSA library. However, our contribution helped ship the books to Kenya on January 14, 2011. After being shipped through Antwerp, Belgium, the books are expected to arrive in Nairobi, Kenya on March 18, 2011.

4. I developed a Program Information Sheet for the L.L.M. Workshops that was included in the 2010-2011 Program Guide. The guide provided chapters with information on the L.L.M. degree as well as ideas for hosting events on their campuses where BLSA members could speak with L.L.M. students to learn more about the law’s global reach. Chapters were free to host the L.L.M. workshop at any time throughout the year, and are encouraged to do so even in the final months of the semester!

5. I invited both the Black Law Student’s Association of Canada and the National Unity of Black Law Students (an organization based in South Africa) to attend the 43rd National Convention. I received an invitation to attend BLSAC’S 20th National Convention in Toronto between Feb. 24 -26, 2011, but was unfortunately unable to go.

6. I attended, with our National Chair, the Society for Black Lawyers Legal Futures Conference in London, England on Nov. 6, 2010. I helped to facilitate the workshop, “Qualifications Are Not Enough: Gaining Legal Experience & Enhancing your Employability” and also sat on the panel “Human Rights & Social Justice: Why the Law Matters.”

ACTION ITEMS



1. Develop additional programming to support general international advocacy and service initiatives within NBLSA:

a. International Book Drive i. Work with the International Book Project in Kentucky to develop a unique service

opportunity for NBLSA. We collected books and raised money to help start a library in the Tengecha Village of Kenya.

ii. Develop a timeline for program during fall semester 2010. iii. Develop communications to be sent out reminding chapters to plan and host their

book drives. iv. Throughout the fall semester I remained in contact with the Director of the partner

organization to keep her updated on developments with our programming. v. Track the amount of money raised by participating chapters and work with the

Financial Secretary and National Treasurer to send in NBLSA’s contribution to the International Book Project.

b. L.L.M. Workshops



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i. This program is designed to provide members with an opportunity to learn about international legal systems from L.L.M. students on their campuses. Through informal discussions, the L.L.M. will share information with BLSA members on his or her home country’s legal system and allow members to ask questions and educate themselves about legal practice globally.

2. Establish that the NBLSA C.A.R.E.S. for Haiti Project would consist of an alternative winter break trip to Haiti to volunteer with the LAMP for Haiti Foundation.

a. Research partner organizations for the winter break trip with the help of the Directors of Programming and Community Service.

i. After speaking with representatives at each organization, select the best fit for NBLSA based on the type of work to be done, size of the group that can be accommodated, reputation of organization, and initial impressions of the organization.

b. Develop a timeline for NBLSA C.A.R.E.S. project. c. Develop a budget for trip, which was revised numerous times over semester, working with

the National Treasurer. i. Work with Treasurer to submit payments.

d. Create application for trip and work with Communications team to have it uploaded to the NBLSA website.

e. Decide on acceptance criteria and develop scoring guidelines. f. Create informational flyer about trip to be sent to membership and posted on the NBLSA

website. g. Select trip participants with Director of Programming and International Committee

representative. h. Create Liability Waiver forms for NBLSA and LAMP for Haiti. i. Work with LAMP representatives to develop curriculum for participants (they had weekly

reading assignments leading up to the trip to help them prepare). i. Create TWEN website to house all of the readings and other trip information.

j. Work with LAMP representatives to develop trip guidelines packet. k. Work with LAMP representative to solidify trip logistics (lodging, on the ground

transportation, food, translators). l. Book flights for group travel through a travel agent secured by the National Treasurer. m. Manage research assignments of students prior to the trip. n. Conduct weekly update calls with LAMP team and International Committee member

leading up to the trip. o. Field any and all questions from participants and the National Executive Board about trip

logistics. 3. Manage International NBLSA Fellow

a. Come up with projects for college student to get involved in work of NBLSA on an international scale.

i. Create informational flyers for membership encouraging them to participate in the



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International Book Drive. ii. Interview students going on the Haiti trip and create profiles on each of them to

be posted to the NBLSA website.


1. The nature of many of the International Relations programs is very hands off and there is no way to ensure that chapters implement the programs. The National Executive Board is composed of students at schools in every region and the support of the team in ensuring that, at the very least, their schools promote NBLSA’s international efforts and programming is key.

2. Throughout the year, International Relations programming will require the support of a few Board members in particular, including the National Chair, Director of Programming, Treasurer, Financial Secretary, Director of Membership and the Communications Team.


1. For programs such as World AIDS Day and the LLM Workshop which vary greatly between chapters, it may be helpful to develop an online form that chapters can fill out quickly and easily to report on their event. This will allow the Director of International Relations to keep better track of which programs chapters are implementing and how successful they are.

2. As the legal field continues to grow globally, NBLSA will need to grow its international programming and presence. This will not be possible with just a Director of International Relations, and I believe it would be helpful to create new positions to be managed by the Director of International Relations.

a. International Relations Specialist: i. The person in this position will assist the Director of International Relations in

his or her duties. This person will be able to help especially with planning the NBLSA C.A.R.E.S. trip to Haiti and coordinating the International Relations programming. Creating this position would give more responsibility and accountability to an individual as opposed to simply placing them on the International Committee.

b. Regional International Relations Representative/Liaison: i. These representatives should make up the International Committee and

facilitate programming within their regions by reaching out to individual chapters. This position would hopefully increase awareness and participation in NBLSA’s international initiatives. This position could possibly also serve to raise awareness for the International Negotiations Competition and support the Competitions Specialist as needed.

3. Establish with the Director of Membership a review process for chapters applying for international membership or affiliation. This will serve as a control measure to ensure that NBLSA continues to align itself with the best student organizations.

4. Consider working with the Director of Programming to roll over some of the programs that are



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traditionally left up to chapters to implement, such as L.L.M. Workshops, into a panel at the National Convention instead. This will allow the Director of International Relations to have more control over the program that NBLSA members attend, but will also spotlight international issues on a larger scale.


It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve as the 2010 - 2011 Director of International Relations. I have learned so much about the spirit of NBLSA and the members I have worked with. I can only hope that those of you who participated in the internationally focused programming gained something from your experience and enjoyed yourselves but, most importantly, that the service initiatives had a positive impact on the communities we touched. I would especially like to thank my International Committee member, Zephranie Buetow, who provided me with immeasurable support, and played a fundamental role in planning the NBLSA C.A.R.E.S. Haiti trip, as well as my International NBLSA Fellow, Kristen Gardner. I hope that NBLSA continues to have an international presence and that we as students are able to continue to learn about the law’s global impact and other cultures from the relationships we forge with international law students both at home and abroad.

2011 plenary national board reports

Documents

national secretary

national parliamentarian

national historian

national social action

national financial secretary

national chief of staff

atlantic regional chair

midwest regional chair