Celebrating the CBA’s Sesquicentennial

I have been looking forward to taking the lead at the CBA, while serving successively as Secretary, Vice President and President Elect. During most of that time, Covid has been an existential challenge for an organization whose mission is to bring lawyers together. I couldn’t be prouder of the way the CBA staff scrambled into the Zoom lifeboat and kept us together remotely. I know Covid has been like a horror story script: just when you think you’re safe! The CBA has learned a lot of new ways to provide services in the last two years, which will be valuable for years to come. But, as I write this, the clouds seem to be parting. I am hoping against hope that 2022 will be a year of in-person revival and renewal at your CBA.

And what better time to chase the Covid blues than the 150^th Anniversary of our Bar Association? 
In 1788, Attorney William McMillan was on the first flat boat that landed at Yeatman’s Cove, laying the foundation for both the city and the legal community. 86 years later, in 1872, the legal community came together to create the CBA, one of the first bar associations east of the Alleghanies. They elected Alphonso Taft as the first President and adopted by-laws drafted by Nicholas Longworth. For perspective, this was seven years after the assassination of President Lincoln and 17 years before a citizen riot that burned down the Hamilton County Courthouse.

The CBA has planned a full year of celebratory programming. You can start by going to the CBA website at cincybar.org/timeline, where you will find an interactive pictorial timeline of our history. You can follow up on May 18, when former Governor Bob Taft will remember his great-great-great grandfather Alphonso, founder of the Taft legal family. Historical CLEs will be presented throughout the year. I will be hosting a series of podcasts focused on historic figures and cases. The first two (honoring Judge William McClain and the BLAC-CBA Round Table, respectively) available now at cincybar.org/podcasts.

We have transformed our Annual Meeting on June 9 into a big party focused on commemoration and celebration. Join us for dinner at the Anderson Pavilion on The Banks, overlooking the beautiful Ohio River and Roebling Bridge, stay for the presentation of our annual awards to deserving local attorneys, and stay even later for the after party with dancing and a DJ, presented by the Young Lawyers Section. And later this year, on September 22, we’ll have another fun all-member appreciation event at TQL Stadium.  

Throughout our 150 years, Bar members have been community leaders. Members like Murray Seasongood, William McClain and Bea Larsen come to mind. The CBA and Bar members were instrumental in founding and helping to found the Legal Aid Society (1908), ProKids (1981) and the Volunteer Lawyers’ Project (1982.)  

But there is still a lot of work to be done.

Recent Enquirer articles (Feb. 27 & 28) demonstrate that Cincinnati is one of the most racially segregated cities in the country. While medicine and business are becoming increasingly diverse, Black and Brown People remain substantially underrepresented in the legal profession. Groups like the BLAC – CBA Round Table are dedicated to bringing about some much-needed change. You can read about the Round Table’s ongoing 35 years of racial reconciliation at cincybar.org/roundtable35. 

Research from the American Bar Association reveals only about 20% of people who encounter legal issues have access to a lawyer. If you commit a crime, the Constitution provides a right to counsel. But if you are being evicted or foreclosed, face losing a child or are the victim of spousal abuse, there is no right to counsel. In response, the CBA is dedicating our 150^th year to issues of access to justice.

President Lincoln reminded us that lawyers have “a superior opportunity to do good.” In the vernacular of today, we have superpowers that allow us to leverage our efforts. We are expertly trained to help people through difficult times. So I encourage you to get involved in the CBA In Service Challenge, which  continues through September 2022. 

Each month features a different service opportunity. March was Volunteer Lawyers, April was Pro Bono Partners.  May is Pro Seniors. June 11 is our day of community service, , benefiting organizations including M25M, Saturday Hoops, and Keep Cincinnati Beautiful. July is Hamilton County Youth Court. August will be the Justice Bus at the Black Family Reunion and September will feature Pro Kids. You can volunteer for the current month’s featured project, or any of them. Your efforts will be recognized with a special badge of service and your name in print.  And recognition is not limited to these fine organizations. Any community service you perform counts. We’ll have kudos and prizes for our civic-minded members at the September TQL event. Just sign up at cincybar.org to give back.