Page 4 - MayJune25 Report

President’s Brief
President’s Brief
Answering “the Question”
and Why It Matters
By Alan H. Abes
I’ve been binging one of my favorite classic TV shows, The West
Wing. A new audiobook about the show got me in the mood
to watch again. In the episode called Gone Quiet, there’s a
storyline in which President Bartlet’s presumptive opponent in
the upcoming election “got the question.” The question is, “Why
do you want to be President?” The candidate fumbled through
a confused answer to what should have been a softball. Bartlet’s
team gloated until realizing they had not prepared to hit that one
out of the park either.
This episode happened to play while I was thinking about how
to introduce my far less grand (but real-life) presidency to you.
The show reinforced that answering “the question” with purpose
is critical to what we can accomplish together in the upcoming
year, as Faith Whittaker passes the relay baton my way.
As much as anything, I am excited for the opportunity to pay
it forward. Stated simply, one of our goals is that you get what
you want from the CBA. Whether directly or a few steps down
the road, the CBA opened so many doors in my own career. My
first service opportunity? Coaching in YLS’ high school mock
trial program. My first professional leadership position? Chair
of the Local Government Law Committee. My first immersive
leadership experience? The CALL program. The gateways to just
about every service opportunity I’ve had in the last 25 years, either
directly or from one relationship that led to another (and another,
and another)? The Community Service Committee and CALL.
There’s not nearly enough space on the page for every concrete
example. My favorite is that after our son Harrison was born with
Down syndrome, I plugged into the developmental disability lead-
ership community through a lawyer I knew best from CALL. That
relationship led to more than a decade of personally meaningful
work and counting. Nor is there space to describe each time liti-
gating a dispute went more smoothly than it might have because
counsel and I met at the CBA or knew of each other’s bar work.
I get what I want here. We want the same for all members.
We will work toward this goal by maximizing the CBA’s
greatest and most enduring strengths — relationships and
engagement. There is no better place in our community to form
relationships with lawyers from diverse practice areas, employ-
ment settings, and personal backgrounds. These relationships
benefit our practices through knowledge gained and barriers
broken and benefit our lives through friendship and service. There
is no better place for lawyers to work together for the benefit of the
broader community. Refining our service efforts will be a focus
this year.
And there is no better place for lawyers to convene when we
have important issues to discuss. Our profession does not lack for
such issues in 2025. We will address important issues, as always,
in accordance with our longstanding mission: to promote profes-
sional excellence, foster justice, serve our members, and educate
the public.
This is a unique organization on the local level. We mentor
here and are mentored here. We speak here and listen here. We
get careers off the ground and then bring a wealth of experience
and knowledge to bear for others. When I “get the question,” the
short answer will be that we must take good care of the one place
this happens, for the benefit of ourselves, the practice of law, and
the community at large.
Please do reach out to discuss what you want from the CBA.
I look forward to our collaboration.
Alan Abes is a partner at Dinsmore and the 2025-2026 CBA president.
4 THE REPORT | May/June 2025 | CincyBar.org