Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2019 - 4

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Opening Statement

State of the Bar
is Strong
Jeffrey A. Franklin, Esquire, 2019 President

he annual Bench-Bar Conference is our association's premiere professional development
event of the year, and an exhilarating way to wrap up the first quarter of my presidency.
This year's Bench-Bar on April 17 had nearly 300 attendees, vendors and presenters.
Our Bench-Bar Committee Co-Chairs Jill Scheidt and Allen Shollenberger, all of our
presenters, our sponsors, the Bar Association staff, and the DoubleTree staff once again pulled off a
spectacular event.
With an event that large, it is fitting that this issue is filled with photographs and articles
related to Bench-Bar, including Immediate Past-President Joan E. London's municipal law update
and Kevin A. Moore's advice for "Lawyers as Employers."
Planning for next year's conference is underway. Our Bench-Bar Committee welcomes your
thoughts or offers to volunteer as a presenter or to serve on a panel at next year's conference.
But before we look ahead to 2020's event, I wanted to share my "State of the Bar" update,
which was delivered during the Bar Association's Spring Meeting. As in years past, the Spring
Meeting was held during lunch at the Bench-Bar Conference.

Executive Director Transition

4 | Berks Barrister

As President, I consider 2019 to be one of transition for our Bar Association and Law
Foundation. After 10 years of outstanding service to the Bar Association and Law Foundation,
Donald F. Smith Jr. stepped away from his full-time duties and became "Executive Director
Emeritus."
It would be grossly inaccurate to say Don has "retired." He remains an active member in our
legal community and still generously volunteers his time as a member of the Bar Association's
Investment Committee, the Berks Barrister Committee, and as a presenter at CLE seminars. Don's
achievements are many. And even as he prepared to exit the role of executive director, he worked
diligently to ensure that the transition to a new executive director would be as seamless as possible.
On December 5, Don welcomed our new executive director, Kori Walter, to the Bar
Association and Law Foundation. For the next two weeks, Don and Kori worked side-by-side,
with Don providing counsel and practical advice to prepare Kori for taking over the job full-time
on December 19.
Since becoming President, I have sought to make this transition a smooth one by being
accessible to Kori, the Board of Directors, and all of our members. Keeping the lines of
communication open hopefully will help identify areas where we can grow as a Bar Association.
I am pleased to report that during his first few months on the job, Kori has demonstrated a real
commitment to serving our members, creating an environment where all Bar staff are encouraged

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Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Berks County Bar Association The Berks Barrister Spring 2019