As we reach the mid-point of 2002, I am pleased to report that our Association is solidly in the black, with revenues up and expenses down. This is a significant improvement of our financial condition over recent years, when we were running deficits. The Budget Committee, Bar Council, Executive Director Carol Prosser and Past-Presidents Barbara Yonemura, Bruce Cline, and Emory King are to thank for this pleasant turnaround.

The Annual Bench-Bar Reception honoring Judge (Justice) of the Year Ron Robie was a success again this year, thanks in large measure to the Events Committee, chaired by Pat Hart Jorgensen. Thanks to Pat, our events have changed from loss leaders to money-makers.

The Bench-Bar Reception was restricted to Association members only. Bar Council has also voted to make the Annual Meeting (when our Distinguished Attorney Award is presented) in the fall, the Barristers' Supreme Court Luncheon in early spring, and Holiday Cheer in December members-only events.

If you were unable to attend because you were not a member, your remedy is self-help: join our Association. Our dues are reasonable, the benefits abundant, and the qualifications for membership expansive. We welcome both attorneys (private or public practitioners) and associates (a category of membership for non-attorneys working in law-related fields).

Those who did attend were able to meet with newly appointed Superior Court Judges Emily Vasquez, David Abbott, David De Alba, John Mendez, and Commissioner Matthew Gary. The very recent appointments of Jerilyn Borack, Raymond Cadei, Timothy Frawley, and Russell Hom were also recognized.

Speaking of judicial appointments, some of our members may not know that our Association has a Judiciary Committee, whose function is to evaluate and issue a report to Governor Davis on each of the candidates he submits to the JNE Commission. When I heard of this committee years ago, my initial reaction, bathed in ignorance, was to dismiss its significance. I have, over time, and through service on that committee, embraced precisely the opposite opinion. The Judiciary Committee, under the outstanding leadership of Diane Wasznicky, performs a critical public service through its detailed, impartial, and confidential investigation and interview of each candidate, and recommendation thereon. The Committee helps ensure that our superior court judges have the training, skill, and temperament to qualify them to excel in a demanding public office, while recognizing that the final selection rests with the governor.

Returning to the topic of finances, I am pleased to report a major turnaround in the fortunes of the Attorney Referral Service (ARS). The ARS (formerly the Lawyer Referral and Information Service), connects potential clients with Association attorneys. For years the potential clients found us through our good name and the yellow pages. In the past year we have advertised over cable television and required potential clients to pay their nominal consultation fee in advance. The result has been higher-quality referrals and virtually no no-shows. This translates into more income for the Association and the attorneys participating in ARS. Hats off to Chair Vince O'Brien and his ARS Committee.