I’m really excited to be the new president of IAHL. I’m charged with filling some pretty big shoes. Nora Kalb Bushfield, our past president did an incredible job. I’m going to have a tough act to follow. In fact it’s going to take more than one person to fill her shoes.

I’m going to focus on the four C’s, namely connection, communication, community and collaboration. I have the support of an incredible, hard-working board and an active executive committee. Our new Vice President, Mindy Hitchcock, is moderator of our new listserv group. Our new Secretary, Ruth Rickard, is responsible for the newsletter. We have a new board member and Treasurer, Laura Parrett. She is highly qualified, with a degree in finance and accounting and corporate experience. We are enormously grateful to Joann Clark Austin, who served as our treasurer for many years, Joann has graciously agreed to “co-treasure” for a time to ensure a smooth transition. Bill van Zyverden, our founder, holds continuity for us and continues to contribute his extraordinary vision for the Alliance.

We had a great annual conference in Austin, Texas last November. Following up on the conference theme of community, we did some brainstorming on co-creating a holistic community, focusing on “What do you want from the Alliance?” This discussion generated lots of energy and excitement. Three basic needs emerged that members want the Alliance to help with. The first deals with connecting through relationships, i.e., members want a place to feed the soul, to get moral support and encouragement, and a safe place to talk about mistakes. The second desire involves our getting things accomplished, i.e., providing practice tips to each other, engaging in a holistic think-tank. The third deals with expanding our community and collaborating with other like-minded organizations. Comments included the following: “We need a choir singing, not a bunch of soloists.” “The forces that have historically countered the forces of concentrated power are under attack.” “We can’t afford the luxury of us all paddling our own canoe; we need to all paddle together.”

To address the first two requests, my goal is to publish a regular monthly electronic newsletter, to include thought pieces as well as to keep everyone informed about what’s happening. Initially, it will probably come out quarterly, but we hope to move to monthly publishing. We have established a group listserv, to facilitate on-going discussions amongst members, with newcomers who might not yet know what we’re about. And, importantly, we in current leadership positions in the Alliance hope the listserv will help keep communication open between us and the members and potential new members. The subject matter is not limited, and I envision us being able to lend each other support, share practical practice tips, and to network in other helpful ways. Members might want to use the listserv to network locally and even start local chapters.

We also seek feedback from members, and we welcome suggestions about the services provided by the Alliance. And don’t be too surprised if we ask interested members for help. The possibilities are unlimited as long we’re willing to risk being visible. Bill recently opened a board meeting with a Hopi poem that includes the following: “There is a river flowing now very fast. It is so great and swift that there are those who will be afraid. They will try to hold onto the shore. ... Know that the river has its destination. The elders say we must let go of the shore, push off into the middle of the river, keep our eyes open, and our heads above water. And I say, see who is in there with you and celebrate.”

The Alliance is jumping into the stream. Addressing the collaboration suggestion, we are part of a growing discussion on how to work synergistically with other organizations dedicated to innovative lawyering. We are beginning to discuss the possibility of holding a joint conference in the future, to facilitate our working together and to help all the members of like-minded organizations to network and just get to know each other. If you have any ideas on this issue, please do contact me at felicitypaxheart @aol.com.

The Alliance has gone through many changes during the past several years. We want to be responsive to our members. To be effective, we need to share the same vision. Let us know what your vision is for the Alliance. Like the hundredth monkey, we can create a critical mass that can transform us individually and thereby transform the practice of law collectively. Dare to jump into the middle of the river with us—and celebrate!