Having concluded the first quarterly meeting of the NAPPS
Board of Directors in Seattle, Wash. August 6, 2005, I would
like to reflect upon the activities of this association since the last
annual meeting.
It Is Not So Lonely At The Top
At the last annual meeting, when I decided to run for president, I
was given sage advise by several seasoned member of this
association to the extent of “be careful of what you ask for, if
you are elected president of this association, it gets lonely at the
top”. Well, I am pleased to say that during my short tenure as
NAPPS President it has been anything but lonely. On the
contrary, immediately following the swearing in of the officer
and directors, the new board met and voiced a collective desire
to unite and move forward in a positive way to advance the
purposes of this association. Without exception, I have
experienced nothing but support from all member of the board
of directors. A lot has been accomplished. I thank this board
for their professionalism and dedication to the members of this
association.
Communication Among Committees And Board Members
What stands out most in my mind is the level and methods of
communication between the members of the several committees,
and the board of directors. This is unlike anything that I
have experienced during my prior three years as a director of
this association. Not only has this communication been
participatory but also constructive for all involved.
The methods of communication chiefly utilized were the
Internet and conference calls. At the beginning of this term, I
suggested that the committees and the board utilize the Internet
to communicate and discuss various issue before us. At first,
there was some reluctance as it was felt by some that this was
not a secure environment to discuss important issues. Despite
this reluctance, the members of the Legislative Affairs
consisting of Andy Estin Chair, Jeff Karotkin, Chair of the EFiling/
E-Service Committee, Tony Klein, Chair of the Standards
and Best Practices Committee, the NAPPS Administrative
Office and myself, engaged in active discussions and e-mails
regarding important issues.
In early July, to further the discussions and considerations of the
Legislative Affairs Committee, a conference call was conducted
at which time the committee reached a consensus on important
topics. That conference call lasted two hours and resulted in a
recommendation that a more expansive conference call among
members of this committee, the board of directors and those
persons who had expressed an interest in participation in the
activities of the E-Filing/E-Service Committee. This conference
call was conducted on July 23 and lasted 2 hours and 40
minutes. Fifteen members throughout the country participated
in this event.
Following that, on July 28, the Board of Directors held special
meeting via another telephonic conference call at which time
important decisions were made regarding the revised NAPPS
Best Practices for Service of Process and our position on issues
to be discussed at the meeting of ABA Committee on Science
and Technology regarding the ABA Standards for Electronic
Service of Process. See discussion of these topics in this issue.
In my opinion, the decisions and recommendations of the three
committees comprising the Legislative Affairs Committee, and
the timely decisions of the NAPPS Board of Directors, would
not have been possible without the robust exchange of ideas
utilizing the Internet and the conference call mechanism. I
believe all involved felt included in the process. This is a
positive thing for this association. I anticipate and encourage
further use of these methods of communication.
Participation By NAPPS Members
In my previous message to this association, I indicated that I
would be naming NAPPS members in states that do not have
established associations as state liaisons to assist this
administration with local endeavors. I am pleased to announced
that Kristopher Nicholson of Las Vegas, Nevada, Keith J. Mc
Master of Tinley Park, Illinois and Paul G. Hughes of
Providence, Rhode Island have agreed to act in that capacity
within their states. Other dedicated members are being
consulted and will be announced.
New Committee Appointment
In my previous message, I also announced that I would be
chairing the State Associations Committee. Upon reflection, I
have come to realize that the responsibilities of this committee
are very important and are best served by someone other than
the president. Consequently, I have asked Bruce Lazarus of
New York City, our past officer, director and committee chair,
to resume the duties of this committee. Bruce has agreed with
renewed enthusiasm. I look forward toward a production year
by this committee.
2006 Annual Conference and Seminar
The next annual conference of this association will be held on
May 25 through 27, 2006 in New Orleans, LA. See the NAPPS
web site for details. This will occur on the Memorial Day
weekend. Now is this time to plan on attending our next
conference. As demonstrated at our last conference,
membership participation is essential for a vibrant organization.
Your presence and participation is earnestly requested. Please make plans now.
