Montana Lawyer June/July 2025

Endnotes 1

on the State of the Bar and presented on First Amendment issues and mandatory bar associations at CLE & Ski in January. In April, I joined a panel on the role of lawyers in society at the Western States Bar Conference, and John Mudd and I co-presented on the history and future of at torney regulation at the Bench & Bar CLE in April. In addition to focusing on legislative priorities, we also attended to the Bar’s regular business. For the Bar President, this includes attending conferences, participat ing in meetings of the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees, liasing with various commissions and organiza tions, and fulfilling the Executive Committee’s oversight obligations vis-à-vis the Executive Director. Early in my term, I interviewed every committee chair to understand their goals and identify leadership gaps. I have prioritized recruiting new volunteers to committees and sections. Along the way, I have had the privilege of working with Montanans who cherish our state and are deeply commit ted to the rule of law. I share this information with you in the hope that those of you who may be considering State Bar leadership will gain a clearer picture of the role of Bar President and how you can make a difference. I would like to thank the mem bers of the Executive Committee, our Executive Director, John Mudd, our lobbyist, Bruce Spencer, and Eli Patten, without whom we could not have navigated the legislative session as effectively as we did.

1864 Battle Gave Rise to ‘Hold the Fort,’ Desert News (April 5, 1998), accessed at https://www.deseret. com/1998/4/5/19372910/1864-battle-gave-rise-to-hold-the fort/. 2 The Daily Montanan article regarding this letter can be found here: https://dailymontanan.com/2024/12/30/ state-senators-call-on-state-bar-of-montana-to-apologize for-members-comments-at-training-session/. 3 Keller v. State Bar of California , 496 U.S. 1 (1990). 4 The Daily Montanan article summarizing my testimony can be found here: https://dailymontanan. com/2025/01/07/montana-state-bar-president-testifies before-senate-judiciary-committee/. 5 This article can be found here: https://dailymon tanan.com/2025/04/10/from-vigilantes-to-judges-what-mon tanas-past-teaches-us-about-justice-today/. The views expressed in this President’s Message are those of the State Bar President. They do not necessarily reflect the views of all State Bar members and are not an official position of the State Bar itself.

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APRIL-MAY 2025

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