I am a strong believer in civility and working together to make our community strong. I have many lofty goals for my tenure as your DBA President. One of the important things I learned from earning my MBA is how important strategic planning is especially for a nonprofit organization like the DBA. In that regard, I hope you will notice some changes initiated to make the DBA stronger. We are launching a redesigned website; a membership drive and we added new membership benefits such as free MCLE and discounts for DBA events.

While I hope to make great strides this year in leading the DBA with new goals, it is important to remember that the DBA has always provided important programs to our legal community including the First Friday Voluntary Settlement Conference Program which I have had the privilege of administering since 2009 with Judge White, Judge Chapman and Judge Klatchko. The program relies on a very dedicated panel of volunteer settlement facilitators. The DBA also runs the state bar mandated attorney client fee dispute arbitration program which is chaired by Brock McClellan. Another thing the DBA has always done is share the cost of school buses that visit the courthouse in a program led by our local Inn of Court. In 2023, we will be bringing back the Hall of Fame Awards which will be chaired by Douglas Gee and the Bird Awards will take place on June 17, 2023 chaired by Jessica DeSalva.

I encourage all of our members to get involved with the DBA in some way. You can volunteer to lead a MCLE program if you have some expertise, volunteer for the Lawyer in the Library Program, volunteer for the First Friday program or go on stage for the Bird Awards. Most importantly, you can just renew your membership, show up at DBA events and smile.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year as your DBA President. Thank you for your continued support of the DBA and I hope to see you at the next DBA event.

Lori B. Sanford
President, Desert Bar Association

I have a vision for the Desert Bar Association. It starts with our strong board of trustees, and it includes every active DBA member. Together we can bring back the days of the DBA having 300 members. The possibilities of what the DBA can do with your support this year excites me. I have been told that the close and amicable relationship between the Desert Bar and the bench is known statewide which gives me great hope that together we can revitalize and rebuild the Desert Bar to what it deserves to be and what was intended from the inception of the DBA in 1951. As the DBA mission states, “The DBA was established to maintain the honor and integrity of the profession of the law, to increase its usefulness in promoting the due administration of justice, to cultivate social activities among its members and to support and administer programs and activities consonant with such goals.” With your support, the DBA will continue to be a pillar of our local legal community The strength of the DBA rests on the strong shoulders of all the past DBA Presidents and Board of Trustees. Thank you to the current Board for encouraging me to set high goals for the DBA. I am looking forward to working with you and the Executive team of Tim Ewanyshyn, Summer Shaw and Doug Gee.

I am a strong believer in civility and working together to make our community strong. I have many lofty goals for my tenure as your DBA President. One of the important things I learned from earning my MBA is how important strategic planning is especially for a nonprofit organization like the DBA. In that regard, I hope you will notice some changes initiated to make the DBA stronger. We are launching a redesigned website; a membership drive and we added new membership benefits such as free MCLE and discounts for DBA events.

While I hope to make great strides this year in leading the DBA with new goals, it is important to remember that the DBA has always provided important programs to our legal community including the First Friday Voluntary Settlement Conference Program which I have had the privilege of administering since 2009 with Judge White, Judge Chapman and Judge Klatchko. The program relies on a very dedicated panel of volunteer settlement facilitators. The DBA also runs the state bar mandated attorney client fee dispute arbitration program which is chaired by Brock McClellan. Another thing the DBA has always done is share the cost of school buses that visit the courthouse in a program led by our local Inn of Court. In 2023, we will be bringing back the Hall of Fame Awards which will be chaired by Douglas Gee and the Bird Awards will take place on June 17, 2023 chaired by Jessica DeSalva.

I encourage all of our members to get involved with the DBA in some way. You can volunteer to lead a MCLE program if you have some expertise, volunteer for the Lawyer in the Library Program, volunteer for the First Friday program or go on stage for the Bird Awards. Most importantly, you can just renew your membership, show up at DBA events and smile.

I am looking forward to a wonderful year as your DBA President. Thank you for your continued support of the DBA and I hope to see you at the next DBA event.

Lori B. Sanford
President, Desert Bar Association