by Lindsey M. Welfley

I am happy to report that our communications initiatives had a successful year in 2023 and we are heading into 2024 with this same consistency in mind. There are two main projects this year that we would like to call your attention to: the Desk Book Phase Out and Communications Survey.

Desk Book Phase Out

At their February 2023 meeting, the Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioners approved a four-stage phase-out plan for the Desk Book Directory. Phase One began in Spring 2023 by introducing a new “Rules-Only” book for new admittees. Phase Two will be this Spring and will consist of a switch to affirmative opt-in only to receive the hard copy of the Directory.

All members who received a hard copy of the Directory in 2023 will be sent an email this month with the option to opt-in. If you wish to receive a hard copy of the 2024-2025 Desk Book Directory, you must affirmatively opt-in.

The Rule Book, which is a truncated version of the Directory including only the relevant sets of rules, will be offered as an alternative if you do not respond to the opt-in email. If you have any questions about this process, I would be happy to answer your call at 208-334-4500.

Communications Survey

In 2010, we sent a Communications Survey to the membership with the intention of gaining insight into how our members obtain their information from us. We have not sent an updated version of this survey since and plan to do so this year.

We are currently developing the survey questions in conjunction with the Board of Commissioners and plan to disseminate this survey to the full membership in 2024. It is imperative that we receive a representative response to this survey for us to adequately assess the quality of our communications – please watch for that email and be sure to respond! It will only take a few minutes of your time and will be incredibly helpful to us. We look forward to hearing from you and learning how we can improve our methods of communication.

2024 Award Nominations

It is time again to gather up nominations for the various awards presented by the Idaho State Bar Board of Commissioners. Each year, the Board of Commissioners presents awards to members of the Bar who demonstrate exemplary leadership, professionalism, and commitment to the legal profession and to the public. Nominations can be submitted at any time throughout the year, but the current deadline for the 2024 awards is Friday, March 29^th.

The Distinguished Jurist, Distinguished Lawyer, Outstanding Young Lawyer, Service, and Section of the Year Awards are presented at the Idaho State Bar Annual Meeting each July. The Professionalism and Denise O’Donnell Day Pro Bono Awards are presented at the Resolution Meetings in each recipient’s judicial district in the fall.

If someone comes to mind who you would like to nominate for an award this year, please fill out the submission form online at isb.idaho.gov/Awards. All of the award descriptions are listed in this webpage as well.

Aside from the previously mentioned Communications Survey, we are continually open to receiving feedback on how we communicate with you. Your input is always welcome.