President Melvin O. Shaw hosts ISBA Board of Governors meeting in Iowa City

Iowa State Bar Association President Melvin O. Shaw, a solo practitioner in Coralville, hosted the ISBA Board of Governors meeting in Iowa City on Sept. 12-13. Welcoming members and guests on Thursday evening at ReUnion Brewery in downtown Iowa City for a social and dinner before the meeting the next morning, President Shaw held on to a surprise for guests later in the evening.

ISBA Past Presidents Jane Lorentzen, Cynthia Moser, and Bill Boyd were in attendance along with President-elect Kathy Law and Vice President Stephanie Hinz. University of Iowa College of Law Dean Kevin Washburn was right at home in Iowa City, welcoming everyone to the area. Drake University Law School Dean Roscoe Jones, Jr. addressed the group by introducing himself and sharing his vision for Drake Law's future.

After dinner. . . drum roll please. . . guests were energized by a surprise appearance by the University of Iowa pep band that performed the "Iowa Fight Song," the "I-O-W-A Cheer," and more. As fate would have it, the pep band's student manager, Nick Kamp, is the grandson of ISBA Past President Thomas Kamp. The group also divided into small groups and enjoyed a locally hosted, competitive trivia game with rounds such as "Name that song: Broadway musicals" and "American presidential history." The ISBA's own Executive Director Dwight Dinkla led the winning trivia team to victory.

On the morning of Friday, Sept. 13, the ISBA Board of Governors meeting convened with President Shaw's welcome remarks. Both Iowa law school deans provided updates to the board on trends, events, and initiatives at each school. Action items were presented for board approval. The board approved the minutes of the June meetings as well as a resolution in support of state funding for civic legal services. The ISBA's new Inclusivity Guide was proposed by the Diversity and Inclusiveness Committee and approved by the board. ISBA Assistant Executive Director Harry Shipley proposed a new membership classification for legal support staff and the board approved further strategic development on the initiative. Independence of the Judiciary Committee member and ISBA Past President Cynthia Moser proposed a paid campaign to promote judicial independence and voter education leading up to the Nov. 5 election. The board approved the paid media campaign.

Oral reports were provided to the board by Executive Director Dwight Dinkla, Legal Access Committee Chair Eric Goers, Young Lawyers Division President Mary Rose Shelley, Iowa State Bar Foundation President Gary Streit, and Ways and Means Committee Chair Alan Olson.

After lunch, board members and attendees participated in small group discussions with prompt questions including:

1. What can the ISBA do to be more appealing to attorneys who are outside private practice?
2. How can the ISBA better engage new attorneys and law students?
3. What are member resources that the ISBA does not currently provide?

The board reconvened as a full group and shared a summary of each small group discussion. An update was provided by Iowa LawPAC Co-chairs Tom Henderson and Mike Mahaffey. ISBA Legislative Counsel James Carney provided a preview to Iowa's 2025 legislative session. According to Carney, there will be more than 30 new legislators in the House and Senate with an estimated 13 lawyer-legislators.

After the board meeting adjourned, some guests planned to spend the weekend in Iowa City with colleagues, family, or friends. Before the meeting, the ISBA offered attendees access to a limited number of tickets for the Chaka Khan concert at Hancher Auditorium on Friday night and the University of Iowa football game against Troy University on Saturday afternoon.

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