We anticipated good participation in our 2003-2004 member survey, but had no idea there would be so many participating. Thank you to all 550 members who took the time to read our survey and respond to the questionnaire.

The survey dealt with a number of topics, such as membership benefits, CLEs, section and committee participation, and Association goals. Your responses in each of these areas will help us as we move further into planning our upcoming, and hopefully even better, membership year.

Here is a brief summary of the responses we received. The top ten practice areas of our members are Commercial Litigation, Real Property, Employment, Estate Planning, Insurance, General Corporate, Personal Injury (Plaintiff), Family Law, Appeals, and Commercial Transactions. We have members in over 70 other practice areas. This information, combined with other basic demographic information such as gender, age and firm size reminded us once again of the diverse membership we are fortunate to serve. The information about the practice areas of our responding members has been passed on to our CLE team and they will work even harder in developing CLE programs to meet your needs and interests.

When asked to rank six of KCBA’s organization goals, our members responded as follows:

1. Promote professional excellence
2. Provide opportunities for professional growth and development
3. Strengthen the administration of justice
4. Ensure the availability of legal services for all persons
5. Demonstrate leadership in the legal community
6. Increase the public understanding of the law

KCBA will continue to provide additional opportunities, through CLEs and special forums, for all of you to increase your professional growth and development. We will continue to provide legal assistance through our Community Legal Services programs to those in our area who would otherwise be unable to access services. We will also continue our quest to ensure that our membership is provided with the tools needed to meet these goals.

Survey respondents felt professional development was achieved by attending KCBA sponsored CLEs and through participation in our sections and committees. Other benefits mentioned include: professional development, networking opportunities, social interactions, opportunity to keep current in a specific area, ability to promote important changes in the law, and as a service to the legal profession.

Section leaders have voiced opinions on enhanced ways to improve section participation and support. The CLE department, as always, is working toward offering more educational opportunities.

Don’t forget that KCBA offers individual member benefits. In addition to the reduced prices on KCBA CLEs, rental car discounts, and hotel discounts, KCBA will continue to offer a number of other discounts. You can see a complete list of these on our web site at www.kcba.org. In response to your requests on the survey, we are researching more and different benefits as they relate to credit union services, travel and travel packages, and also social events in the area.