The following are highlights from the KCBA Board of Trustees meeting held on April 16, 2025, convened by KCBA President Erin Overbey.
The KCBA Board of Trustees met on April 16. President Erin Overbey called the meeting to order and welcomed all in attendance.
President Overbey briefed Trustees on upcoming events, including the Law Day event on May 1, which would provide attorneys the opportunity to connect with other members of our legal community in support of the rule of law and current issues with respect to Executive Orders. She also encouraged Trustees to attend the New Admittee Swearing-In Ceremony on April 22 and gave a brief update on the Housing Justice Project next steps, noting the ongoing work to put together an alternate approach to get the new HJP up and running.
Next, Executive Director Kathleen Jensen gave her remarks. She reported that the Awards Committee had completed their work on nominations for this year, and the slate would be presented at the May meeting for Board approval. She also reported that the FY26 Board Nominations Slate, which included Neeta Saran’s confirmation for Eastside trustee, received no petitions so the trustees were deemed elected. She also provided an update on the FY26 budget work that was in progress and said the finalized budget would be presented to the Board for final approval at their June meeting.
Treasurer Neal Black provided highlights from the March 2025 financials, noting that we were still on the same trajectory as tracked for several months. Both revenue and expenditures continued to trail slightly, but more so on expenditures. We could expect to land a balanced budget by the end of June despite having approved a deficit budget.
New Lawyers Division Chair Amanda Simantov thanked the Board members who showed up to support their Spring Soiree which raised a total of $4,760. She also reported that they were seeking applications for interested young leaders who might want to join their board. Lastly, she provided an update on the Working Dogs in the Legal System CLE and happy hour on April 24 and encouraged Board members to attend.
The Board handled a few business matters prior to going into Executive Session. First, they approved the updated proposed Bar Bulletin Editorial Guidelines, which included a new section on transparency and accountability. Then, they approved signing on to a statement of support for Susman Godfrey LLP. Lastly, they engaged in discussion on setting up a decision-making process to utilize when addressing responses to requests that need action by KCBA in between scheduled Board meetings. The revised version was to be presented to the Board for approval at their May meeting.
In Executive Session, the Board approved joinder with other bar associations pursuing remedies benefitting members of their associations. The meeting adjourned thereafter.
Jennifer Dixon is the KCBA Executive Assistant and is writing on behalf of KCBA Secretary Michelle Pham.
