The Bar’s Biggest Bash of the Year
The Ohio Bar returns to the Statehouse for our 2023 Annual Meeting of Members. This is your opportunity to weigh in on the direction of the association and help set the bar’s public policy agenda for the year to come. The day offers members everything from CLE credit to the opportunity to connect directly with state legislators and judges during an evening reception.
Throughout the day, members will vote on amendments to the Ohio Bar Constitution, offer input on the latest batch of legislative proposals from Ohio Bar committees and sections and celebrate excellence in the legal profession with the 2023 awards presentations. Get all you need to know about the day in this preview and then...
Join us as we recognize the contributions of these Ohio attorneys to the legal profession and add them to the distinguished ranks of past award winners throughout the day.
Weigh In on 2023 Policy Proposals
As part of the annual meeting, the Ohio Bar Council of Delegates will take up the latest batch of proposals from the Board of Governors and our committees and sections as we shape the future of the association’s public policy agenda. Up for consideration this year are changes to the election for Ohio State Bar Association president-elect and four proposals from committees and sections that would update and clarify Ohio’s commercial code and laws governing trust administration.
Board of Governors Proposal
Moving the Ohio State Bar Association Election for President-Elect
The constitution of the Ohio State Bar Association provides that the position of president-elect of the Ohio State Bar Association is elected annually in order to allow the next president at least one year to work alongside the current president, so they can learn what they need to know to hit the ground running when they begin their term as president. In order to allow the president-elect to have even more time to onboard to the position, the Board of Governors is recommending a proposal to move the timing of the election for president-elect from April/May to November, with candidates declaring their intent by Jan. 31 of the year preceding term commencement.*. All members in good standing can vote on this Board of Governors proposal.
*Please note: The summary above has been corrected and updated from a previous version of the notice to say the timing of the election in the proposed amendment will be in November (with candidates declaring their intent by Jan. 31). The actual text of the amendment on which members will vote (accessible here) has not changed.
Committee and Section Proposals
Ohio Bar committees and sections have an excellent track record of improving Ohio law. Recent successes have led to the creation of a statute of repose for legal malpractice claims, a rural practice incentive program to address the access to justice gap in rural communities and the modernization of Ohio’s LLC code. This year’s committee and section proposals include:
A proposal from the Banking, Commercial and Bankruptcy Law Committee to adopt the 2022 amendments to Article 2 and 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code and to enact a new Article 12. These changes focus on digital assets, such as crypto-currencies and non-fungible tokens (NFTs), updating the existing code where appropriate to adapt to the onset of these new types of property and enacting a new article to define and regulate these assets.
Two proposals from the Real Property Section. One would update and clarify the requirements for recording a memorandum of trust. The other would amend Ohio Revised Code sections 4123.76, 4123.78, 4141.23, 5719.04, 5739.13, 5747.13, 5749.07 and 3123.67 to make it mandatory that certain liens filed with county recorders include the last known address of the lien debtor(s).
A proposal from the Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law Section to clarify that an Ohio trustee does not have an affirmative duty to move the situs of a trust’s administration to a location outside of Ohio.
While only members of the Council of Delegates can vote on committee and section proposals, all members are invited to take part in the discussion. If approved by the council, the Ohio Bar will advocate for these law changes before the General Assembly.
