The Maryland State Bar Association Board of Governors and officers met at the location, date and time indicated above. There were 34 members of the Board of Governors present including all of the officers. Guests attending the meeting include Robert R. Michael, Chair of the Unauthorized Practice of Law by Allstate Insurance Company Special Committee; Timothy E. Meredith, Chair of the Committee on Laws; Kevin J. Kelehan, Chair of the Law Links Special Committee; Carol Collins of the Citizenship Law Related Education Program; and Cleaveland D. Miller, Chair, and Walter E. Stewart, Jr., General Manager, of the Legal Mutual Liability Insurance Society. In addition, Paul Carlin, Executive Director, and key members of his staff were in attendance.

President Dick Sothoron called the meeting to order at approximately 5:45 p.m.

The Board approved the Minutes of the Board of Governors meeting of December 12, 2000.

As a housekeeping matter, before the President began his report, the Secretary made a motion to have Cornelius David Helfrich appointed Assistant Secretary since he has been nominated by the Board to be the next MSBA Secretary. The Board approved the motion.

1. Dick Sothoron gave the President's report.

a. He reviewed a letter dated December 19, 2000 to the Honorable Robert M. Bell, Chief Judge of the Court of Appeals of Maryland, concerning the position of the MSBA regarding the Council on Jury Use and Management’s report and recommendations. President Sothoron noted that many of the issues addressed by the Council were controversial in nature mirroring the positions taken in the Council’s report. He further noted that there were many less controversial recommendations on which there appeared to be a consensus. He expressed concern to Chief Judge Bell that there appeared to be minimal coordination between the Council on Jury Use and Management and the MSBA whose members are directly impacted by the recommendations contained in the report. President Sothoron expressed the hope that future studies of jury reform and other topical issues include input from the MSBA.

b. He reported on Chief Judge Robert M. Bell’s appointment of a broad based panel to study the complex and controversial issue of privacy in public access to court records. The MSBA has not been requested to provide any members of the panel but has referred the issue to the Technology Committee for consideration.

c. He called on Robert R. Michael to discuss the Allstate Insurance Company unauthorized practice of law matter. Mr. Michael advised that he had spoken to the Assistant Attorney General who was directly involved in the Allstate matter. She informed him that they were involved only to the extent of working out compromise language for Allstate’s notices to customers and not conducting any type of investigation into the unauthorized practice of law. The Attorney General’s Office views the issue of whether or not the advice rendered by Allstate involves the unauthorized practice of law to be an open and viable issue. Mr. Michael’s committee recommended that the MSBA forward this matter to the Attorney Grievance Commission. The Board approved a motion to adopt the committee’s recommendation and to refer the matter to the Attorney Grievance Commission for action against Allstate. Harry S. Johnson abstained from the vote.

d. He reviewed a letter from Glenn M. Grossman, Deputy Bar Counsel, to the publisher of the Legal Source for Baltimore advising that under the Maryland Rules of Professional Conduct, Maryland attorneys may not hold themselves out to be specialists and therefore he requested that future editions of the publication omit the term "attorney specialties" and include a term such as "practice concentrations."

e. He reviewed a letter dated December 15, 2000 from Stephen L. Freedman requesting the MSBA to establish a Pet Law Committee. The matter has been referred to the Committee on Laws. President Sothoron noted that he had called Mr. Freedman personally and spoken with him regarding the concerns as expressed in the letter.

f. He reviewed the notice of By-Law amendments pertaining to associate memberships in the MSBA of paralegals, legal assistants and law firm administrators. The amendments will be voted on by the membership at the Mid-Year Business Meeting on March 2, 2001.

g. He discussed a letter from S. Allan Adelman to David M. Tralins concerning a proposed Affiliation Agreement between the American Health Lawyers Association and the State Health Care Law Organization. The Board determined that the MSBA should support coordination between the two organizations but did not agree that an Affiliation Agreement was either necessary or appropriate. President Sothoron will send a letter to Mr. Tralins expressing the reservations about an Affiliation Agreement.

h. He discussed a letter that he received from Martha W. Barnett, President of the American Bar Association, concerning foreign legal consultants. He has referred the matter to the Section on Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar for consideration.

i. He reported that the National Conference of Chief Justices is holding its Midyear Meeting in Baltimore at this time. The MSBA is sponsoring a dinner at the Clarence Mitchell Courthouse on January 24, 2001.