Executive Director’s Page

New Year, New Steps to Improve Communication, Open Government

I am pleased to report that the results of an independent examination of the State Bar of Texas’ open government efforts were presented to the board of directors in January, and I find the overall report to be informative and instructional.

In the independent evaluation, Texas-based Weaver and Tidwell, an assurance, tax, and advisory firm, told the board what it thinks the State Bar is doing right and where we can improve.

What does this mean for you? More control over the communications you receive from the State Bar and better online access to State Bar information and details about our operations.

The board of directors hired Weaver in mid-2018 to evaluate the bar’s existing transparency efforts and processes. As part of the review, Weaver surveyed active and inactive members and the public about their perceptions of and experiences with the State Bar. Weaver’s work culminated in a report that gave an honest and unbiased evaluation of where we stand and where we need to be.

Weaver found the State Bar is in compliance with all state statutes, laws, and policies related to transparency. Additionally, survey results showed members are generally satisfied with the frequency and quality of communication from the State Bar and more members are satisfied than dissatisfied that “the overall transparency (i.e., the openness and completeness of communications) of the State Bar is appropriate for my needs.”

The State Bar Board of Directors, executive team, and all staff members are committed to improving communication that will build connections with and serve our members. To that end, State Bar staff members already are implementing 10 changes that Weaver recommended to improve our current policies and procedures.

You can read about the report, the recommended changes, and the improvements underway on page 98 in this issue. You can read Weaver’s full report online at texasbar.com/weaverreport.

It’s a new year and improvements are underway, but our commitment to serve and support the more than 103,000 active members of the State Bar of Texas remains the same. If you have additional suggestions regarding transparency or other issues, please send them to me at trey.apffel@texasbar.com.


Sincerely,

Trey Apffel
Executive Director, State Bar of Texas
Editor-in-Chief, Texas Bar Journal
(512) 427-1500
@ApffelT on Twitter

Have a question for Trey? Email it to trey.apffel@texasbar.com and he may answer it in a future column.

 

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