and I are in the courtroom, we work hard to frame our case for the jury. We help the jury understand why our cli- ent deserves justice. The court of public opinion works the same way. And a name change is the logical and neces- sary next step in a larger effort to change the way we communicate our role in protecting and strengthening the civil justice system. Accordingly, in July, the Board of Gov-
ernors of MTLA by an overwhelming vote approved a motion recommend- ing to the membership that we change MTLA’s name to the “Maryland Asso- ciation for Justice.” This is an important step in our campaign to protect and strengthen the civil justice system. The name can only be changed by a
vote of the general membership that will take place on October 29, 2008, beginning at 6:00 p.m. The language of the proposed Consti- tutional change is as follows:
Changing the Name of the Association
Existing Article I of the Constitu- tion is amended as follows (new language shown in bolded italics):
Article I – Name The name of the Associa- tion shall be The Maryland Trial Lawyers Association The Maryland Association for Justice, hereinafter referred to as MAJ.
And the Constitution, By-laws and other organization documents are hereby amended, as needed, to bring such documents in confor- mity to the name change of Article I of the Constitution.
I believe we ought to have a full and
spirited debate among the membership before we make this decision. That is
Summer 2008
why there will be at least three oppor- tunities for MTLA members to hear the research, ask questions and voice their opinions. The first of those opportunities will be
via a conference call and web presenta- tion on September 4, 2008 at noon. The dial in number and access code will be sent to each member as soon as the final arrangements are complete. The second opportunity will be at an
MTLA dinner meeting on September 10, 2008 at the Tremont Grand in Baltimore; dinner starts at 6:00 p.m. The third opportunity will be on the
evening of the vote, October 29, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. The place of this meeting will be announced at least 30 days in advance thereof. I look forward to speaking with you
more about this important decision as this process moves forward, and I hope to see you at the October vote. Certainly, I invite any of our members to call or email me directly with any questions or concerns you may have. I am confident that after hearing the research and the analysis giving rise to the need for this change, you will support me and the Board of Governors in changing our name to the Maryland Association for Justice. There is one more goal I wish to dis-
cuss in this article, and that is the goal of inclusion. Although MTLA is an open and welcoming organization, the fact remains that we lack active participation by some segments of our profession. I believe that we as an organization are missing out on the intellectual and cre- ative synergy that exists when a diverse group of people meet and work together. Accordingly, I will personally chair the Diversity Committee with the goal of encouraging more people of color and women to become actively involved in our organization and develop future MTLA leaders. Friends, I believe that the opportunity
to serve others is a privilege. Yet, the Preamble to our Rules of Professional Conduct tells us that service is not only
Trial Reporter 5
a privilege for a lawyer, it is our duty. I invite you to share in that privilege and satisfy your duty. If you are not already actively involved in MTLA become involved now and help us improve the quality of our profession and protect the rights of injured Marylanders. n
About the Author
Wayne M. Willoughby is a cum laude graduate of the University of Baltimore School of Law (1986), where he held the distinction of authoring the school’s first Law Review student comment cited by the United States Supreme Court. Currently, Mr. Willoughby works at
the law firm Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Smith, LLC in Owings Mills, where he concentrates his practice on representing children who suffer from cerebral palsy and other birth injuries caused by medi- cal negligence. Gershon, Willoughby, Getz & Smith, LLC, was formed by Mr. Willoughby in 2004. Active in the legal community, Mr.
Willoughby founded the MTLA Medical Negligence Section, and has served as MTLA Legislative Chair and on numer- ous MTLA committees. Mr. Willoughby also is a long-time member of the Ethics Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City, and is a member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee of the Baltimore County Bar Association and the Council of Presidents of the American Association for Justice, among other professional organizations.
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