THE JOHNSON COUNTY FAMILY LAW

AMERICAN INN OF COURT

____________________________________

INN AND PROGRAM STRUCTURE 

Charter No. 452

I.D. 30466

Established March 7, 2013

Submitted:  9/30/14

Prefatory Statement: 

The Johnson County Family Law American Inn of Court is a family law specialty Inn chartered on March 7, 2013, and located in the City of Olathe, Johnson County, Kansas.  The Inn's ID number is 30466 and the Inn's Charter number is 452.

 Mission:

 The Mission of the Johnson County Family Law American Inn of Court is to in all respects elevate and enhance the practice of family law in Johnson County, Kansas, and surrounding jurisdictions.  The objectives of this Inn, as set forth in Article I of the Inn's Charter, are as follows:

             1.    To establish a society of judges, lawyers, legal educators, law students and others, to promote excellence in legal advocacy in accordance with the Professional Creed of the American Inns of Court;

             2.    To foster greater understanding and appreciation for the adversary system of dispute resolution in American law, with particular emphasis on ethics, civility, professionalism and legal skills;

             3.    To provide significant educational experiences that will improve and enhance the abilities of lawyers as counselors and advocates and of judges as adjudicators and judicial administrators;

             4.    To promote interaction and collegiality among all legal professionals in order to minimize misapprehensions, misconceptions and failure of communication that obstruct the effective practice of law;

             5.    To facilitate the development of law students, recent law school graduates, and less experienced lawyers as skilled participants in the American court system;

             6.    To preserve and transmit ethical values from one generation of legal professionals to the next; and

             7.    To build upon the genius and strengths of the common law and the English Inns of Court and to renew and inspire joy and zest in the legal advocacy as a service worthy of constant effort and learning.

 Membership:

   In accordance with the Inn Bylaws, membership in the Inn is open to sitting District Court Judges and practicing attorneys who devote a substantial portion of their practices directly or indirectly to family law matters.  Masters of the Bench must be Judges, or attorneys with at least 20 years of practice experience.  Barristers must be attorneys with at least 10 years of practice experience, and Associates must be attorneys with fewer than 10 years of practice experience.  As indicated, at this time, Inn membership does not include any Law Professors or students.

   Masters of the Bench are nominated and selected by the Executive Committee, Barristers are nominated by the Inn Masters, subject to approval of the Executive Committee, and Associates are nominated by any Master or Barrister, subject to approval of the Executive Committee.   All membership invitations are extended by the Executive Committee.

 General Organization:

   The Johnson County Family Law American Inn of Court comprises Johnson County, Kansas, District Court Judges and practicing family law attorneys in Johnson County and surrounding jurisdictions.  As of the date of this submission, the Inn includes seventy-seven (77) members as follows:

       -  8 District Court Judges

       -  9 Masters of the Bench (non-judge Bencher)

       -  16 Barristers

       -  37 Associates

       -  1 emeritus

       -  6 alumnus

 Pupilage Teams:

   The Inn is organized by pupilage teams, each of which is led by a District Court Judge as Team Leader, with one Master and two Barristers assigned to each team.  The teams generally include five or six Associates.  The pupilage teams are reconstituted in July of each Inn year, with the aim of, over time, allowing each member to team with as many other members as possible.  Members-at-Large have no specific team assignment nor responsibilities.  The Inn does not at this time include law professors or student members. 

 Executive Committee:

   The Executive Committee comprises the Officers (President, Counselor/Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) and the various Committee Chairs.  The Executive Committee, along with the Masters as a group, is the primary governing element of the Inn.

 Committees:

 All Inn members, except Members-at-Large, are expected to participate on one or more committees, which committees include the following standing committees: 

  • Achieving Excellence/Liaison/Reporting

  • Social

  • Membership/Outreach

  • Program

  • Budget

  • Web

  • Meetings 

    In addition to the standing committees, the Inn from time to time forms special committees, which are tasked with specific limited missions.  At this time, the Inn has one such committee, the Student Art Project Committee.  The Student Art Project Committee is tasked with designing and sponsoring an art contest in cooperation with local elementary schools, with the ultimate goal of displaying student art projects in the Johnson County Court Services offices.

    Each committee is chaired by a member of the Executive Committee, and all Inn Masters and Barristers, District Court Judges excluded, are appointed by the Executive Committee to one or more committees.  Inn Associates are encouraged to volunteer to serve on one or more committees. The exception to this protocol is the Program Committee, which is coterminous with the Executive Committee. 

    Meetings:

     The Inn meetings are as follows:

                 1.         Executive Committee Retreat.  In July of each year, the Executive Committee meets for an extended retreat to formulate policies and address relevant issues for the upcoming Inn year.  At the annual retreat, the Executive Committee establishes pupilage teams, each of which includes one Judge, one non-judge Master, two Barristers, and five or six Associates.  The Executive Committee also establishes the various committees for the coming year and assigns all non-judge Masters and Barristers to one or more committees.  In addition, the Executive Committee at that time determines a program theme for the coming Inn year and assigns specific interrelated program topics to each newly-formed pupilage team. 

                2.         New Member Orientation.  In August of each year, the Inn convenes a New Member Orientation, which is a mandatory meeting for all new members, and which all Officers and Committee chairs are expected to attend. 

                3.         Regular Meetings.  The Inn establishes a schedule of six regular Inn business meetings, three of which are scheduled prior to the end of the calendar year, and three of which are scheduled in the first few months of the new calendar year.  Each meeting includes a social hour, dinner, and one or more professional development program presentations. 

                4.         Social Meeting/Event.  In addition to the six regular Inn business meetings, the Inn schedules one or more social meetings/events typically in December, May and/or June. 

                5.         Pupilage Team Meetings.  Each individual pupilage team is expected to meet separately as appropriate during the Inn year, with the understanding that, even though they are encouraged to meet more frequently, at a minimum, the pupilage teams will meet in calendar months when there are no regularly scheduled Inn meetings.  Such pupilage team meetings should take place, at a minimum, in August or September, December, and March. 

                6.         Committee Meetings.  The Executive Committee meets monthly, typically the week prior to each regular Inn business meeting and in other months as needed.  Other Committees are expected to meet as needed and as scheduled by the Committee Chair.

     Program Development:

       The Inn program theme and specific topics are developed by the Executive Committee in July of each year, and specific program topics are assigned to the various pupilage teams at that time.  Once program topics have been assigned, the pupilage teams are encouraged to immediately begin developing their specific program modules, with the understanding that each of the six regular Inn meetings (not including social meetings/events) will include at least one (1) hour of CLE-qualified instruction.  The pupilage teams are expected to actively involve all members of the team, and the teams are encouraged to develop program modules that are entertaining as well as informative. 

       Typically, Inn program modules are presented in formats that combine scripted skit performances, supplemented by audio-visual aids, written materials, and necessary lecture instruction.  In all cases, interaction and question/answer sessions with the audience members are encouraged.  Pupilage teams are expected to make their program materials and resources available to the membership at large in advance of the Inn meeting at which the program is to be presented.  A schedule of Inn meetings and program topics for the Inn year is included on the website.

     

    Respectfully Submitted, 

    The Johnson County Family Law

    American Inn of Court

    Executive Committee