Something for Everyone

• Author: Candace B. Peeples
• Pages: 3-3

WINTER 2022 3

from the chair

By Candace B. Peeples

Something for Everyone

CANDACE B. (CANDI) PEEPLES (candi@peepleslaw.com)

is Chair of the ABA Family Law Se ction and partner with and

owner of Peeples Law, a bo utique-styled practice f ocused in

family law in Birmingham, Alabama.

One of the best things I have learned over m y

twenty-p lus years of involvement with the ABA

Family Law Section is th at we truly have

something for ever yone. There are so many

amazing ways to get value from you r member-

ship. At no time was this more evid ent as when many of us

traveled to Orlando for our “magi cal return” to in-person

meetings for the r st time in two years at our spect acular Fall

Conference at Walt Disney Wo rld. Happiness and joy abound-

ed, and we were able to sp end an amazing time with so

many friends, old an d new. We can’t wait to be able to do it

again in the spring! Mark your c alendars now for our Spring

Conference in New Orle ans April 20–23, 2022.

Among the many things we c elebrated at the Fall Confer-

ence were the many progra ms and achievements made pos sible

due to the generous do nations to our ABA Family Law Section

Charitable Fund. Thi s year, we launched our rst-ever “Hourly

Billing Fundraising Campaig n.” We ask each of you to consider

making a tax-de ductible donation in the monet ary equivalent

of one billable hour to supp ort the amazing work of our

Charitable Fund. Each g ift will advance our mission to enhan ce

diversity and in clusion in the profession, promo te access to

justice, suppor t public service projec ts and educational endeav-

ors, and recognize ou tstanding family lawyer s helping people

when they need it the m ost. Your tax-deductible do nation

supports ma ny critical Section programs and in itiatives,

including: (1) Our Fellowship Program. The Fellowships allow

talented attorn eys to become deeply involved in the S ection by

providing mentors hip opportunities and travel fund s to attend

meetings and prog rams. It is open to all family law attorne ys

who demonstrate  nancial need and meet diversit y criteria or

who work in legal ser vices or nonprot legal organizati ons

whose work center s around providing free or low-co st family

legal service s to individuals in traditionally unders erved, diverse

communities; (2) Law Stude nt Scholarships. The annual Howard

C. Schwab Essay Co ntest stimulates curiosity a nd investigation

into the eld of family law. All law stud ents are encouraged to

enter, and the charitable fun d supports scholarshi ps for these

deserving s tudent winners; (3) Service Projects. Section

members imple ment local service projec ts during two CLE

conferences each year. Each ser vice project allows the Sec tion to

give back to the communitie s and worthy charities that provide

services to familie s and children in the cities we visit during our

conference. In additio n, gifts to the Charitable Fund are u sed to

donate to organizations in th e cities where the Section hos ts its

Fall and Spring Conference s; (4) Pro Bono Service. Each year the

Section honor s an attorney with the Jean Crowe Pro Bon o

Award for demonstratin g outstanding and sust ained achieve-

ments by offerin g services on a pro bono basis , or who pro-

motes organizations th at provide legal services to low -income

and/or underrep resented populations; and (5) S ervice and

Commitment to the Sec tion. The annual Allen Gary Palmer

Excellence in Ser vice and Commitment Award is conferred u pon

a second-year Fe llow or former Fellow who has shown unwav-

ering commitment to the S ection and advancing its prog rams.

We are on our way of meeting our go al for this fundraising

campaign this year, but we still have a way to g o. If you haven’t

had the chance to make your donatio n, I ask you please consider

taking a moment to make your do nation of “one billable hour”

now at https://w ww.justgiving.com/campaign/abafamilylaw.

While we are thrilled to be bac k to meeting in-person,

there are some asp ects of our virtual world that we ho pe to

continue and rene so we c an bring more great content to

each of you throughout the y ear. With this in mind, the Family

Law Section is p roud to announce that on February 4 , 2022,

we will be having our rs t-ever Family Law Paralegal E-learn-

ing Symposium. This w ill be a full-day virtual seminar for

family law paralegals, le gal assistants, and supp ort staff

members focu sing on elevating practical paralegal s kills for

your practice. This i s a “one-of-a- kind” program offering

top-tier, practical con tent specic to the family law practice.

The faculty pres enters include prominent family law yers from

our Section who u tilize various types of support s taff in their

everyday law prac tices. The attendee material s will focus on

forms, checklis ts, and other practical tool s that your staff can

bring back to your ofc e immediately. Highlights include

Discovery Strategie s, Preparing Financial Afdavits , How to

Prepare for a Hearing, Stra tegies for Finding Hidden Dissipat-

ed Assets , and Time Management Tips and Stra tegies. This

one-day pro gram will take place on Zoom, but all sessions w ill

be recorded and availabl e for purchase to re-watch or view at

a later time. For more inform ation and to register your staff,

please visit https://ambar.org/paralegal.

I invite you to take full advantage o f the programs and

benets of your Se ction membership. Feel fre e to reach out to

me personally at c andi@peepleslaw.com, and I will be happ y

to help guide you in wherever yo ur passion leads you. fa

Published in Family Advocate, Volume 44, Number 3, Winter 2022. © 2022 by the American Bar Association. Reproduced with permission. All rights reserved. This information or any portion thereof

may not be copied or disseminated in any form or by any means or stored in an electronic database or retrieval system without the express written consent of the American Bar Association.