HELLENICBARASSOCIATION: January 2009

Friday, January 30, 2009

ECUMENICAL HELLENISM GROUP (www.gnl.gr)

The Program “Ecumenical Hellenism” is the work of a private initiative based in Athens. Its aims are the following:
• The aid of Greeks of Diaspora.
• The promotion and aid of Hellenes abroad.
• The promotion of the national identity, language, culture and history.

The Kokkalis program at the Kennedy School of Government of Harvard University organizes lectures of great interest. (See http://www.hks.harvard.edu/kokkalis) The program also has scholarships, fellowships and other activities. Anyone can get on the mailing list and be notified of their events.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

THE NEW BLOG

Hello everyone. News and comments of interest to our members and community are welcomed. Hopefully this is a good beginning. Dimitris Ioannidis

HOW TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE HBA

HBA membership is open to all eligible attorneys of Hellenic ancestry, as well as to non-Greek phil-Hellenes, who want to become part of this dynamic and rapidly-growing network of legal professionals.

Annual Membership Dues
Regular Membership Rate: $75.00
Student Membership Rate: $50.00

Membership Form To become a member of the Hellenic Bar Association, please print and fill out HBA Membership Form (link to form) and send payment to the address below.

Annual Dues Payment Information: Checks payable to the "Hellenic Bar Association" should be mailed to: George Georgountzos, Esq., 38 Montvale Ave., Suite 327 Stoneham, MA 02180.

USEFUL LINKS

The Hellenic Bar Association of Illinois - http://www.hellenicbar.org/

HELLENIC CANADIAN LAWYERS’ ASSOCIATION - http://www.hcla.ca/

The Loyola Hellenic Bar Association is a law student chapter of the Hellenic Bar Association of lawyers. www.luc.edu/law/activities/orgs/hellenic.html

The Hellenic Law Students Association represents students enrolled at St. John's University School of Law that are of Hellenic decent. - http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/graduate/law/journals/hellenic/overview.stj

Athens Bar Association - www.dsa.gr

WHAT WE DO - MISSION OF THE ORGANIZATION

The Hellenic Bar Association (HBA) was founded in 1998 by a group of Greek American attorneys inspired by the vision of the late Theodore Bakas, a prominent Massachusetts attorney and Associate Justice of the Boston Municipal Court. Judge Bakas advocated the formation of a cohesive professional network and organization of Greek American lawyers.

The HBA fulfills this vision by identifying, unifying and promoting attorneys of Hellenic ancestry who wish to play a leadership role in their communities and their profession.Since its establishment, the HBA has grown steadily, attracting a diverse and dynamic cross-section of Greek American legal professionals from the private and public sectors. HBA members include judges, legislators, law firm partners and associates, solo practitioners, in-house corporate counsels, law students, entrepreneurs and non-profit executives.

THE HELLENIC BAR ASSOCIATION'S MISSION IS:

TO CULTIVATE PROFESSIONAL EXCELLENCE:-Foster and promote a professional network for the exchange of ideas regarding legal issues, specialties and trends-Provide mentoring programs and career networking for law students and new members of the legal profession-Recognize and promote professional excellence by honoring the individual and collective achievements of those who exemplify the high ideals of the professional and the Association-Promote relations and collaborative activities between the HBA and other legal professional organizations, the courts and the public.

PROVIDE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES:-Organize educational forums, lectures and discussions to disseminate information about new, changing or specialized areas of law-Hold regular public policy forums to encourage civic involvement, discussion and debate issues of interest to the community-(Click here to see PDF of Halki letter)-Inform the public about the contributions and achievements of attorneys and public servants of Hellenic American ancestry.

PROMOTE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT THROUGH NETWORKING:-Hold regular networking events and receptions to promote interaction, information exchange, and business development opportunities among legal professional and other community leaders.

ENCOURAGE PHILANTHROPY, COMMUNITY SERVICE & CIVIC ENGAGEMENT:-Serve the community by undertaking charitable endeavors and public service projects, and encourage active community involvement and civic engagement by Association members consistent with the ideals rooted in Hellenism.

MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear Hellenic Bar Association Member / Prospective New Member:
I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year. The newly elected Board of Directors of the Hellenic Bar Association, (“HBA”) is gearing up for what we anticipate to be two (2) years full of events and activities. We hope that the new momentum will reinvigorate the organization and get us to new levels of member participation and involvement.We anticipate promoting various events to achieve our goals, and maintain the vitality and growth of the organization.

We plan a panel presentation of lawyers from Athens, Greece, with the hope of educating our members on opportunities that may exist throughout the European Union, particularly with the major oil and gas pipelines being constructed in and around Greece. We are also considering organizing the first conference with the Athens Bar Association in Athens sometime in 2009, an event that has been discussed several times within our group.We also believe that our organization should become involved with the Hellenic American Societies of New England, the umbrella organization of all the Greek-American organizations in the New England area. In the same context, we expect to engage in dialogue with Metropolitan Methodios to see how our members can provide pro bono services to parishioners of our churches that cannot afford lawyers.

We anticipate allocating resources so that our website becomes a communication tool for our members, which will include a forum of discussion on various legal topics and a resource tool for identifying our members and their areas of practice. We also want to strengthen our ties with the local law schools and identify the Greek-American students that we hope will become members in our organization. These efforts, along with a much more diverse mentoring group, headed by attorney Peter Sutton, will help our organization be uniquely identified and cherished in our community.

On behalf of the HBA, I invite you to become a member or to renew your membership in the organization and to help us develop new activities, programs and expand our membership. If you wish to serve on event committees, host regional events for the HBA, help with membership development, or are interested in potential board or committee involvement, please contact us.

Dimitrios Ioannidis