Leonardo Da Vinci, (an Italian) a Renaissance painter, sculptor, engineer and inventor once said the following; “I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.”  

As his quote applies to our small association, Mr. Da Vinci was right!!  The benefit of membership in our association and that of our continued personal and professional growth lies in the participation or in the “doing”.  While there are certainly many benefits that flow simply from membership in the Italian Bar Association, such as the monthly meetings which are designed to inform and also entertain, our Association is a community through which lawyers of the surrounding counties connect with each other and with the Bench. The many benefits of connection include the obvious such as potential referral sources. The Bar Association community also fosters the continued development and preservation of the collegial and civil atmosphere which surrounds and uplifts the practice of law in the area. The relationships formed within the Italian Bar Association facilitate the practice of law and improve the administration of justice for both the lawyers and their clients. While relationship building is critically important to the practice of law, it can also be fun.  The endless smiles and laughter ever present at Association social functions demonstrates I am not alone in recognizing the importance of these relationships. Only by participation in the community of our Association can these benefits be obtained.

During my watch as President and with the tireless help of a talented and dedicated Executive Committee and Immediate Past President Clara Matteis Mager, I would like to focus on four objectives.  Three of these objectives will be the creation of standing committees, Membership, Communication and Public Service.   The responsibility of the Membership Committee will be to not only attract new members, but also to help provide value to our current members.  The Communications Committee will be charged with creating a communication vehicle which will be distributed to all members and additionally to be our voice to the public and public news outlets.  The Public Service Committee’s directive will be to identify opportunities for our Association to fulfill, what I believe, is an important commitment of our Association to the communities we serve.  As an example we could do this through pro-bono work to the Italian Community or working together with the Italian Consulate on different projects.  Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, my final objective is to emphasize what we are all about;  all things Italian.  Amid all the legal stuff we will focus on our Italian culture and heritage.  We will step back in order to better appreciate all the wonderful things that the “razza Italiana ha contribuito al mondo”.  I urge each of you to share traditions of your family or of your specific area of Italy with our membership.  You can do that by e-mailing those to me at aviviani@atamichigan.com and we will share those at each meeting.

There is a place for every member of our Association in the exchange of ideas and information. The Association is a place to teach and a place to learn.  I encourage you to become involved.  Make a point to attend a monthly meeting and don’t be afraid to suggest a topic of interest for a monthly meeting.  Share an idea, a question or even a war story.  We all encounter unique issues of law in our daily practice; take time to share with our collective colleagues something you may have learned the hard way. Share your expertise. Come to teach but also come to learn.  Our commonality is two fold, we share the law and we share the proud heritage of being Italian.

In short, become involved.  More importantly, become engaged. It will be time and effort well spent.

Anthony J. Viviani, President