Bar and Bench Conference 2007
The CAVC Bar Association, in conjunction with the Court, held the first biennial Bar and Bench Conference on April 29-30, 2007. The program began with an evening icebreaker reception followed by dinner and remarks by the Chief Judge, the Clerk of the Court and Ms. Glenda Herl, Bar Association President. On Monday morning, the attendees engaged in a lively discussion regarding the Court's proposed rule change to establish a Joint Appendix as the Record on Appeal. Following lunch and an informative joint presentation by Kenneth Carpenter, a private practitioner and Randy Campbell from the Veterans Affairs General Counsel's Office to amend the Rules of Practice to permit summary disposition by the Court, the program focused on practitioners' concerns regarding the briefing conference practice currently utilized by the Court. Attendees offered ideas and suggestions for improving the process, and by all accounts, the event involved a very frank and helpful dialogue between the Court and its Bar that will likely result in change and improvement.
Attendance at the Conference was expressly limited for the purpose of encouraging dialogue and ensuring an intimate atmosphere to foster open discussion. The Court was represented by Judges, the Clerk of the Court and Court employees. Other attendees included: Mr. James Terry, Chairman of the Board of Veterans' Appeals, Mr. Paul Hutter, Executive in Charge of the Veterans Affairs General Counsel's Office, Veteran Affairs employees, employees of Veteran's Service Organizations and members of the Appellant's Bar. More information can be found on the Bar Association's Website at www.cavcbar.net.
