How to... Become a Leader Basic Leadership Information
There are several pathways to leadership within the RPTE Sec on. All begin with a willingness to par cipate...in a commi ee project (a end a mee ng, par cipate in a conference call, assist in preparing a comment le er), CLE program (speaker or moderator), publica on (author or editor), the Fellows Program (for young lawyers)… Once you have volunteered, become familiar with the Sec on’s work, and go en to know other Sec on members, you may want to take on a leadership posi on. Outlined below are the various leadership posi ons to which volunteers are appointed or elected each year. The Sec on chair-elect, with assistance from the Division vice chairs, is responsible for making over 300 leadership appointments each year. The chair-elect is always looking for new members to become involved in leadership... Substantive Groups and Committees
SubstanƟve Groups and CommiƩees address emerging legal issues and provide the bar, legislatures, and Sec on members with current informa on and educa on. All groups and commi ees are listed on the Sec on’s website, and membership is open to all Sec on members. Once you have joined a commi ee, become ac ve: 
A end in-person Sec on mee ngs 
Introduce yourself to the commi ee chair 
Volunteer to speak at, and a end, regularly scheduled conference calls 
Volunteer to work on dra ing projects to provide comments on proposed regula ons 
Volunteer to dra an ar cle for a Sec on publica on 
Volunteer to serve as a moderator or speaker for a CLE program Once you have become ac ve within the commi ee, let the commi ee chair know you are interested in progressing to leadership and volunteer to become a commi ee vice-chair. Contact the appropriate Sec on vice-chair to express your interest: 
TE Division Vice-Chair: Gideon Rothschild ([email protected]) 
RP Division Vice-Chair: Rob Krapf ([email protected]) If you do not already know these Sec on Oﬃcers, make a point of mee ng them while you are a ending a live mee ng. How to... Become a Leader Involvement with Publications
PublicaƟons – RPTE publishes a wealth of prac ce informa on in three periodicals and a full array of books. We are always looking for authors and editors. Sec on publica ons are a great way for members to get involved – either by wri ng or becoming an editor. Contact an editor and oﬀer to become involved. 
Editor, Probate & Property magazine: Ed Brading ([email protected]) 
Editor, Real Property, Trust and Estate Law Journal: Al Arpad ([email protected]) 
Editor, The RPTE eReport: Rob Steele (steele@wha .com) 
Editor, media/book products: Candace Cunningham ([email protected]) Standing Committees
Standing CommiƩees are the administra ve commi ees of the Sec on. These commi ees oversee RPTE publishing, communica ons, CLE, Sec on planning, sponsorship, diversity, governmental submissions and membership ini a ves. Standing commi ee membership is by appointment only and appointments are generally given to members already ac ve in RPTE ac vi es who have demonstrated a willingness to dedicate volunteer me to advance the missions of the Sec on. If you want to be appointed to a standing commi ee, volunteer once you have: 
Become ac ve in a group or commi ee and serve in a leadership posi on 
Provided editorial assistance to a publica on 
Organized educa onal programs 
Contacted a standing commi ee chair and expressed an interest in the work of the commi ee Standing commi ee chairs and members are listed on the website, or contact: 
Chair-Elect: Susan Talley ([email protected]) 
TE Division Vice-Chair: Gideon Rothschild ([email protected]) 
RP Division Vice-Chair: Rob Krapf ([email protected]) Section Liaisons
Liaisons are appointed to organiza ons with which the Sec on has an aﬃnity in interests and/or projects. The chair-elect iden fies the most suitable person to represent the Sec on as the liaison to these organiza ons. How to... Become a Leader Elected Positions
In addi on to the previously described appointed leadership posi ons, the following governance posi ons are elected every year: 
Sec on Chair 
Sec on Chair-Elect 
Sec on Vice-Chair – Trust and Estate 
Sec on Vice-Chair – Real Property 
Sec on Finance and Sponsorship Oﬃcer 
Sec on Secretary 
Sec on Delegates to the ABA House of Delegates – 3 posi ons (3 year terms, 1 elected each year) 
Assistant Secretary – Trust and Estate 
Assistant Secretary – Real Property 
Council Members – 24 posi ons (3 year terms, 8 elected each year) The elec ons are held each August at the ABA annual mee ng and all RPTE members present are eligible to vote. A slate of candidates is put forth by the nomina ons commi ee a er receiving input from the general membership and interviewing current oﬃcers, council members, and standing commi ee chairs. Group
Chair
Group
Vice-Chair
Committee
Chair
Committee
Vice-Chair
Group or
Committee
Member
• Appointed by the Section Chair-Elect
• Maintain/grow Group membership
• Formulate year-long Group plan
• Provide educational opportunites for the Group
• Formulate welcome messages
• Attend important Leadership meetings
• Increase diversity among group members
• Appointed by the Section Chair-Elect
• Maintain Group webpage
• Provide active support for Group Chair
• Schedule monthly Group calls- prepare agenda; recruit speakers
• Appointed by the Division Vice-Chair
• Communicate with Committee members via monthly emails
• Promote Section programming
• Communicate with Group Chair of Committee's ongoings
• Propose programming for CLE and articles for publication
• Plan for Committee's future leadership
• Appointed by the Division Vice-Chair
• Promote Committee activities
• Maintain Committee webpage
• Actively support Committee Chair- create agendas, assist in membership recruitment,
assist in developing educational opportunities
• Volunteer to speak at a CLE pertinent to your area
• Help to co-author articles; recruite diverse speakers
• Attend Section-wide meetings; network
• Inform your Committee Chair of your desire to become a leader
• Lead a Group or Committee conference call