A Brief History of Management Information Exchange

Remarks of Victor Geminiani from the 1998 Chairperson's Report

    The passing of the Twelfth Anniversary of the creation of the Management Information Exchange in December 1997 also marked an important rite of passage for our institution. We were blessed with the hiring of our first full-time Executive Director, Patricia Pap. After fourteen years as Executive Director of Legal Services for Cape Cod and the Islands and eight years as an MIE Board member, Patricia decided to spend her talents on charting a vibrant future course for MIE. As with all rites of passage, this one tells much about MIE's past as well as the likely direction that we will be pursuing in the coming years.

    The vague concept of MIE was first nurtured at an NLADA Experienced Project Directors meeting in Ossining, New York, in October of 1984. At that retreat, designed by Joan Lieberma, a group of six directors of unionized programs decided to have lunch and share personal and professional experiences. The conversation proved to be a valuable one and a quick decision was made to meet informally again at the NLADA Annual Conference in Denver two months later. An agreement was reached to send a short letter to other directors of unionized programs who might be interested in participating in an open dialogue. That meeting marked the beginning of the MIE tradition of "roundtables" with an agreed upon promise of confidentiality to encourage unfettered discussion. Project directors spend a day together exploring policies and practices in union settings and learn from each o ther's experiences.

    At the end of that successful meeting, the group decided to hold another "roundtable." After comparing available dates, Charlotte was selected to hold the meeting, in conjunction with the March, 1985 ABA Annual Pro Bono Conference. Although the topics discussed at the Charlotte meeting still had a primary concentration on managing unionized programs, much was clearly applicable to general management theory. That meeting ended with the appointment of a small group of seven who were charged with both developing a plan to institutionalize a free flow of these management discussions and innovative ideas, as well as designing the agenda for our next group meeting.

    That following meeting was held at the NLADA Annual Conference in Washington, DC in December, 1985. The design group met in the offices of the Center on Law and Social Policy and spent a day discussing a wide variety of management support needs, including the creation of a reference library, a management periodical, possible agendas for future meetings, and a hired staff person to gather and disseminate information. A small budget of approximately $15,000 was developed and a solicitation for program "dues" was agreed upon to fund our meager effort. At the end of the meeting, the group retired to a restaurant in the Adams-Morgan section of Washington called "The Omega." On the menu was a questionable dish called "Flounder in Green Sauce." That description was immediately adopted to reflect our dilemma as disconnected individuals trying hard to guide our programs through turbulent times. (Sound familiar?) The name for this association was also chosen to describe our vision for that new institution. "Management Information Exchange" has, at its core, a mission of creating a full and free exchange of ideas, techniques, and philosophies on the management of legal services programs.

    Activities were dramatically expanded with the hiring of our first Staff Coordinator, Rebecca Campbell, who dedicated one-fourth of her time to MIE. In July of 1986, the first MIE Journal was distributed, featuring a description of MIE's functions and a review of various legal services management theories suggested by Joan Lieberman. Since that first edition, the Journal has continued to be published three times each year. Also during 1986, a resource library was established and coordination of technical assistance to individual member programs was begun. Finally, a training calendar was established, including our first event for new project directors.

    Over the years, MIE has changed to better reflect the needs of our member programs. There are three fundamental values, however, that have remained constant. The first is that MIE would provide for open, uncensored, and frank dialogue on the variety of issues confronting managers of legal services programs. The second was that our activities would be the highest quality possible for the lowest cost. And the third is that the institution would be volunteer driven, with most of the effort for design and delivery coming from our Board and extended committee members. Those three core values remain evident today in MIE's activities.

    The past two years have witnessed an expanded attempt to provide training. National events have been held on topics including: new funding ventures, new project director training, compliance with LSC regulations, managing complex projects, experienced managers training, and supervision of legal work.

    On behalf of Patricia, the MIE Board, and all of our volunteers, I want to thank you for your support for MIE over the last 12 years. It has been the most personally rewarding endeavor in which I have ever been involved. I have often described it to others as an almost spiritual association. We hope that the services of MIE have made your difficult life as a manager of a legal services project a little easier. It is together that we can best meet our live's goals of improving access to justice for all of our citizens.