CAI’s College of Community Association Lawyers (CCAL) kicked off 2011 with a new dean and four newly elected members of its Board of Governors.

Jeffery Van Grack, Esq. of Lerch, Early & Brewer Chartered, in Bethesda, MD, began his two-year term as CCAL dean on January 1. Van Grack has been a practicing community association attorney for more than 25 years, and regularly speaks at national and chapter conferences about community association issues. He is a former president of CAI’s Washington Metropolitan chapter, and in 2007 served as chair of the 28th Annual Community Association Law Seminar.

“I’m excited to step into my new role as dean, and am happy to be a part of such an important organization,” said Van Grack, who was admitted to CCAL in 1996. “CCAL is a vital resource not only for CCAL members, but also for all professionals and homeowner volunteers who serve common-interest communities.  The board and I look forward to expanding on all of CCAL’s great work.”

The following CCAL members have been elected to two-year terms on the 2011 CCAL board:

• Scott Brian Carpenter, Esq., Carpenter Hazlewood, PLC , Tempe, AZ.
• Kenneth E. Chadwick, Esq., Chadwick, Washington, Moriarty, Elmore & Bunn, P.C., Fairfax, VA.
• Ellen Hirsch de Haan, Esq., Becker & Poliakoff, P.A., Clearwater, FL. 
• Stephen M. Marcus, Esq., Marcus, Errico, Emmer & Brooks, P.C., Braintree, MA.

Hirsch de Haan is new to the board this year, while Marcus and Chadwick were elected to their second terms. Carpenter was elected to his third and final term. Greensboro, NC, attorney James H. Slaughter, a partner with Forman Rossabi Black, P.A., returns to the CCAL board to serve the second year of his two-year term.

Established in 1993 by the CAI Board of Trustees, CCAL consists of fewer than 120 CAI member attorneys who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the field of community association law. CCAL members are also recognized for committing themselves to high standards of professional and ethical conduct in the practice of association law.

Nine attorneys from across the country were inducted into CCAL during the 32nd Annual Community Association Law Seminar January 13-15 in Las Vegas. The seminar drew a record 580-plus participants. 

The inductees are:

• Marshall N. Dickler, Esq., Dickler, Kahn, Slowikowski & Zavell, Ltd., Arlington Heights, IL.
• Ken Harer, Esq., Condominium Law Group, PLLC, Seattle, WA.
• Elina B. Hindley, Esq., HindmanSanchez, P.C., Arvada, CO.
• Terrence A. Leahy, Esq., Leahy, PS, Kirkland, WA.
• Mark E. Lines, Esq., Shaw & Lines, LLC, Phoenix, AZ.
• Brian McLean, Esq., Leahy, PS, Kirkland, WA.
• J. Thomas Mikell, Esq., J. Thomas Mikell, P.C., Beaufort, SC.
• Daniel J. Miske, Esq., Whyte Hirschboeck Dudek S.C., Milwaukee, WI.
• Timothy G. Sellers, Esq., Sellers, Hinshaw, Ayers, Dortch & Lyons, Charlotte, NC.

“Each year, CCAL has been fortunate to attract the top minds of the community association law field, and this new group of inductees is no exception,” said CAI Chief Executive Officer Thomas M. Skiba, CAE. “I’m confident the addition of these new members, along with the new dean and board, will help make CCAL an even more valuable resource for CAI and the entire community association industry.”

CCAL provides a forum for the exchange of information among experienced legal professionals working in the community association field. Its goals include promoting high standards of professional and ethical responsibility, improving and advancing community association law and practice, and facilitating the development of educational materials and programming pertaining to legal issues. Learn more about CCAL.

CAI is a membership organization dedicated to helping homeowners and condominium associations meet the expectations of their residents. CAI members include community management professionals, volunteer homeowner leaders, and businesses and professionals who support associations. More information can be obtained at www.caionline.org or by calling (888) 224-4321.