Experience with a Lawyer on Your HOA Board?

Our Oct. election is uncontested and there'll be 3 directors on our Board of 7. Two of us already are serving and our new member has lived here about a year, joined our Finance Committee several months ago, attends board meetings and social events.

"Jen" is a recently retired lawyer from a different CA county, practicing law for about 20 years after a career in a different field. Her specialty is unrelated to HOA topics and issues, but she has often asked at Open Forum if we've checked with "legal" on this or that ordinary matter. She was a trial lawyer involved with civil lawsuits. She also often expresses worries about all manner of high rise topics--leaks, earthquakes, piping--as she's never lived in one before. She does seem bright and inquisitive.

I have had virtually no experience with lawyers socially or professionally. Are there certain tendencies among them that are particularly useful on HOA boards? Evaluating contract maybe? Or tendencies that are not helpful?

I agree with that.

A former trial attorney may have a "prove it" mentality that can be both helpful and harmful. The helpful part is that she will be less likely to take action based on rumors. The harmful part would be wanting absolute proof - which may not exist - before taking action.

Your statement that, "she has often asked at Open Forum if we've checked with 'legal' on this or that ordinary matter" might be of concern. Lawyers often hire other lawyers for advice or to handle matters for them. Given the typical association budget you could go bankrupt seeking a lawyer's opinion on ordinary matters. The good news is that she is more likely than most of us to know when a lawyer is BS'ing and certainly capable of reading and interpreting another lawyer's opinion and advice.

Overall, sounds like a good choice for your board.

Kerry,

I currently have an attorney on the Board with me. We tend to buck heads over details and it's the business owner on the Board who brings things to a compromise. I don't mind bucking heads, as we are both working toward the same goal, just see different ways of achieving it.

I have previously served on my Assocaitions board with a past president of CAI (not the local chapter, but the national organization). I bucked heads with him as well on occasion. Again, working toward the same goal, just different methods of achieving it.

Decisions of the Board are made by majority vote. Therefore, as long as you have your facts together and do your homework prior to the meetings, there shouldn't be a whole lot of issues.

I hope the person and others are "Not their job" when you live in a HOA. What does it matter if they are a lawyer, a realtor, or stay at home mom? They are OWNERS and thus members. Now having a certain job in some fields may lend itself with it's own set of knowledge. However, that person is still just another owner like everyone else.

My job when I was President was a Quality Manager. It did not make me more "qualified" for the job. I was able to apply some of my job skills to running the HOA. At the end of the day, I was just another member with the right to vote and participate in my HOA. I did not look at people for their jobs. They were just fellow owners. Putting a value on someone's job title is on you it's not necessarily the truth.