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Routman has traveled a
variety of roads in his career, with law experience in
immigration and litigation before focusing in on his
current area of practice. But his professional journey
has also included teaching in public school and working
as a career counselor in law schools. In addition,
Routman also struck out on his own as an entrepreneur.
He once owned a Kosher dill pickle company (The Mensch
Brothers), and he currently runs another company dealing
with fire safety. Later this month he will be
introducing the KidSmart fire detector into the market.
It is a child-friendly smoke detector that allows a
parent to record customized evacuation instructions in
the parent's voice into the detector for their children.
In his acceptance speech
at the HCBA Annual Meeting, Routman identified some key
issues that face the profession. Among his main concerns
are the quality of professionalism among lawyers, the
steady decline in volunteerism, and the significant
issue of court funding. He plans to invest his energies
in each area during his presidential year.
He is most excited about
a new initiative that is taking shape under his
direction: a Leadership Institute. He believes that many
members want to make a contribution to the profession
and the community but don't know where to start. And
when they do contribute, they often find the
participation in community leadership less than
satisfying. The idea of the Leadership Institute is to
groom future leaders for the benefit of the community as
a whole, equipping them with the skills needed to assume
meaningful roles as directors on boards within the
community. The first six-month programming is planned
for early 2005. Routman speaks excitedly about the
prospects of strengthening volunteerism in a way that
will serve both the individual lawyers and the community
as a whole.
He understands the heavy
load the presidency places on him, but is eager to put
his ideas into action.
The Routmans moved to the
Twin Cities nine years ago, and now reside in Hopkins
where he and Sarah, his wife of 24 years, are raising
two daughters.
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