Message from the chair

BY JESSICA M. GORSKY, SECTION CHAIR (JGORSKY@WTPLAW.COM)

Greetings, I’d like to welcome everyone back to what we expect to be an exciting new year for the Young Lawyers Section (YLS)! Pandemic or not, YLS continues its commitment to bringing quality programming, helpful resources, networking connections and more, to all of our Section Members.

I would be remiss if I did not mention the elephant in the room - namely the COVID-19 pandemic which has turned the world upside down for the past year and a half. For better or worse, the effects of the pandemic have spanned much of our personal and professional lives. Despite this, YLS continues to work hard to not just develop programming of the quality that our members have come to expect, but to continue to build and foster connections and comradery among our members and within our legal community. Our dedicated and enthusiastic Section Council committee chairs have already been steadfast in their efforts to plan events and activities which we hope will continue to meet the varied needs of our membership. Whether you are seeking social engagement, networking opportunities, education on an array of legal topics, serving your community, pro bono opportunities or enhancing your mental and physical wellness - we have something for you! It is the honor and privilege of each YLS Chair to choose a charity for our Section to collectively sponsor for the year. This year, it is my honor to select the Lawyers’ Campaign Against Hunger (LCAH) through the Maryland Food Bank. Since 1987, LCAH has served as a philanthropic pillar of the legal community bringing dedicated Maryland attorneys together to combat food insecurity throughout Maryland. The 2021 Campaign will celebrate the successes of the last 34 years and a commitment to a continued partnership with the Maryland Food Bank (MFB) to improve the lives of all Marylanders in need. The legal community has raised more than $6 million to support Maryland households struggling with hunger since LCAH launched. MFB is committed to expanding food access while providing the estimated 1 in 3 foodinsecure Marylanders with resources to help build pathways out of hunger. For more information on LCAH, please check out their website here: https:// mdfoodbank.org/lawyers-campaignagainst-hunger/.

In honor of our partnership with the Lawyers’ Campaign Against Hunger and the Maryland Food Bank, YLS will be hosting our annual charity event on Friday, April 22, 2022 - stay tuned for more details throughout the upcoming year. In the interim, we strongly encourage all of our members to join with YLS to extend our support to LCAH and their amazing work to fight the battle against hunger in Maryland which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. Lastly as your Chair this year, it is my goal to make sure that all of our members are provided with opportunities to engage, learn and grow - whether that means in-person or virtually. To that end, for us to serve you better, we need your input. We welcome all of our members to check out the exciting events and activities offered by YLS on msba. org and through our Section’s listserv on MSBA Connect. We also value your suggestions on how YLS can continue to meet the needs of all Maryland young lawyers, which can be submitted to me directly at jgorsky@wtplaw. Thank you all for allowing me the opportunity to serve you as your Chair this year. While it may be some time until we are able to reconvene safely in person, I am so eager and excited to see us all come back together virtually.

Jessica M. Gorsky, Esq