PRESIDENT'S COLUMN
By TANNERA GIBSON, MBA 2022 President
L
et’s go, 2022! The pandemic has altered the practice of law in ways that were once unfathomable. We have hearings via virtual platforms, or in-person while addressing the court through masks. We have seen legal battles ensue over mandating such masks, bodily autonomy, and vaccines; and, we have ridden the roller coaster of the lifting and imposition of travel bans and the potential impact on our practices. Our events and conferences have been cancelled, and we haven’t been able to socialize as we once did. We have faced new variants, instead of light, at the end of the tunnel on more than once occasion. We’ve done and endured all of these things while continuing to practice law, and while working to stay abreast of a rapidly-changing landscape that has affected all of us, but we are still here. We are still strong, and I’m confident that we will come out of this even stronger. As we continue to navigate the uncertainty, the MBA will be there to provide support every step of the way. As lawyers learned to navigate the unknown, the MBA adapted to meet our ever-changing needs. Our
new Executive Director (Hopefully, everyone has had the pleasure of meeting MaryAnn Upchurch!) hit the ground running in May, and has already developed the President’s Circle and built new and exciting relationships for the MBA. We have more exciting initiatives to introduce in the coming year, and we look forward to announcing them. Our ultimate goal for 2022 will be service to the bar, law students and our community through leadership programming, diversity training, new partnerships and CLE offerings, and community projects. Also, be on the lookout for announcements about our upcoming Bench Bar Conference! In-person! To ensure that the MBA is providing the level of service we strive to maintain, we would like to hear from you. If there’s an area you believe could be better served, please let us know. We work hard to remain conscious of the Bar’s evolving needs through our committees and sections, but we are also aware that there may be areas we have missed. We appreciate your support, and we want to support you.
Special Thanks to our
President's Circle Partners
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