My almost 30-year membership in the American Inns of Court movement is my proudest and most meaningful professional association of my career. I have been quoted many times in the past proclaiming the value of Inn membership; my time as your president has only strengthened my belief in the importance of our value to the legal profession and society as a whole.
It would be an understatement to say I am passionate about our mission, but I have learned that my passion is fueled by being a member of two incredibly robust Inns. When the mentorship and the programs have strong participation by judges, lawyers, and students, and members feel invested and enriched, membership soars and members cannot wait to attend meetings. Oftentimes, more people will want to be members than an Inn can accommodate in a given year—an embarrassment of riches!
As I visit Inns around the country, I am delighted by the distinct personalities of individual Inns. I am keenly aware of the diversity of our Inns and recognize that there are many different ways to have a high-performing Inn in which members find the Inn experience meets their expectations.
While our smallest Inns have 40 members and our largest Inns exceed 120 members, it is not the size of the Inn that determines quality. Rather, it is whether the Inn delivers on its promise of value to its members. Do Inn members feel fulfilled by the Inn experience and believe they are receiving value? We ask Inn members to attend meetings after a busy workday, and many of our Inn members have young families. Inn members may struggle with work-life balance, so if we want to keep our Inn members involved, we must make sure that we provide the best opportunity for personal growth and meaningful contribution to our profession.
As I contrast Inns that are thriving with Inns that are struggling, I have gained some clarity on why some Inns flourish and others face challenging times. Let me begin by emphasizing that it is important for Inn leaders to understand our core values and to make sure they are delivering what they promise. Members pay dues for a reason. They expect to meet people, have the opportunity to mentor or be mentored, socialize with their local judiciary, be intellectually challenged and grow as a professional, and further professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence in the law. Members also expect to have fun in the process!
I have learned that successful Inns have the following qualities:
- Strong executive committees that meet on a monthly basis
- Robust judicial participation—state and federal—appellate and trial
- Strong mentorship programs
- Interesting programs that allow entire pupillage team participation
- Law student members
- Affiliation with a law school
- Joint Inn events with other Inns in their area
- Attendance to the Celebration of Excellence and Inns of Distinction events held at the Supreme Court of the United States
- Involvement at the national level of the organization
- Awareness of services offered and a relationship with the director of chapter relations assigned to their Inn
- Participation in the Pegasus Scholarship Program
- Attendance to an Amity Visit in London
These are just a few of the things I have learned as your president. I have also learned that we at the national level need to make sure you know what we do and how we can help.
I, our executive director, the directors of chapter relations, and staff are here for you to help ensure that the experience that Inns around the country provide for their members is of the highest quality.
We have options to visit you in person or virtually, which provides a more accessible avenue. For example, we can Zoom into executive committee meetings to provide assistance on difficult issues. Personally, I will help Inns recruit judges for their membership—every chance I get to encourage my colleagues to join Inns. If there is anything we can do to help, we stand ready and willing.
We are here to serve you. We are here to assist you so that you can provide an Inn experience for your members that is true to our core principles—but also one that provides so much value that your Inn members will say being involved with the American Inns of Court is the most rewarding experience of their professional career! That is my goal.