I became involved with the American Inns of Court in 1997. Since that time, I have been a member of two Inns and, most recently, served on the Board of Trustees from 2018 to the present, holding the offices of secretary, vice president, and president. It has been one of the greatest honors of my lifetime to serve as your president from 2024 to 2026. I am truly grateful for your support and for providing me with this opportunity.
It is with mixed feelings that I conclude my presidency; I will miss serving the Inns at the national level, but I confidently turn the reins over to Judge Cheryl Ann Krause. Change is good, and Judge Krause will be a superb president. She will bring new ideas to the table as we continue in our pursuit of professionalism, ethics, civility, and excellence in the law.
Our outstanding executive director, LTG. Joseph B. Berger III (Ret.), along with our experienced Inn staff and talented Board of Trustees, leave us well-positioned to embrace opportunities and overcome challenges the future may hold.
The work we do is important, both here and abroad. Our Amity visits, as well as our Pegasus and Temple Bar Scholar programs, have resulted in deep and cherished relationships with our friends across the pond. I, like other members of the Inns, am a proud Honorary Bencher of one of the English Inns—Gray’s Inn. It is a relationship that I intend to nurture for the rest of my life.
Here in the United States, we cannot overestimate our importance in current times, when many people find it difficult to have civil conversations. With some 350 Inns nationwide, our membership is extremely diverse, coming from different backgrounds and encompassing divergent viewpoints.
At the national level, we work hard to welcome all viewpoints and create a culture of civil discourse and freedom of expression. We share a common mission, and we provide opportunities in our programs to be creative, informative, and provocative. I have been to several Inn programs in different parts of the country, and it is amazing to see the great programs that are produced by our pupillage teams.
It is not unheard of, however, for Inn members to have different reactions to programs. There can be tense moments, and sometimes a rare instance where a member is offended by something said or a comment made by a fellow member.
While I firmly believe we should never intentionally offend or hurt others, I also believe that being a lawyer often requires us to consider contrary viewpoints and be exposed to difficult topics. In our Inns, members should be allowed to respectfully express their views, but as lawyers we cannot be shielded from topics relevant to our profession.
The willingness to acknowledge perspectives and listen to each other should be part of our Inn mantra. We must remember that just because a topic is offensive to us does not mean the topic should not be discussed. We do not want members to be afraid to express their viewpoints. This requires the experienced Inn members and executive committees to deal with issues as they arise. It is a delicate balance to protect freedom of expression while always maintaining civility.
We do not want to be unapproachable; we want to be relevant to what is happening in the world. We want our members to feel they can express views and give us input or make suggestions for improvement.
I was recently involved in planning a joint Inn event for mentors and mentees in my chambers. There was extensive coordination of schedules among students, attendees, and my availability. With so many cooks in the kitchen, the selected date turned out to conflict with a religious holiday. Thankfully, an Inn member notified us of this conflict, and we were able to reschedule the event. There was no intent to exclude anyone; however, the event was appropriately rescheduled to ensure there was no conflict with a religious holiday.
I applaud the courage of the member that notified us; they made a legitimate request, graciously accepted our apology, and we reached a solution. The willingness of everyone to speak and listen was key.
The time has come for me to pass the gavel (or, in my case, the tiara) to Judge Krause. I truly love the Inns, will stay involved, and, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you for all the good work you all do!