Outgoing President’s Message

Jacqueline M. Reynolds, Esq.

Montgomery Bar Association 2021 President

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MONTGOMERY BAR ASSOCIATION

BUSINESS HOURS: Monday thru Friday 8:45 AM - 4:45 PM

ADDRESS: 100 West Airy Street P.O. Box 268, Norristown, PA 19404-0268

PHONE AND FAX: Phone: 610-279-9660 Fax: 610-279-4321 & 610-279-4846 Hello, My Fellow Montgomery Bar Members!

As my year as President of the Montgomery Bar Association concludes, I can truly say that it has been an honor and a pleasure to work with my fellow members as we continued to navigate our way through Covid-19, the Delta variant and beyond.

I am unable to thank everyone I worked with this past year for their valuable contributions. However, I would be remiss if I did not thank my Officers and Board of Directors for their counsel and support. I appreciate the Past Presidents who willingly shared their wisdom. A special thank you to Team MBA, Hazel Bergquist, Jack Costello, Jessica Deazle, Jessica Gambone, Jim Mathias, Sherry Sutton, Pattie Walker, Megan Ware and Sandy Whittington, for all their hard work and dedication in the provision of member benefits. I especially would like to thank Denise Vicario for her help this past year. Our Association has, and will continue to, flourish under her direction.

2021 has been a year in which the focus has been on reviewing our processes, weaving diversity throughout our Bar Association and the wellness of members. Our Bylaws were amended to reflect what we do as an association. I formed a number of ad hoc committees to evaluate what we do as an association and whether there are improvements that can be implemented. By way of example, we now have guidelines for when the MBA will take a position on an issue. Also, we have created a Lawyer Referral Committee which will administer the Lawyer Referral Service and provide a non-dues revenue source of income to the MBA. The ad hoc committees for Conservatorship and ADR have begun the hard work of creating the blueprint

to provide our members with the resources to create successorship plans and retain qualified mediators for their cases. The work of these two committees will conclude in 2022, and will add to the already numerous member benefits provided by the MBA. The Leadership Handbook has also been revised so that it provides direction to our MBA leadership that is both relevant and user friendly.

I often use the analogy that diversity must be woven throughout the fabric of the MBA. Further, the weaving of diverse voices must be done by building a deep bench through connections, communications, and inclusion. The new slate of Directors reflects our commitment to increasing diversity. Also this year, the Board of Directors adopted the MBA Diversity Statement, and amended our Officer and Director application to include a question regarding an applicant’s plan to further the MBA commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We continued to review our actions and events through the lens of diversity. I look forward to continuing the MBA’s focus on diversity as a chair of the DEI Committee.

The well-being of our members was addressed through mindfulness, yoga, and meditation sessions. In particular, meditation sessions have grown from Monday mornings to weekday mornings and Tuesday-Thursday afternoons through the efforts of John McMahon and Bob Lefevre, with Marc Steinberg, Adam Zucker and Dan Staub. In addition, the 2021 Leadership Academy class conducted an in-depth exploration of the impact that the pandemic has had on the physical and mental well-being of our members. The Leadership Academy presented their findings and recommendations to the Board of Directors. More importantly, their recommendations will be implemented in 2022.

My hope is that my year as President has left the Association in a better position. What I do know is that I leave the Association in the very capable hands of my Officers: Sarinia Feinman, Justin Bayer, Lisa Shearman, Seth Wilson, and Colin O’Boyle. Under their leadership, I know the MBA has a bright future. For me now, I look forward to sitting with my esteemed colleagues, the Past Presidents, “on the couches” and seeing everyone in-person in 2022.

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