This spring, a pair of mourning doves built a nest at my house. I watched them build it, settle in and care for their young. I worried when crows and blue jays came too close and cheered when the young squabs left the nest.
I assumed that was the end of it. I even cleaned their abandoned nest out of the gutter and wondered if I would see them again next year.
Except, much to my surprise, they came back this year. In fact, they returned again and again to nest at my house, to raise their young, and, not much later, to begin again. Despite the challenges, despite even losing some of their young to predators, we watched as five broods came and went.
The female rarely left the nest, and the male was always nearby – watching and protecting. These mourning doves’ resilience was inspiring — so was their persistence, devotion, and teamwork. (Did you know female and male mourning doves produce “crop milk” for their hatchlings?)
Perhaps my newfound fascination with backyard birds is simply a sign that, as a Gen Xer, I have reached that age when birdwatching suddenly becomes appealing. I tend to think, though, that my interest was also tied to the many lessons I’ve learned over this past year serving as your president of the State Bar of Michigan. Through this work, I learned so much about our profession, about the State Bar’s many resources, and about our responsibility to one another.
I have been keenly aware throughout my term that these are challenging times for the legal profession and for the institutions lawyers have sworn to uphold. Judicial independence, public confidence in our institutions, and the rule of law cannot be taken for granted. Our Lawyer’s Oath is not ceremonial: it represents a commitment each of us made to support the Constitution, maintain respect for courts of justice, and conduct ourselves with integrity.
Those commitments matter most when they are tested.
Resilience does not mean pretending that challenges do not exist. It means continuing to tend to the things that matter despite them. That is one reason I believe so deeply in the State Bar of Michigan.
Our members practice in different areas of law and different parts of the state. We come from different backgrounds and experiences. We hold different opinions and points of view. We will not always agree with one another — nor should we — but we are members of the same profession and bound by common responsibilities. There is power in that connection, particularly at a time when it can be easy to focus on the things that divide us.
I have had the privilege of speaking to hundreds of attorneys at the annual Probate Institute, receiving the Legacy Award from the National Arab American Bar Association, celebrating the New Year with members of the Michigan Asian Pacific American Bar Association, walking in a St. Patrick’s Day parade with the Incorporated Society of Irish American Lawyers, watching future members in action as a volunteer at the statewide mock trial finals, and talking with attorneys in the Upper Peninsula about the shortage of lawyers available to meet their communities’ needs.
I know now, better than ever before, how important it is for members of our profession to make connections with one another, to see beyond our differences, to work together, and to lift one another.
I also know firsthand what can happen when other people lift you.
My own path to the presidency began because a fellow commissioner encouraged me to take a step into leadership that I never would have considered on my own. Even after I was elected an officer of the State Bar, I worried about what lay ahead. Confidence came slowly. It came from doing the work. It came from listening and learning. It came from working alongside other presidents, commissioners, and State Bar staff who were willing to invest in me, educate me, encourage me, and trust me with responsibility.
My appreciation for those gifts made me determined to do the same for those who will fill this role in the years ahead. Every few weeks throughout my term, I have emailed the other officers with details about where my duties have taken me, the events I have attended, remarks I have delivered, and lessons I have learned along the way. I wanted them to see what this job looks like and, hopefully, make the path a little easier for those who come next.
The mentorship I received also reminded me how much a few kind words can mean. We don’t always know when someone is questioning themselves, struggling, or simply having a difficult day. Telling someone that we appreciate them costs us nothing; to them, it can mean everything.
That kind of support strengthens individual lawyers, but I believe it also strengthens our profession.
This year has convinced me that the rule of law, lawyer well-being, mentorship, professionalism, and service are not separate ideas. They depend on one another.
The rule of law depends on lawyers willing to stand up for it, and a strong legal profession depends on lawyers willing to support each other. It depends on our willingness to invest in those coming behind us — not by expecting them to follow in our steps, but by giving them the support and confidence to build their own path.
The strength of the State Bar of Michigan will never rest with one president, one Board of Commissioners, one Representative Assembly, or one generation of lawyers. It rests with the members of the State Bar of Michigan — more than 46,000 attorneys with different experiences, perspectives, practices, and ideas who nevertheless share responsibility for this profession and for the system of justice we serve.
There will be challenges. There will be times when institutions we value are tested, when the work feels particularly difficult, and when something we have worked hard to build feels less certain than it once did.
Our job is to keep building and looking after each other, just like those mourning doves did.
As my term as president of the State Bar of Michigan ends, I leave office with tremendous gratitude — for the people who invested in me, for the members I have had the privilege to meet, and for the opportunity to serve this profession.
I began this year thinking a great deal about what I hoped to accomplish as president. I end it thinking much more about what all of us can accomplish for one another.
Others did that for me. I hope I have done it for others. And I hope you will, too.
