What a year! On this last day of my term as NJWLA President, I am filled with mixed emotions. Pride for all we were able to accomplish this year despite Covid-19; nostalgia as my time as NJWLA President comes to an end; and excitement as our incredibly talented new E-Board takes the lead with soon-to-be President Dina Mastellone and President-Elect Diana Manning at the helm!

NJWLA’s mission is to advance and retain women in the legal profession through education and activism, to promote qualified women to the highest levels of law firm, government, academic, community and corporate positions, and to endorse qualified female attorneys for appointments to the state and federal judiciary. During this term, NJWLA also endeavored to carry out this mission through courageous conversations centered on Allyship and efforts to eliminate Racism in the Legal Profession.

As with so much of our lives these past 12 months, most of NJWLA’s core programs and events, including our spectacular Gala, could not occur in person. And while we missed the opportunities to come together in person, the evolution of remote platforms and NJWLA’s natural resilience and creativity allowed us to generate meaningful programming squarely focused on our mission, and available to our full membership whether you practice in Camden or in Hackensack. This programming included:

• The Pathways to Leadership program, which was hosted by NJWLA, and during which 13 women bar leaders in New Jersey provided insights on how to take on leadership roles in bar organizations.
• RBG Day: Carrying The Torch Forward, during which we heard from a distinguished panel of speakers, including current Director of the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, Rachel Wainer Apter, Governor Murphy’s most recent nominee for the New Jersey Supreme Court.
• Conversations on Allyship & Diversity, where attendees engaged in an authentic conversation regarding Isabel Wilkerson’s book Caste, as well as what it truly means to be an Ally to eliminate racism in the legal profession.
• The New Normal: Working as Lawyers During the COVID Pandemic, a program specifically for our In-House members to allow for candid conversations.
• Building Relationships in Times of Crisis and Beyond, an insightful guide from seasoned rainmakers on how to build your book of business and how to advance your career and develop business during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• NJWLA’s Intellectual Property Law Primer, a fundamental overview of the IP world for the underinformed.
• Owning Your Online Presence: How Strategic Content Supports Business Development, where our attendees were provided with actionable steps to take ownership of their online presence for business development success.
• NJWLA’s Wellness Yoga Session via Zoom, where we came together to relax and recharge and even our youngest “members” were welcome – our children!
• Tales from the Bench, where we heard from Middlesex County Prosecutor Yolanda Ciccone about her current position as Prosecutor, and her former position as a Superior Court Judge.
• Professionalism, Advocacy, and the Woman Lawyer, where female federal and state judges, and seasoned practitioners, provided insights on how to remain professional while zealously advocating for one’s clients.  
• Employment Outlook 2021, a panel discussion about what attorneys can expect to face in the upcoming year in their own business and when counseling clients.
• Lawyering Skills for Associate Success, a panel discussion providing advice about developing the skills associates need to succeed in the law firm environment.
• NJWLA’s Annual Holiday Party
• The 13th Annual WILL Platinum Gala, honoring Hon. Claire C. Cecchi, U.S.D.J.; Hon. Mary Catherine Cuff, J.A.D. (Retired); Hon. Jessica S. Allen, U.S.M.J.; Ann B. Gavzy and Audrey Murphy, EVPs with Hackensack Meridian Health; Honorable Tahesha Way, New Jersey Secretary of State; and Hon. Carmen M. Garcia, Former Chief Judge Trenton Municipal Court.
• NJWLA Wellness Day, a full day of programming centered on helping NJWLA’s members maintain balance and mental health.
• Meet the Author! Christine Shields Corrigan, Again: Surviving Cancer Twice with Love and Lists, where we heard from lawyer and double cancer survivor Christine Shields about resilience and strength.
• NJWLA’s Annual Judicial Panel, where we heard judicial insights from Judges Costello, Suh, Lopez and Walsh.
• Speaking Up: How to Effectively Advance Your Career, with Sheila Murphy.
• FORE Ladies Only Golf Outing & Clinic, where we partnered with the Essex County Bar Foundation for our only in-person event this term, and  chose the Daniel Anderl Memorial Scholarship as our charitable partner.
• Pro Bono Practice And Your Career, where we spotlighted three fantastic non-profits – NJLEEP, Partners for Women and Justice, and New Jersey Reentry Corporation.
• Encouraging Diversity in the Bankruptcy Bar, where we partnered with APALA-NJ and AFBNJ and heard from Hon. Stacey L. Meisel, U.S.B.J., and diverse bankruptcy practitioners, regarding the need for more racial diversity in the bankruptcy bar.

And last, but not least, I had the privilege to provide remarks at a nationwide Joint Tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a celebration of the life and trailblazing work of the Supreme Court Justice shortly after her death on September 18, 2020. The event was coordinated by the California Women Lawyers bar association, and included remarks from Senator Dianne Feinstein, Judge M. Margaret McKeown of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, Ria Tabacco Mar – Director, Women’s Rights Project at the ACLU, and NJWLA’s own Trustee-At-Large Penny Venetis – Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the International Human Rights Clinic at Rutgers University, along with many others. What a testament to the Justice’s passion, and our need to continue to fight for equal rights for all!

The 2020/2021 term has reaffirmed exactly why NJWLA is such an important organization to me, and so needed in New Jersey’s legal community. NJWLA serves as an invaluable resource for those women in the profession of law that need encouragement, guidance, and camaraderie, but it also serves as a respite for those women who struggle to find balance at any given point in law and life. This year we have reinforced our commitment to cultivating human relationships, and the value of pressing forward authentically and with purpose.

And as I step into that most coveted of E-Board roles – Immediate Past President – I ask that each of you stay with NJWLA on this journey in pressing for the continued advancement of women in the profession of law, to recognize that more perspectives among decisionmakers only make us stronger, and to call out those abhorrent practices that we have seen all too often lately.

Finally, a few words of thanks.

To NJWLA’s fabulous board members, who have gone above and beyond this year with ideas for great programming, invaluable guidance, and friendship. To our Immediate Past President Linda Harvey, who navigated us so perfectly at the outset of this pandemic, and who is a fierce advocate for equal rights for women and has been a role model of mine for years. To our new President Dina Mastellone, who will tirelessly continue advancing NJWLA’s mission through her natural gifts of creativity and passion for the advancement of women. To our new President-Elect Diana Manning, whose leadership and talent in the practice of law will continue to propel NJWLA forward for years to come. And to our brilliant Executive Director Colleen Skinner, who brainstormed with us on excellent programming, and then worked so hard to make sure they went off without a hitch. We could not do it without you!

To my firm, Greenbaum, Rowe, Smith & Davis LLP, and my GRSD mentors along the way, for recognizing NJWLA’s value through sponsorship, and by giving me the support to serve as its President and on its Board for all these years.

In closing, I offer this advice to the young women coming up through the legal profession, whether as a law student, law clerk, or junior practitioner. Ambition is not a dirty word. Young women coming up in the practice of law should not be afraid to be ambitious – to press forward in their legal careers with creativity and conviction, and to fight for equal access to opportunity for everyone. So often women in the practice of law feel they must be more reserved because of a fear they will be perceived as overly aggressive by both men and women. But ambition cultivated through hard work, collaboration, and professionalism will garner success and fulfillment.

Stay well and see you soon!