by Hannah L. Kilson
One of the roles of the President of the BBA is to be a steward for the Association: To be present and visible and available to our membership and our partners in the Boston legal community.
I am grateful to have been able to spend a year engaged in activities that operate in service to the Boston legal community and which bring me a deep sense of purpose. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to engage with law students from all of our sponsor law schools, along with attorneys at all of stages of their careers. The majority of the people with whom I have had the pleasure to interact in my role as President, I would not have the benefit of interacting with during my day-to-day work as an affordable housing development attorney. As my term as BBA President comes to an end, I will miss the people, the interactions, and the relationships fostered and enhanced over the past year.
I think of the law students and new lawyers, with whom I was able to speak so often over the last year—from receptions to our annual Career Fair to the swearing-in of new lawyers at Faneuil Hall. The opportunity to talk with people in the early stages of their careers, who are still figuring out the paths they wish to trek, is one I cherished this year. It was a privilege to work with these newest members and help them figure out not only how they can fit into this profession, but also how this profession and the BBA can best work for and accommodate them, and to make sure they knew that the BBA is a space they can come to and bring their full, authentic selves. And while I appreciated and was flattered that these newest members so often sought my advice and guidance, I, too, gained some much from these interactions.
I think of all our members practicing in areas of the law different than my own, whose work would rarely if ever intersect with mine. All our members—no matter their practice settings, how long they’ve been in the profession, the size of their firm—share similar concerns, similar difficulties. Events like our Community Connections breakfasts—part of the BBA’s larger focus on the well-being of our members—allowed for the sharing of different perspectives and the broadening of networks and social circles. One member, whom I met for the first time at one of those breakfasts, recently called me for advice regarding a job transition; we ultimately ended up discussing that and so much more over coffee. That, to me, is what the Boston legal community is all about, and a benefit of being President of the BBA that, while unexpected, I deeply appreciated.
I think of the incredible individuals and organizations we’ve recognized at our major events and how grateful I am for the opportunity to highlight their work in our community. We celebrated the work of changemakers and justice advocates, from Rosie’s Place to the Beyond Roe Coalition, Kevin Prussia to Gene Dahmen, Dean Angela Onwuachi-Willig to Beth Chandler, the Federal Reserve to Paul Lee, Attorney General Andrea Campbell to Chief Justice Mark Green. To have the opportunity not only to recognize the work of these amazing individuals and organizations but to play a direct role in choosing to do so, was an honor for me.
I am grateful to have been able to engage with the chief justices of our Courts, and to see the incredible commitment, thoughtfulness, and creativity that exists among the leadership of our Courts to ensure access to justice and fairness and impartiality in its administration.
There are, of course, many aspects of being President of the BBA that occur behind the scenes, and I am grateful to have been engaged with, including: the BBA’s successful advocacy to put an end to life-without-parole sentencing for individuals under 21 years old; our efforts to improve well-being through the work of the BBA’s Lawyers Well Being Advisory Committee and our enhanced partnership with Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers; our efforts to improve DEIB within the profession through the inaugural work of the BBA’s DEIB Standing Committee; and the collaboration with my fellow officers and Council members to keep our membership engaged and energized.
I am grateful to have been part of a program year in which the BBA continued to work creatively and energetically to create relevant programming that draws members in and to provide programs and networking opportunities that matter for an attorney’s growth as a practitioner and a member of our noble profession.
Throughout this year, I have used almost every opportunity that I have been given to speak with pre-law students, law students, and lawyers to raise up the issue of lawyer well-being, and its importance to ensuring the sustainability and nobility of our profession. As lawyers, we must work hard and with intention. We must engage our work with intellectual rigor and discipline. And we must make time for play, connection, and rejuvenation. These are not antithetical concepts, but inextricably connected ones.
In this post-pandemic world, we need to continue to work together to develop models of mentorship and engagement that allow for the training, the education, and the developmental growth of lawyers and allow for reasonable flexibility around how we fulfill our obligations to clients and our organizations, so we can have the full benefit of every person interested in practicing law.
The BBA, with your engagement, will continue to evolve to meet the moment for its membership with relevant policy positions that promote access to justice and the rule of law, with innovative, educational programming, and with networking opportunities to nurture old bonds and establish new ones.
Earlier this year, the BBA hosted—for the first time since the pandemic—the BBA’s Presidents’ Dinner. Among those in attendance were Richard Soden and Mary Ryan. It was a lovely evening, and it gave folks a chance to reconnect with old friends, many of whom hadn’t seen each other over these last four years. And, though of course we couldn’t know this at the time, it was, for many of us, the last time we’d have a chance to engage in fellowship with those two stalwarts of our profession and of the BBA. That opportunity, more than anything else this year, has reinforced in me the power and importance of connection, because you simply cannot know when—or if—those opportunities will come again.
I want to thank all of you for the opportunity to serve as the BBA’s 102nd President. I thank all of you for your work this past year to continue to advance the work of the BBA. I am grateful for the unending commitment of the BBA staff and its volunteer leadership to the mission and principles of the BBA. Though my BBA Presidency is coming to an end, my time as an active and engaged member certainly will not. The connections I’ve made, relationships I’ve formed and strengthened, advice and laughs and discussions shared, will stay with me and galvanize me to continue to stay engaged in support of the BBA, its membership, and its mission. It’s been an honor to be a steward for the Boston Bar Association, to serve as its President as well as its biggest cheerleader. I look forward to engaging with you in the future as stewards of the BBA’s principles of excellence, justice, diversity, and service.
In passing the proverbial torch to the new President Matthew McTygue, I wish him all the best; the BBA will benefit immensely from his collaborative and insightful leadership. I look forward to the initiatives and policies that the BBA will advance under Matt’s leadership as he continues to engage and connect the BBA membership and advance its mission.
- Hannah L. Kilson
