It has been my pleasure to practice before the United States District Court for the District of Maryland for almost 35 years and it is my honor to serve as President of the Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association as the Chapter marks its 70th year. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, and thanks to the leadership of my predecessors and the hard work of our Chapter’s Board of Directors, the Chapter expanded its level of substantive programming and increased opportunities for engagement between the bench and the bar through, among other things, our excellent and continuing Judicial Fireside Chat series. 

After a two-year hiatus, our signature annual luncheon event returned as a fantastic opportunity for members of the bar to connect or re-connect and hear from the newest members of the bench. As we now move forward into a (hopefully) post-pandemic year we intend to return to more in-person programming. At the same time we will continue to take advantage of the expanded use of video conferencing technology by offering virtual and hybrid options to reach wider and more diverse audiences.

It is our Chapter’s vision “to be an essential resource and forum for lawyers practicing before the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to hone their skills, participate in important conversations between stakeholders, and become leaders within the legal community.” To realize that vision your Chapter’s leaders need to hear from the lawyers practicing before the Court and to provide them with opportunities for skill development and engagement. If you are reading this, you have seen that one way we connect with those lawyers is though our Chapter website and I invite to explore the entire site to learn more about the benefits of FBA membership and all of the activities our Chapter members have been enjoying and have planned for the future. Recently members of our Board of Directors have been reaching out directly to Chapter members to discuss their experiences and ideas for how the Chapter can better serve them. If you have received an email from a Board member but have not found time to respond, please do. We want to hear from you.

Finally, please consider becoming more involved in the Chapter by joining a committee, contributing content to our newsletter, website or social media platforms, and/or helping plan and/or participating as a speaker in our substantive programming. If you are interested in getting more involved in your Chapter’s work and leadership, please send us an email at [email protected].

I look forward to seeing you soon at some of our upcoming events.

Best Regards,

Robert S. Brennen

President, Maryland Chapter of the Federal Bar Association