When thousands of lawyers converge on Manhattan later this month for the New York State Bar Association's (NYSBA) Annual Meeting, it will be the largest gathering of the best legal minds in the country. The week-long conference is a tradition that dates back nearly 150 years.

This Annual Meeting comes at a challenging time for our society. Attacks on the rule of law and our constitutional norms and traditions are commonplace. The public is more polarized and divided than at any time since the Vietnam War.

In such times, the voice of the legal profession is desperately needed. Our expertise, wisdom and capacity to work through tough issues can be a model for society at large. The Annual Meeting affords a unique opportunity for members of the Bar to come together, to learn and to grow as lawyers and citizens, alike.