As the 2021 Annual Meeting of the New York State Bar Association is upon us, we find ourselves ready for better times in the new year and happy to see 2020 behind us. While we look ahead, we remain in the shadows of last year. The ravages of the coronavirus pandemic led to law practice and courthouse disruptions on a scale we’ve never seen before. Many of our colleagues continue to feel the effects. We are not alone.

The past year has also illustrated striking inequities that persist within our society. Our association has been at the forefront of highlighting some of the inequities revealed by COVID-19 and illustrated during the aftermath of the George Floyd killing.