Dear SCBLA Family,
What an honor it has been serving as your president throughout my first term and I appreciate the confidence you have instilled in me as I fulfill my second (and final) term. When I embarked on this journey with you in in the summer of 2020, we were in the height of a global pandemic with virtual communication as our only real way of staying connected. Even still, stay connected we did! We had to shift as an organization from our annual in-person events to Zoom meetings, virtual CLEs and even a virtual Annual Meeting, which was a huge success! In some ways, the changes we had to make as an organization made us stronger and more committed to each other as colleagues and—more importantly—friends.
When I first became active in SCBLA around 2009, I had no idea the impact it would have on me both personally and professionally. Through SCBLA, I have forged lasting friendships, beneficial career connections and a deeper appreciation of the law than I could have ever imagined. As members of the South Carolina Bar, we took an oath to assist the defenseless and oppressed by ensuring justice is available to all citizens. As members of SCBLA, we have taken on an even greater responsibility by committing to improving the development of OUR members and providing a voice to OUR communities; these common goals keep us closely bonded to each other and unified as an organization.
Since taking office, I—along with my fellow officers—have worked tirelessly to continue the traditions of past SCBLA leadership as as well as incorporate new ideas. In addition to the CLE programming and community outreach that our organization is known for, we made it a priority to update our website to make it more interactive and user friendly. Personally, I am most excited about our membership directory and online payment options. We hope you will find the new website as yet another way to stay connected and encourage you to use it regularly and often!
As always, I look forward to hearing from you and welcome your ideas on ways we can lend our support and continue to build on the legacy of our great organization.
Yours in Solidarity,
Breon C. M. Walker
SCBLA President