Happy 2025 all!  For me, on a personal level, 2024 was a particularly tough year so I am hoping 2025 will be a better year.    Becoming the New York Women’s Bar Association’s president was a bright spot in an otherwise difficult year for me.  The women – and men – in this organization helped me and reminded me, yet again, of one the best benefits of being a member of the NYWBA – this community, the friendships we make when we get involved with the committees, and the support we provide to each other.

As the New Year commences, we should all try to take a breath and think about our goals – or some would say resolutions – for 2025.  One of mine is to use the remaining portion of my term to make the NYWBA even better, stronger and bigger.  With that in mind, if you have not yet renewed for the 2024-2025 year please do so now.  As a reminder, our membership year actually began on June 1^st.   Please renew before the end of this month!

And please come to a committee meeting – we have so many great committees – a CLE, or an event in 2025.   Get more involved!

There is a wonderful article in this issue about being a small claims court arbitrator.  I can personally attest to the satisfaction one can have from volunteering as such an arbitrator – I served as one for several years a while back.  Small claims court is for the relatively small dollar disputes, but the issues are not small for the litigants involved, and there is real gratification in providing them a quick resolution and helping the court reduce the docket.

We will have many great programs and CLEs in this new year.  And we have our annual Judicial Reception scheduled for March 10^th at the Yale Club.  We hope to see many of you there as we honor our newly elected, re-elected, and appointed judges.

I want to congratulate our nominees for Officer positions in the 2025-2026 term (full slate in this issue):  President Lissett Costa Ferreira, Vice Presidents Meaghan E. Carey, Vivian Rivera Drohan and the Hon. Crystal R. Villaseńor, Treasurer Judith E. White, Recording Secretary Melissa F. Glassman, Corresponding Secretary Tara Diamond, and I will be your Immediate Past President.  I look forward to the amazing work these women will do.

Finally, please check the NYWBA calendar for the upcoming events.

Jocelyn Jacobson