The prospect of spring invites fresh energy and reflection—the perfect time to ask: Are you and your teams getting what you need from your MSBA in 2026?
At the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), we’re entering this season focused on you—managing partners, general counsel, firm leaders, and legal professionals across every practice setting. You set the tone for how law is practiced in Maryland—within your offices, in the courtroom, and throughout our communities. Your leadership strengthens the entire profession, and we want to make sure the MSBA strengthens you in return.
Promoting the Rule of Law
Public trust in our institutions feels especially fragile right now. This year, MSBA will continue championing the rule of law—not as commentators, but as lawyers. Through our work with regional bar associations, in amicus briefs, and across public-facing platforms, we’re making the case for an independent, reliable judiciary and reminding the public that legal certainty fuels investment, stability, and justice.
Advancing Civility and Professionalism
The way we interact—as colleagues, opposing counsel, and mentors—defines the health of our profession. Professionalism isn’t just technical skill; it’s civility, integrity, and service. This year, we’re developing programs and resources your firms can use to reinforce those values and teach the next generation of Maryland lawyers what excellence looks like in practice.
Shaping the MSBA’s Future
We’re deep in strategic planning for the next 5 years—a practical, member-driven process organized around 4 priorities:
- Membership engagement and retention
- Intellectual capital (CLEs, publications, and events)
- Advocacy for the profession
- Governance and financial health
We’re guided by MSBA’s core values: being the voice of the profession, a home for all legal professionals, a source of real value, accessible and innovative, and committed to access to justice. Those values shape every conversation about where we go next.
Meeting Firms Where You Are
If MSBA is truly a home for all legal professionals, that must include large firms and corporate legal departments in a real and intentional way. We’re tailoring programming, mentoring, and leadership pathways that make sense for your practice realities—complex matters, institutional risk, talent retention, and succession. When you send your lawyers into MSBA spaces, we want those spaces to serve them well.
Leading Thoughtfully in Legal Technology
Artificial Intelligence (AI), client data, and tech-driven practice present both opportunity and risk. Our renewed Legal Technology Task Force is exploring what responsible adoption looks like for Maryland lawyers—practical, ethical, and client-centered. Input from large firms and in-house counsel will be key to ensuring the guidance we produce reflects everyday realities.
A Stronger Profession, Together
The MSBA is here to help you reinforce the values that matter most: competence, integrity, ethics, civility, and service. Through skills training, leadership opportunities, and access-to-justice work, membership extends your firm’s capacity to train, mentor, and lead.
So, as we step into a new season, I have one simple ask: stay engaged. Share your perspective. Tell us where we can do better—and bring your talent, your ideas, and your next generation of leaders into our shared work. Together, we can strengthen the rule of law, deepen professionalism, and build an MSBA that reflects the strength and diversity of Maryland’s legal community.