Dear esteemed Members and Friends of the J. Franklyn Bourne Bar Association, Inc.
It is with profound humility and gratitude that I accept the responsibility of serving as your President for the 2026–2027 bar year. I intend to build upon the legacy of excellence that generations of this Association’s leaders have established.
However, an association is only as strong as its membership. My charge this year is twofold. The first goal is to expand our membership. The second goal is to see a greater number of our current members meaningfully engaged — in attendance at our programs, in service on our committees, and in the mentorship of those who will succeed us.
Mentorship is central to both goals. It draws enthusiastic and energetic students toward our profession, and it sustains the engagement of the practitioners who guide them. I intend that our beloved association be one to which attorneys return: where the newly admitted attorney finds guidance, the seasoned practitioner finds support, and every member understands, without question, that they belong.
This is not the work of one person. This is the work that is done by the collective. The success of a bar association is not measured by who leads it as much as it is measured by the number of us who take part in it.
I therefore ask three things of you. Number one: renew your membership and encourage a colleague who has become inactive to rejoin our membership. Number two: serve on a committee, where the substantive work of this Association is done. Number three: serve as a mentor, so that we may match you with a student who stands to benefit from your counsel.
I invite your feedback in return. This office is a stewardship, and I intend to exercise it in consultation with the membership it serves. My door is open to you. Always.
I thank you for the honor of allowing me to serve, and I look forward to the work before us.
Warmly,
Keisha A. Garner, Esquire
President