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As I write my final president’s message, I’ve reflected on leadership and what this year has meant for me and for the Academy.
When I joined the AAML’s Executive Board a decade ago, I didn’t really think of myself as a leader. I saw myself as more of a follower — a good executor of other people’s plans. But my journey through the Academy’s leadership ladder has taught me something important: leadership isn’t about coming up with all the good ideas; it’s about fostering an environment where good ideas can happen and building enough trust that people want to contribute, disagree, fail, refocus and grow.
This year, while the Academy has not quite figured out why the sailor found the sea so alluring that he wouldn’t stay with Brandy in the port on the western bay, we have taken some baby steps in making our organization sail better.
We are leading by governing rather than just managing.
We are learning that the best way to find out if something will work is to try it, and if it isn’t a home run at the first at bat, we will “Adam Grant” it — be curious and rethink it.
We are leaning into transparency: the Board of Directors is meeting monthly, the House of Governors is meeting at least quarterly, town halls are happening, and AAML Chapter visits have become a collective opportunity for all national officers to have boots (or flip flops) on the ground to listen and support Fellows.
But wait — there’s more, and it didn’t all happen on the 21st night of September — do you remember when we called on Fellows to participate in the nomination process for the Public Service Award and to count their “do gooder” hours to show the Pro Bono Resolution was not just words on paper? Do you remember when we ran Elite Training for Family Law Support Staff for the first time to a sold out crowd? Do you remember when we voted to allocate resources to overhaul our technology, including admissions, and when the admissions task force rolled out the new procedures at town halls? Do you remember when we refined the strategic plan to hold us accountable in 2026? Do you remember when we tried something new at the spring meeting, sitting at rounds during CLE and making friendship bracelets at the final dinner? Do you remember when the House stood unanimously to pass the Rule of Law Resolution? I am incredibly proud of the Fellows who stepped up, spoke up and helped the Academy move forward.
In the olden days, some leaders would mark the days until their term ended. I’ve been counting up — counting the days it has been a privilege to serve our Academy. I am deeply grateful for all of the things and the stuff; to have the opportunity to lead, to learn, to listen and to grow alongside some of the best lawyers and people I know. I am proud of what we have accomplished, but I’m even more excited about the future of the Academy — in the leadership that will follow, in the Fellows who will keep showing up and in the strength of the mission we share — to help families through their most vulnerable times by providing the highest degree of professional advocacy, integrity and excellence in the practice of family law.
Laura C. Belleau, AAML President
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