As my year as president of the Justinian Society winds down, I have had a chance to reflect on the overwhelming support I have received from so many of you during this wonderful journey.

My goal since having attended my first Justinian Society event in law school 13 years ago with my dad and Leonard Amari was to one day have the opportunity to lead this great organization. I am so very appreciative and humbled to have seen that goal come to fruition.

I could not have done it without the people I have tried to thank throughout the year and the people I have surrounded myself throughout my career. While we have had some events where our numbers were down, we’ve also had some events that were huge successes.

One in particular that I was proud to see be such a hit was our February meeting at Gibson’s Italia. I think going forward, let’s not be afraid to mix it up a little. Sit-down dinners are nice, but a change of pace to an event less formal is necessary. The February meeting at Gibson’s Italia was one of our most well-attended events of the year, and I have heard a lot of positive feedback. We had several law students in attendance, many of whom personally reached out to me after the event to tell me how wonderful it was and how welcomed they felt.

That is a testament to the warmth of our organization. Thank you to all the longstanding members for taking the time to talk to the students and embrace them. It means the world to them and will only help our society’s continued sustainability.

I would also like to report that since the February meeting, as promised, I have made a couple of stops at the area law schools to talk to the students about the Justinian Society.

I visited DePaul on Feb. 27 along with Christina Ranallo and John Lag. Thanks to Jordan Feldkamp and Dominick Ranallo for helping to put that together.

I visited John Marshall Law School on Feb. 28th. Joining me on the panel were Leonard Amari, Jessica DePinto, Judge Celia Gamrath, Enrico Mirabelli, and Anthony Erbacci. Dominic Erbacci did a wonderful job putting together the panel and organizing a lively question and answer session with the students.

I am hoping to also meet with the students at Loyola and Chicago-Kent before my term is up.

In my heart, I know this organization is destined for continued greatness. I know the officers who will lead us in the future feel the same passion and love for the society that I and all of our past presidents and longstanding members feel.

I’m confident we will continue to respect the traditions that have made us great and embrace the new ideas of the next generation.

To the next generation of Justinian Society members, please approach your membership in the society with the same passion, will and vision of those who have come before you. It has been my honor and absolute pleasure to serve you. You won’t regret it.

Thank you.