Leadership is exploring ways to re-engage the community, including organizing an end-of-year gathering in June, which is always a major event in the group's past. They also discussed a possible international trip, perhaps to London, similar to the one in 1985 that helped launch the association. Advertising a free membership to law school students, with Brooklyn Law School located just a few blocks away, could be a way to attract future members.
However, low participation in recent events and non-collection of dues raise questions about the sustainability of the group.
Judge Campanelli praised and thanked Immediate Past President Stephen Jeffrey Harkavy and Anthony Vaughn as being instrumental in keeping the Association going. Their behind-the-scenes efforts, from organizing meetings to managing finances, are essential to the lodge's survival, she said.
Despite the challenges it faces, the leadership remains optimistic about revitalizing the association. The Inn's unique CLE format, including recent discussions on artificial intelligence and law, continues to provide valuable learning opportunities for its members. The next in-person meeting, scheduled for April 16, will address changes to notary laws.
In 1985, a group of Brooklyn lawyers, including the late Hon. Gerard Rosenberg and Retired Hon. Marsha Steinhardt traveled to London to observe the actual Inns of Court meeting. Inspired by the educational enrichment and camaraderie they experienced, they returned to Brooklyn with a vision to replicate this model.
Their efforts led to the creation of a continuing education-focused lodge for interactive learning through re-enactments, skits and mock trials, facilitated by a dedicated group of professors responsible for organizing these sessions.
As the Nathan R. Sobel American Inn of Court stands at a crossroads, its future depends on the collective will of its members to preserve and enrich the traditions of legal education and camaraderie that have distinguished it for years.
Lawyers interested in participating in the Inns of Court should contact the Hon. Dina Douglas or former President Anthony Vaughn Jr. There are currently openings for Treasurer and Secretary, and there are two positions to be Lodge Masters. The lodge masters are expected to help organize a group of barristers to offer CLE once a year.
