AAML President’s Message – January 2025

By Laura C. Belleau, AAML President

Our Fellows, friends and colleagues in Los Angeles are experiencing the devastation of wildfires that are leading to closures, evacuation and displacement of their communities. I want to let all of our colleagues in southern California know that AAML is thinking of you. If you are a long-time AAML Fellow, you know that we are a tight-knit community. We form strong relationships and, for many, our AAML colleagues are truly a second family. We care about each other first and foremost, especially in moments like this. For those of you who are new to AAML, welcome to this wonderful community.

Sailing into the new year, I am honored to serve as the Academy’s president. Together we have an incredible opportunity to shape the future of family law in meaningful and impactful ways. As we move our organization forward, consistent with our strategic plan, we will focus on modernizing policies, strengthening member engagement and increasing recognition through pro bono service.

Pro Bono

Who doesn’t love a little “do gooder” lawyering and a good New Year’s resolution? Let’s all resolve to do make an impact in the new year. As you may recall, AAML passed the Pro Bono Resolution in 2021, adopting aspirational guidelines for Fellows to provide 50 hours of pro bono service. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could boast that 100% of our Fellows accomplished this in 2025? As an added incentive, the chapter that has the highest percentage of Fellows completing their pro bono hours will be recognized at the 2025 AAML Annual Meeting! By increasing our commitment to pro bono service, AAML Fellows help brand promotion and advance excellence in family law.

Policies

Last year, our organization adopted new bylaws, a monumental accomplishment led by an incredible committee chaired by Melissa Avery. This year, Chair Elisha Roy (who is also CLE chair and has excellent things planned in that regard), will form committees early in the year to streamline and modernize our policies so they reflect the highest standards of professionalism, inclusivity and innovation.

People

Our Fellows are the heart of our organization and we are prioritizing Fellow engagement by strengthening chapter compliance, enhancing the CLE experience by utilizing modern education strategy and creating enriching networking opportunities at our meetings— including our mid-year meeting in Costa Rica (March 11-14) and the second annual National Family Law Conference in Dallas (May 15-17). I am so excited to lead our organization this year. I’m looking forward to collaborating with chapters and Fellows to make 2025 enriching not only for Fellows, but also to the families and communities we serve.

Laura C. Belleau, AAML President