From the President: In Praise of Learning

by Denise VanLanduyt
President, DeKalb Bar Association

To be honest, being an attorney was not my first career choice. I am a student of history – it is my love and my passion – and it was my intention to be a history professor at a prestigious college or university. My bubble burst when my college professor explained the concept of tenure and then proceeded to ask me “so, what else do you want to do?”

So here I am. To be honest, I love what I do. I graduated from Syracuse University College of Law in 2000. I have many fond memories of Syracuse (Go Orange!) none of which includes the snow. I worked in the law school’s clinic and was fortunate to work on real cases. My law partner and I represented two high school students who were granted asylum after fleeing Somalia. We successfully represented the two students before an administrative law judge regarding benefits issues with the State of New York. I was also part of a team that tried a case in the Onondaga County Courthouse. This was my first, and so far only, jury trial. I began to learn that being an attorney is powerful and that this profession and what we do is important and linked forever with the past.

Now, as a family law attorney I have seen almost every dynamic there is to a family. I have met professionals from all areas who enter a family’s life: pediatricians, teachers, school principals, counselors, psychologists, and pastors. I see people at their best and their worst. Most importantly, I have met our children. They are precious and must never be forgotten in this process. As for my love of history – I read a lot, mostly about the era of the formation of our Country. By the way, if you need to know, I would have loved to hang out with Dolly Madison. This first lady knew how to throw a soirée! She puts any present day presidential ball to shame.

What’s on tap for the coming year, you ask? Learning. I love to learn and as attorneys we are taught to hone our skills and our practice. This year will start with a timely, yet political/cultural topic, of marriage equality. My good colleagues, Brian Basinger, Esq. and Robert Lewis, Esq. will speak at the first luncheon, September 20, and update us on the nuances and changes that seem to take place so quickly with regard to equality and marriage. This year will also spotlight our juvenile court, which serves as a model for the rest of the country. Another lunch will feature our very own female Judges; Justice Carol Hunstein has graciously agreed to moderate this timely and important focus on women in the judiciary, which will take place at our January luncheon.

The practice of law is just that, practice. We must always be in student mode, learning and honing our skills. Sometimes this means stepping outside of the law itself or even just our area of the law in order to learn something new.

I look forward to my tenure as president of the DeKalb Bar Association. It is truly my honor to serve in this position.