President-elect Candidate Statement: Sarah Gold

President-elect Candidate Statement: Sarah Gold

9.28.2021

By Sarah Gold

I am seeking the position of the President-Elect of the New York State Bar Association (NYSBA). I do so because of what NYSBA means to me. I have been a member since I was in law school, and while many people are happy doing so and nothing more, my experience was different. I came to my involvement at NYSBA because of a crisis. I had lost my first attorney position due to the implosion of the stock market in 2009. Newly minted and at a loss, I leaned on the Bar when I needed guidance. And it did that and more. It gave me a purpose, a network, a framework, a plan forward. In return, I stayed involved. I started small but kept on working. Working on a committee, then a Section, and then chairing that Section and then doing it again, and then for a third time. I became a member of the House of Delegates, and then the Executive Committee. At the same time, I founded and grew my solo practice, primarily by learning through NYSBA. Being the first attorney in my family, I looked to my fellow members as a guide of what it was to be an attorney. What it was to truly practice law. For me, it’s a matter of pride, purpose, and example.

NYSBA is not here only for us, it is for the practice of law. It has changed radically since I first was admitted. And if nothing else, the last eighteen months has proven that being flexible, knowledgeable, and proactive with the times has and will continue to be the way forward. The profession is not slowing down, it is speeding up. Members and non-members alike look to see what NYSBA is saying during this time and will continue to do so. I believe that the Association has set itself apart with its leadership and outstanding cutting-edge reports that speak to so many of the issues that we currently face. We do not do this alone. It is an effort of every Section, every Committee, every member of the House that makes the work we do possible. We have a multitude of riches in our members, and we need to show what that means to those who are currently not involved with NYSBA. I know what this organization can do because I have lived it.  I want to continue to serve this organization at the highest level because I believe in what we do. And I want to keep it that way.