This column is adapted from Mecklenburg Bar Association President Mesha Sloss’s speech delivered at the May 20, 2026, MBA Annual Meeting.

It is my distinct honor and pleasure to serve as President of the Mecklenburg Bar Association for the 2026-27 fiscal year.

Almost a decade ago, at the start of my career as a baby lawyer here in Charlotte, I received a copy of a book titled, “An Independent Profession: A History of the Mecklenburg County Bar”. As I was preparing a version of these remarks for the Annual Meeting, I even braved the wilds of my storage unit to locate the exact copy gifted to me when I was sworn in.

Published in 2012 as part of the Bar’s centennial celebrations, the book chronicles the birth and growth of our bar here in Mecklenburg County. As you might imagine, within the span of 100 plus years of existence, the Bar has grown through many seasons and changes. From times of stability to challenging moments, our Bar has witnessed, weathered, and where necessary, responded, to the shifting needs of our community.

Within the pages of “An Independent Profession”, and in all of our collective memories, you can find proof of the rich and enduring legacy at the Meck Bar.

As I flipped through the volume, I found myself reflecting on this legacy, and some of the milestones along the way. Like when the Meck Bar became the first local bar in the state with a physical headquarters in 1987. Or the pioneering work of the Mecklenburg Bar Special Committee on Diversity, the precursor to our current standing MBA DE&I Committee, who over 20 years ago decided to take definitive action to make our local legal community more diverse and inclusive. Or even more recently, in our decision to bifurcate to better serve our members.

When I reflect on milestones like these, it is clear that, as an organization, we have an enduring legacy of rising to meet the moment. And like any good legacy, the real magic is in how we choose to carry it forward.

With the help of our Mecklenburg Bar Association leaders, volunteers, community partners and our incredible Bar staff, these first two years as a voluntary bar association have set a high standard for what we can achieve together. As the MBA embarks on its third year of existence, we are excited to continue carrying that legacy forward to meet the moment of today.

As an organization, meeting the moment looks like continuing our commitment to making the Charlotte legal community more diverse and inclusive. It looks like strengthening our efforts to promote the public’s understanding of the role of lawyers and the rule of law. It looks like continuing to execute relevant and responsive programming to serve both our members and the community at large.

This isn’t work that any of us can do alone. Because while the Bar’s legacy is bigger than all of us, it is ultimately made possible by each of us. In the ways we choose to lend our ideas, time, talent, and, when fundraising season is upon us, our resources, too, to further the mission of the Bar.

In times like these, with the rule of law and, what sometimes seems like the profession itself, under ever intensifying pressure and scrutiny, it is more important than ever that we remember our rich legacy as a Bar and as a profession. It’s a legacy of rising to meet the moment, and of leading with courage and conviction that have been hallmarks of lawyers for time immemorial.

As we begin the year ahead, I encourage each of us to pause and ask ourselves how we—individually and collectively—will rise to meet this moment. The MBA will, as always, continue to be a place where we can come together to do this important work—supporting our profession, our community, and each other. That is how we honor our legacy and keep building on it for generations of lawyers to come. I’m excited to see how we will meet the moment this year, together.

And if you’ve made it this far through this article, maybe you have ideas or programming you’d like to see. If you aren’t already a member, come join us! Reach out to getinvolved@meckbar.org to find out more about how to get involved.