Remembering the 2024 FBA Annual Meeting and Convention

Contributed by Christie R. McGuinness

Welcome to Kansas City: home of the Chiefs, Kansas City style BBQ, and the 2024 Federal Bar Association Annual Convention. I had an absolutely fabulous time at the Annual Convention, which was the second one that I attended. Consistent with my prior experience at the Annual Convention, there was a perfect balance of CLEs, Federal Bar Association administration (i.e., installing the next President of the Federal Bar Association), and social events. Kansas City was electric as the city was excited to have their Chiefs kick off the NFL season. From the moment we touched down in Kanas City, everyone was rocking their Chiefs apparel.

At the Annual Convention, I was particularly moved by the presentation reflecting on the 70^th Anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education. It struck me as quite impactful that we were able to hear, first-hand, about the impact of intentional racial segregation in the South, and as a powerful reminder that we are not that far removed from that time in history. Cheryl Brown Henderson, a self-professed proud Kansas native, spoke movingly about her late father’s history, her experience growing up in Topeka, Kansas, and her very early memories of meeting the legal team that litigated Brown v. Board of Education. Ms. Henderson has lived, unsurprisingly having heard the tales of her upbringing, a purpose driven life and I left the panel inspired to make sure that I, too, am living a purpose driven life. I am very grateful to the organizers of this panel for putting it together because it was impactful.

I serve as the Second Circuit Delegate to the Younger Lawyers Division. The Younger Lawyers Division had a very productive meeting where we began our strategic planning for 2025 (hard to believe that 2024 is almost coming to a close). From the Moot Court Competition taking place in D.C. in March 2025 to the Supreme Court Swearing In Ceremony taking place in May 2025 (more details to follow on both), there’s a lot to look forward to from the Younger Lawyers Division. The Younger Lawyers Division, in conjunction with the ADR Section, put on a fabulous mediation workshop. The mediation workshop paired experienced practitioners with law students and younger lawyers to simulate a mediation. It was a packed workshop, well-received panel and provided the opportunity for some active participation from the attendees. The Younger Lawyers Division is looking forward to continuing this sort of active workshop at the 2025 Annual Convention in Minneapolis!

Thank you to the Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapter for hosting the cocktail reception at Tom’s Town Distilling Co. on the Friday evening of the Annual Convention. It was so nice to see so many familiar faces from last year’s Annual Convention and to meet some new folks.

Looking forward to next year’s Annual Convention in Minneapolis!