Dear COAJ Members, Colleagues, and Friends,

When I was sworn in as President on May 15, 2026, I was both honored and filled with excitement at what opportunities the 2026-2027 term presents. To share that excitement, I am writing to preview a portion of what is coming during my term and to invite you to share my enthusiasm for our association.

I am happy to report that the COAJ continues to grow and evolve to better serve its members, the judiciary, and our profession. A tip of the cap to our two past Presidents Will Nesbitt and Chelsea Long for their leadership and guidance over the last several years.  Approximately two years ago, COAJ leadership took affirmative steps to audit our organization and make necessary changes so that our association will continue to operate at its high level of service. The COAJ leadership board put into place modifications to enhance our efficient and effective operations, to strengthen outreach to adjacent counties and local law schools to advance our group’s mission, and to enact new fiscal measures that will lead to both organizational stability and more social and educational programming for our members. I am proud to say that we have made much progress and will continue to advance these important goals.

During my Presidency, I will work with the board to focus on three major areas:

1. Participation: In the next year, I will work with the board to increase members’ participation in programming and attendance at our events. Although our attendance remains strong, we have many members who simply do not attend our events. By increasing our attendance, we will strengthen promotion of our shared goals and extend networking and mentoring benefits. In addition, I will work with the board in an effort to also increase the judiciary’s attendance at our meetings to promote positive bench-bar relationships and to ensure that the judiciary knows the important work we all do for our clients.

2. Outreach: I will work with the board to continue fostering relationships with law schools so that law students learn about careers representing individuals, not just large corporations and insurance companies.

3. Programming: We have some exciting programming still in the planning phase for Fall 2026 that the COAJ has never done before. A save-the-date email and more information will follow, but I want to offer this teaser for now: we will be serving all our members across the broad spectrum of COAJ practice areas by planning how to come together as never before.

In conclusion, this will be an exciting year for us all.  I hope you will join me in active participation in COAJ events in 2026-2027!

Very Truly Yours,
Mark H. Troutman, Esq., COAJ President