Editorial Obiter: And to all, a good year

Many people have decried 2016 as a year of the terrible and chaotic.

An unrelenting stream of deaths of notable people. Troubling social and political events around the globe.

Divisions involving race, sexual orientation, class and gender — that sometimes feel intractable.

But I don’t buy 2016 was a year of darkness.

This issue of Law Times contains our Newsmakers magazine, which focuses on the year’s top stories.

Many of these stories illuminate important (and hope-encouraging) developments for the year ahead.

In January 2016, I had the privilege of becoming editor of Law Times.

Over the last 12 months, I had the opportunity to meet, chat, correspond with and edit stories involving the best and brightest people the legal profession has to offer.

Our writers, columnists and the people we interview and write about do not always agree.

But the vast majority of lawyers and judges I’ve met are passionate about their profession and enthusiastic about engaging with the law (in all its winding complexity, sprawling subject matter and technological dawdling).

They are practising and applying the law in a manner that is fair, thoughtful and intellectually rigorous, on issues ranging from prison lockdowns to legislation critiques.

Our readers are beneficiaries of their insight.

Therefore, I am looking forward to 2017. The world will be a stronger place because of our print and digital readers (and interview subjects) by the very nature of their engagement. We look forward to covering important facets of their professional world in the year ahead.

Welcome, 2017.