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ABA YLD Update

ABA’s Young Lawyer Division Offers Services for You and the Public
By:  Anita Barksdale                  

          The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division ("YLD") is proud that it can give young lawyers around this country and the world the opportunity to gain knowledge, develop skills, build networks, be heard, and give back.  YLD is also proud that this year, YLD's Texas affiliates have made great strides to impact other lawyers and our communities.  This year, various YLD affiliates including Texas Young Lawyers Association (TYLA), Houston Young Lawyers Association, Smith County Young Lawyers Association, Lubbock County Young Lawyers Association, and Austin Young Lawyers Association took home Awards of Achievement for stellar projects that provide excellent service to the public and to the bar.  To see a complete list of winners for the ABA Awards of Achievement, please click here.

          One of YLD's focuses this year is excellent service for our members.  YLD wants to make sure you are receiving the types of benefits you want from YLD and our affiliates.  We also want to know how you prefer to receive these benefits.  We have plenty of resources to assist you, including the "101 Practice Series," an online resource for new lawyers covering basic substantive and practical training, the "Lawyer's Guide to Networking," a tool with practical advice and tips, and the YLD "Job Board."  However, we want to make sure that YLD gives you what you want and need.  If you have ideas, let us know.  If you have needs, let us know.  If you have complaints, let us know.  We are here to serve you.     

          In addition to providing ways to service our membership, we are engaging in a process to get voters engaged.  Public service is, and has always been, a staple of the YLD.  Each year, we champion service causes that affect the communities around us and motivate people to action.  In this election year, the YLD has taken up the call and we want action.  No matter your party affiliation, the right to vote is fundamental and many in our community have not exercised that right or do not understand the significance of that right.  American Voter, this year's YLD Public Service project, is a non-partisan project that is designed to educate all Americans about the right to vote and inspire all to participate in the election process.  The YLD's goal is to roll out American Voter in every state to reach every community, with a special focus on young lawyers going into the schools and sharing with students to engage them in shaping the nation’s future. American Voter materials are easy to use and state-specific information is available for all 50 states.  The project includes (i) the Vote America! documentary ; (ii) an in-class curriculum; (iii) a streaming video featuring a model rollout; (iv) short video segments highlighting various voting-related topics; (v) information on how to register to vote; and (vi) other non-partisan information about state and local elections this November.  YLD is extremely proud to collaborate with TYLA on American Voter to provide TYLA's Vote America documentary to YLD affiliates around the country. 

          Excellent service to the bar and to the public remain our focus and we hope you will join the YLD Fall Conference on October 18 -20, 2012 in Charleston, SC for an event specially designed to help build, market, and manage your practice.  Early-bird registration for the Fall Conference ends on September 26, 2012.  The early registration price is $85 for ABA Members and $95 for non-ABA Members.  And, we will be hosting the ABA Midyear in Dallas, Texas from February 7-9, 2013.  Because Texas is playing host to lawyers from around the world, we hope that you can travel to Dallas to learn more about the YLD.  Lastly, if you are in your first year of practice, you are eligible for free annual dues with the ABA and YLD.  Visit http://www.americanbar.org/membership/dues_eligibility/dues_aba_membership.html for more information.  Your first points of contact for the YLD are your District Representatives Anita Barksdale (abarksdale@jw.com) and Jobe Rodgers (jrodgers@mhbg.com).  On behalf of the YLD, have a great bar year!

Chris Rogers, American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division Chair
Anita Barksdale, District 25 Representative
Jobe Rodgers, District 26 Representative