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ABA YLD Update

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division held its Fall Conference on October 10–12 at the Biltmore Hotel & Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. The conference was filled with programming to help young lawyers develop business and succeed in practice. The programming included conversations and CLE addressing the ABA YLD’s initiative this year, Bullyproof. Finally, some programming took a creative look at hot topics such as the overturning of the Defense of Marriage Act and its effect on immigration laws.

The ABA YLD Conferences are particularly helpful to provide tips and tricks for young lawyers to succeed in the early years of practice. For example, one CLE, called “Anatomy of ADR: Making Strategic Choices,” offered strategy advice for young lawyers about how to select mediators and arbitrators and what to look for when making those decisions. Another CLE program discussed ethical issues for both supervising lawyers and supervised lawyers. The programming in Phoenix featured a CLE on ethics and technology, an important issue many young lawyers deal with early in their careers, particularly during discovery.

The conference also featured many professional-and business-development lessons for young lawyers. In a lunch program entitled “Mind Your Own Business,” four panelists provided their best advice for young lawyers starting careers and trying to develop business in those early years of practice. The advice included ideas on showing appreciation to clients, alternative billing methods, and the importance of building a strong reputation both within and outside a firm.

To further advance YLD’s Bullyproof initiative, the Conference featured several CLE panels or discussions about bullying. Attendees had the unique opportunity to view a screening of Bully, a documentary that follows students as each one deals with consistent bullying at school. The film gives an account of what some children experience on a day-to-day basis because of bullying. Attendees participated in a conversation focusing on when bullying cases should be litigated and differentiating between simple name-calling that almost everyone experiences, on the one hand, and, on the other daily bullying and bullying involving physical violence that can affect a child for life. Many conference participants went to a local Phoenix school and kicked off the Bullyproof project by playing a Family Feud-style game with 6th graders to educate them about bullying. The kickoff was successful, and a toolkit will now be available online for those who wish to implement this game in local schools.

The ABA YLD Conference in Phoenix was a terrific success, featuring great education and programming for young lawyers. The next YLD conference will be February 6–8, 2014 in Chicago in conjunction with the ABA Mid-year Meeting. We hope to see you there. If you have any questions, please contact, District 25 Representative Anita Barksdale or District 26 Representative Jenny Smith.