ABA YLD Update

The American Bar Association Young Lawyers Division is currently gearing up for the 2014 Spring Conference, which will be held May 15 – 17, 2014 in Pittsburgh. Young lawyers, law students, and affiliate leaders from across the country are encouraged to attend the conference. The three-day conference will be filled with CLE sessions, discussions, and opportunities to network with and learn from lawyers in varying practice areas from cross-country and around the world. Topics for the programs will include the business of law, diversity and inclusion, ending the bullying epidemic, ethics and professionalism, leadership training for affiliate leaders, trial skills, and dispute resolution. Register for the Spring Conference by clicking here. Early-bird rates through April 11: $85 for ABA members and $95 for non-members.

The ABA YLD’s anti-bullying initiative is well underway and being rolledout across the country. Because of the national concern against bullying, ABA YLD Chair Mario Sullivan and the ABA YLD Public Service Team implemented the program “Bullyproof: Young Lawyers Educating and Empowering to End Bullying.” This cross-county program reaches thousands of school children, explains the dangers of bullying, and makes a positive impact on our country’s youth to help prevent bullying. With the assistance of the toolkit available here, bar associations are rolling out this great initiative across the country. For more information on how to implement the program in your local schools, please click here.

The application process is also underway for the YLD Scholarship Program, which is designed to encourage the participation of minority, solo/small firm, government, private sector, and military service attorneys in the Young Lawyers Division. Priority is given to those applicants who express a desire to become actively involved with the YLD and require financial assistance. The scholarship includes partial funding to attend the Fall Conference, the ABA Midyear Meeting, and the Spring Conference; active participation in one of the YLD boards or teams; mentoring; drafting of a resolution for consideration at the YLD Assembly; and assisting on YLD projects as assigned. The deadline to apply for the scholarship is April 15, 2014. For more information, please click here.