The ABA Young Lawyers Division held its annual Fall meeting in Louisville, Kentucky on October 6-8, 2005. In the land of the Louisville Slugger, Churchill Downs and the mint julep, TYLA leaders joined young lawyers from around the country to plan public and member service projects for the year and catch up with friends old and new.
Texas Young Lawyers Highlighted
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As usual, Texas young lawyers had a strong presence at the meeting and TYLA projects were proudly highlighted at the conference programming. Clay Scheitzach presented TYLAs Ten Minute Mentor project, which has impressed the YLD so much that they plan to implement the project nationally.
Karin Crump also presented TYLAs Just Hang Up program, a series of public announcements educating seniors to Just Hang Up! on crooked telemarketers. And in the closing ceremony, YLD District Representatives for Texas Kelly-Ann Clarke (Galveston) and Kendyl Hanks Darby (Dallas) were recognized as Stars of the Quarter for their work assisting with the disaster legal services response to Katrina and Rita. Texas young lawyers proved yet again that we are on the cutting edge of both member service and public service!
Other programs young lawyers found valuable included: Effectively Leading Your Affiliate (giving tips on how to create an effective leadership style and managing affiliate business), Emotional Intelligence: Effective Relationship Building and Communication Skills Essential for a Successful Career, and Dispositions 101. The programming also included a special appearance by the Chief Judge Danny J. Boggs of the Sixth Circuit, who spoke to a standing-room-only crowd on Appellate Advocacy from a Judges Perspective.
Unveiling YLDs Public Service Project: Answering the Call
Central to the Louisville meeting was the presentation of the YLDs 2005-2006 public service project, Answering the Call, which focuses on enhancing the delivery of legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS. In 2001, in a first-of-its-kind recommendation, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recognized the critical role of lawyers in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic, indicating that a referral to legal services is among the very first things that should be provided to people when they learn that they are HIV positive. Answering the Call is the Young Lawyers Divisions response to this call to action from the public health sector.
This public service project features both an educational component and a hands-on component. The educational component will include delivery of programming at national conferences and a series of publications to raise awareness of the many legal issues surrounding HIV/AIDS, including employment discrimination, public benefits, bankruptcy, immigration, criminal law, and others. One highlight of the educational component will be the Spring Conference in May 2006, which will be a joint conference with the ABA AIDS Coordination Projects Third HIV/AIDS Law and Practice Conference.
In its hands-on component, the project will promote efforts by affiliates and individual young lawyers alike to reach out to the HIV/AIDS community, both in connection with legal representation and in broader ways. All such efforts are encouraged, whether they involve establishing an HIV/AIDS pro bono program or participating in a local AIDS fundraiser. Affiliates, in particular, are being strongly encouraged to contact their local AIDS legal services organizations to learn about the organizations needs and to provide assistance. The projects featured hands-on program is HIV Legal Check-Up, a diagnostic legal needs assessment program in which an attorney provides a brief consultation to identify the legal needs of someone living with HIV/AIDS. Once those needs are identified, the attorney refers the person to appropriate resources. HIV Legal Check-Up is a tremendously flexible program that can be tailored to the needs of any community, be it a large urban setting with an existing AIDS legal services provider or a rural community with no resources whatsoever for people living with HIV/AIDS.
Hands-On Public Service
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In addition to valuable conference programming and learning about the YLDs major public service project, young lawyers joined together for an afternoon of hands-on giving to the local community. Approximately 30 young lawyers, including Kelly-Ann Clarke and Christy Albano, joined to restore a local public park for children.
YLD Social Events
But the weekend was not all work! Young lawyers met Thursday night in the Fourth Street Live area for some late-night bowling and (allegedly) karaoke. Friday night everyone (and their fancy hats) assembled at the famous Churchill Downs, where they imbibed Kentucky Bourbon and cut a rug. Christy Albano (Collin County President-Elect and TYLA Director District 4), Jay Ray (YLD Chair-Elect), Karin Crump (TYLA President-Elect) and Rob Canas (TYLA Director District 5, Place 3) joined other Texans in Louisville as they gathered with other young lawyers for a weekend of hard work (and, of course, hard play).
Saturday night rounded the weekend out with a Texas young lawyers dinner where everyone caught up before heading back home to the Lone Star State.
Heads Up! Heres Whats Coming Up From the YLD . . . . . .
YLD Meetings
Why miss out on all the useful programming and fun? Join us for these upcoming ABA YLD meetings:
Midyear Meeting
February 9-11, 2006
Chicago, IL
Spring Conference
May 18-20, 2006
Portland, Oregon
Annual Meeting
August 3-6, 2006
Honolulu, Hawaii
(Click here for registration and scheduling information.)
Remember: if you are interested in attending these meetings, there may be affiliate funding available to help cover the expense of your travel. Visit the ABA-YLD website for more information.
YLD TELEcademies
The YLD also provides valuable Bar Leadership TELEcademies for young lawyer affiliate leadersand they are free! Dont miss these great opportunities to learn how to be a better leader in your affiliate.
January 18, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. CST
Building a Strong Membership Base
May 3, 2006 at 12:00 p.m. CST
Creating Positive Cash Flow Fundraising Tips
YLD Affiliate AssistanceTake Advantage!
Did you know that . . . .
. . . . . . . . your young lawyer affiliate can request hands-on assistance from the ABA-YLD Affiliate Assistance Team? The YLD Affiliate Assistance Team offers free training and support to help young lawyer organizations across the country through (1) written materials, (2) phone consultations, (3) e-mail consultations, (4) on-site visits, (5) teleconference programs, and (6) meeting programs. Just some of the areas where the YLD can offer assistance include: recruitment, retention, fundraising, short or long range planning, technology, communications, budgeting, dues or non-dues revenue, governance, and project planning. (Click here for more information and to request assistance.)
. . . . . . . you can present your program at a YLD conference? Each year, the ABA-YLD provides young lawyer affiliates with an exciting opportunity to nominate their programs and projects for presentation at the Divisions upcoming meetings. The benefits of presenting a project at a Division meeting are many, including: national recognition for your project; the opportunity to have your projects adopted and implemented by other young lawyers; the opportunity for you to recognize and reward the presenting young lawyer with a travel and professional development opportunity (a great way to reward a committee chair who has worked diligently to make your project a success); and possible additional funding for one presenter to attend the meeting (including airfare and $100 per diem for 2 days). (Click here for more information.)
. . . . . . the YLD website has resources ready for your use as an affiliate leader? Just log on and download!
. . . . . . . you can get funding from the YLD for your member service and public service projects? To promote public and member service projects, the ABA/YLD Subgrant Program awards subgrants to its young lawyer affiliates to assist them in undertaking projects in these areas. The American Bar Association Fund for Justice and Education provides funding for these subgrants. Once a year, the YLD awards subgrants to affiliates for public service projects in amounts up to $2,000, and for member service projects in amounts up to $500.
. . . . . . . your affiliate projects could win national recognition? The YLDs annual Awards of Achievement Program provides state and local young lawyer organizations affiliated with the ABA-YLD the opportunity to submit their best projects for evaluation and recognition by a jury of their peers. This program is designed to encourage project development by recognizing the time, effort and skills expended by young lawyer organizations in implementing public service and bar service projects in their communities. Additional recognition is given to minority attorney involvement projects and affiliate newsletter programs.
Dont miss out on these and other great opportunities available to you through the YLD. For more information about participating in these and other YLD events, please visit ABA-YLD online, or contact your YLD District Representative Kelly-Ann Clarke or Kendyl Hanks Darby.
