The Cup of Coffee That Helped My Career

Lauren, a white woman with long brown hair, wears a black turtleneck.By Lauren Jones

I didn’t know anyone when I moved from Illinois to North Carolina for law school. As if being a 1L isn’t terrifying enough, the old adage I kept hearing, that “It’s not what you know, but who you know,” made the prospect of networking feel intimidating and mysterious. However, through NCBA’s Grab-A-Coffee Program, I found that an informal meeting turned into a summer internship, three wonderful mentors, and a free pizza (or three).

I first signed up for the Grab-A-Coffee program after receiving an email from my school’s Office of Career and Student Development because the program connected students directly to a lawyer in their field of interest. When Sarah Roane and I first connected, I knew we would get along. Even via email, she came across as warm, brilliant, and excited to help. During our first meeting, she asked me what practice area I was interested in. I told her that I was keeping an open mind and was excited to intern with any practice area. Sarah mentioned that she had a connection to a worker’s comp/personal injury firm in Greensboro and asked if I would be interested in potentially interning there. She told me to bring my resume to that week’s social event, and I did. Within five minutes of meeting James, he told me that they’d try to make something work out. Read more

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Preparing for Disaster: How Young Lawyers Can Ready Themselves and Their Clients

Taylor, a woman with black hair, wears a pink blouse and black jacket.

Taylor Dewberry

Shameka, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white shirt and black jacket.

Shameka Rolla

By Taylor Dewberry and Shameka Rolla

A natural disaster doesn’t end when the wind dies down or the flooding subsides. For the individuals, families, and communities affected, the disaster can drag on for months, even years.

Issues of inequity and unequal access to information/resources are further exacerbated by such disasters and often result in unequal access to disaster relief for several communities, including individuals with disabilities and racially and ethnically diverse communities. Read more

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How YLD Represented You at the American Bar Association Annual Meeting

Lisa, a white woman with brown hair and blue eyes, wears a white blouse with a black jacket.By Lisa M. Williford

1. Resolution 22-8YL: Urges the Biden Administration to cancel student loan debt and Congress to adopt legislation that reduces all student loan debt and cancellation for public service borrowers.

2. Resolution 22-9YL: Urges all national, state, and local bar associations to establish a professional advancement program for new and young lawyers to provide meaningful education surrounding wage negotiations and financial planning.

3. HOD Resolution 606: Urges federal, state, local, territorial, and tribal courts, as well as attorneys, judges, legislators, governmental agencies, and other policymakers to take actions to address issues of racism in America’s civil and criminal justice systems. Read more

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Grab-a-Coffee, and Give Back This Fall

Matt Meinel is a white man with light brown hair. He is wearing a blue shirt and black jacket, and he is smiling and standing in front of a tree.Alex Gwynn is a Black woman with black hair and brown eyes. She is wearing a red and white shirt, black glasses, and dark jacket.By Matt Meinel and Alex Gwynn

Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee?

Instead of taking this one to go, how about spending thirty meaningful minutes with a future lawyer? A half hour of your time is all we need to make this program a success! We are seeking attorney volunteers to connect with a law student and pass on the valuable insights you have about succeeding in law school and entering the practice of law.

If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this attorney sign-up form (law students can sign up with this student sign-up form). If you have signed up during a previous GaC session, you will need to sign up again.

Read more

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Rebuilding Our Community: A Fresh Focus for the Young Lawyers Division 2022-23 Bar Year

Lisa Williford is a white woman with straight, dark-brown hair, blue eyes and and golden highlights. She is wearing a white blouse with a black jacket and a silver necklace with a circle pendant, and she is pictured smiling.By Lisa M. Williford

Welcome to the NCBA YLD 2022-23 bar year!

As I noted in my speech during the NCBA Annual Meeting, our focus this year is on “Rebuilding Our Community.” Let me share with you how we plan to achieve that goal: Foundation. Strategy. Engagement.

Great communities are built on strong foundations, and our incredible leadership team provides a strong support for ours. Read more

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Searching for Volunteers for the Grab-a-Coffee Program – Summer 2022 Launch

Kayla Britt is pictured in a white shirt and dark blazer in front of a dark background.Matt Meinel is pictured smiling and wearing a suit with a tree in the background.By Kayla Britt and Matt Meinel

The YLD’s Law Student Outreach Committee is continuing its flagship Grab-a-Coffee Program (“GaC”) over the summer!

GaC is a statewide program that pairs law students with practicing attorneys based on their practice area(s) of interest. Discussion topics may include the attorney’s path to their current employment, what the practice is like in the attorney’s current areas of law, and any general advice the attorney may have for the student. The program is meant to be an informal, one-time, thirty-minute meeting. Attorneys and students have the option of meeting virtually or in person.

To make this program a success, we need you! We are seeking attorney volunteers to connect with a law student and pass on the valuable insights you have about succeeding in law school and entering the practice of law. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this attorney sign-up form (law students can sign up with this student sign-up form). If you have signed up during a previous GaC session, you will need to sign up again. Volunteers will be notified by email with more information once they are paired with a law student.

We look forward to a successful summer of networking!

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Out of the Office Series: Fitness Edition

By Desirae Hutchinson, Robyn Sanders, Sloan Carpenter, and Larissa Mañón Mervin

Desirae Hutchinson

Desirae Hutchinson

Where do you work and what is your job title?

I work at Cape Fear Valley Health System and am Assistant Counsel there.

What type of law do you practice?

Healthcare/ In-house counsel

What do you enjoy doing out of the office?

Boxing Read more

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My Vision for the Legal Profession: Prioritizing Attorney Mental Health

Natalia Talbot

This piece was selected as the winning entry in the YLD’s 2022 Writing Competition.

By Natalia Talbot

By the time I retire from practicing law, I envision a legal profession that values and prioritizes mental health. My vision is motivated by personal loss and experience, and a sincere hope for change.[1]

Just before dawn on Thanksgiving Day, 2018, I received a phone call from my father. It was a call that we all hope never to receive, but that sadly, many of us have or may receive one day. In a shattered state, my father told me that my younger sister, just 28 years old at the time, had taken her own life.

Read more

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The NCBA YLD Announces the Winner of the 2022 Writing Competition

Claire O'Brien

Claire O’Brien

Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen

By Claire O’Brien and Michael Cohen

The NCBA YLD is pleased to announce the winner of our 2022 Writing Competition: Natalia Talbot, “My Vision for the Legal Profession: Prioritizing Attorney Mental Health.”

Natalia’s piece addresses the critical issue of attorney mental health. She shares her own journey, identifies important resources, and proposes specific steps we can all take to move toward a healthier version of our chosen profession. Congratulations to Natalia, and thank you to all who submitted pieces for consideration. We are grateful for the time and effort you committed to the process!

Your YLD Communications Committee Co-Chairs,

Claire O’Brien and Michael Cohen

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Want to Work as a Clerk? Tips for Aspiring Judicial Law Clerks

Turner R. AlbernazBy Turner R. Albernaz

Serving as a law clerk for a judge is an enriching experience for newly minted lawyers. I know a number of attorneys, young and old alike, who look back on their time clerking fondly and consider it one of the best experiences — if not the best experience — of their legal career.

Having served as a law clerk for North Carolina judges for two years after finishing law school,
I hope that with this post I can provide some insight about positioning yourself to serve as an invaluable cog in the machine that is a judge’s chambers.

Why Clerk?

Whenever I speak with a law student or prospective law student, I always recommend that they consider clerking, and there are countless reasons why. It gives you the opportunity to engage in valuable public service and develop lasting personal and professional relationships with judges, fellow law clerks, and others. It exposes you to a wide array of areas of the law and allows you to learn about them firsthand, something that is particularly useful for individuals who, even upon graduating law school, are unsure as to exactly what field of law they want to (or do not want to) practice in.

Read more

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