YLD e-Blast: September 2020

By Christina Cress

DATES TO KNOW

October 2, 2020 | Panel Discussion: “What I Wish I Had Known in Law School” | Zoom | 12:00 p.m.

October 19, 2020 | YLD Professionalism for New Attorneys Social | Zoom | 5:00 p.m.

COMMITTEE AND SECTION UPDATES

Law Student Outreach Committee: The Law Student Outreach Committee of the Young Lawyers Division has temporarily revamped the Grab a Coffee Program (“GAC Program”) into a new virtual networking opportunity! Instead of meeting in person, attorneys and law students will meet virtually via Zoom or other software agreed upon by the attorney and student. The GAC Program is looking for volunteers who are willing to get together virtually with current law students at a time convenient to both parties. This is a great opportunity to connect with a law student and pass on valuable insight you may have about succeeding in law school, passing the bar exam, or entering the practice of law. This is a one-time only  commitment of 30 minutes of your time and could have a lasting impact on a student! If you would like to volunteer, please fill out this form (law students can sign up here). Volunteers will be notified by email with more information once they are paired with a law student.

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YLD Member Perspective: A Holistic Approach to Hiring

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By Kayla Britt

I flunked out of law school in 2014. Now, in 2020, I’m a licensed attorney and a law clerk to the Honorable Reuben F. Young on the North Carolina Court of Appeals. The story of how I got to where I am today is significant and life-changing.

We are more than our setbacks. Those of us who have faced a perceived “failure,” including those who have been academically dismissed or had to sit for the bar exam more than once, should stand just as much of a chance as those who did not. “Qualifications” are extremely important, but seeing a person as more than a resume is important, too.

North Carolina Central University School of Law gave me not one but two chances to achieve my dreams. During my 1L year, I did the required reading and prepared to respond to cold calls, but I did not study effectively for exams. I worked hard but not smart, and I was ultimately dismissed. When I was readmitted to law school in 2016, I was so focused on my grades that I did not build my resume by becoming involved in many student organizations or other extracurricular activities. When it was time to apply for post-graduation jobs, I was just an average candidate, but that did not stop Judge Young from giving me the opportunity of a lifetime. In one hiring decision, he changed the whole trajectory of my career.

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Get Involved with the YLD!

By Kristen Kirby, YLD Chair

Welcome to the 2020-21 bar year! I am honored to serve as your Chair this year and look forward to working with you all to make this an impactful, fun and productive year for the YLD.

Our great YLD programs and initiatives are only made possible through the involvement and service of volunteers like you. I would like to invite each of you to sign up to serve on one of our 14 committees. The committees cover a broad array of networking, community service, pro bono and educational programs – there is something for everyone!

The YLD is divided into four Divisions – Bar Outreach, Community Outreach, Civic Engagement & Pro Bono and Law Student Outreach – each led by a Division Director. Our Division Directors have put together short videos highlighting the Committees in their Division and explaining the work those Committees do.

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NCBA YLD Garners ABA Awards of Achievement

By M. Cabell Clay
2019-20 YLD Chair

The Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association is routinely recognized by their peers—the Young Lawyers Division of the American Bar Association—as an exemplary organization for young lawyers.

Historically, the most common form of recognition has been through the ABA YLD Awards of Achievement. Despite the challenges and restrictions of COVID-19, the NCBA YLD has once again received commendation from ABA YLD for outstanding efforts in 2019-20.

NCBA YLD will receive Awards of Achievement in two categories:

  • Service to the Bar: Civic Engagement Project
  • Service to the Profession: Legal Feeding Frenzy

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An Interview With Jasmine H. Gregory

Collins is a person who has red hair and is wearing a red blouse and black jacket.By Collins Saint

The NCBA YLD Diversity and Inclusion Committee has interviewed several diverse attorneys about their experiences in the law. New attorneys face many challenges, including finding mentors, fitting in, and finding their place—and diverse attorneys are no different.

Here is one diverse attorney’s perspective on how she is overcoming these challenges.

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An Interview With James L. Bobbitt, III

Collins, a person with red hair, wears a red shirt and black jacket.By Collins Saint

The NCBA YLD Diversity and Inclusion Committee has interviewed several diverse attorneys about their experiences in the law. New attorneys face many challenges, including finding mentors, fitting in, and finding their place—and diverse attorneys are no different.

Here is one diverse attorney’s perspective on how he is overcoming these challenges.

 

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Announcing the Winners of the NCBA YLD COVID-19 Wellness Challenge

From April 1 through May 3, the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division at the direction of Lisa Arthur launched a wellness challenge to promote and celebrate the wellness initiatives of young lawyers across the state in the face of the COVID-19 stay-at-home orders. Each week, lawyers shared their wellness activities in a Strava club and encouraged their peers to do the same. To support wellness in the profession, the YLD agreed to award $75 gift cards to a small business of a young lawyer’s choosing. Today, we recognize the winners and the small businesses the winners support.

Week 1 Winner = Kimberly Hicks

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2019-2020 ABA YLD Scholars: A Year in Review

Jonathan Bogues

Sheila Spence

By Jonathan Bogues and Sheila Spence

Each year the American Bar Association (ABA) invites young lawyers from throughout the nation to apply for the highly competitive and highly coveted Young Lawyers Division (YLD) Scholars Program. The principal objective of the YLD Scholars Program is to increase the participation of minority, solo/small firm, government, private sector, and military service attorneys in the Young Lawyers Division with hopes of increasing diversity in leadership positions within the ABA YLD. To accomplish this goal, the ABA provides YLD Scholars with funding to attend ABA conferences.

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An Interview With Katie Wong

Collins is a person who has red hair and is wearing a red blouse and black jacket.By Collins Saint

The NCBA YLD Diversity and Inclusion Committee has interviewed several diverse attorneys about their experiences in the law. New attorneys face many challenges, including finding mentors, fitting in, and finding their place—and diverse attorneys are no different.

Here is one diverse attorney’s perspective on how she is overcoming these challenges.

 

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An Interview With Drew Culler

Collins, a person with red hair, wears a red blouse and black jacket.By Collins Saint

The NCBA YLD Diversity and Inclusion Committee has interviewed several diverse attorneys about their experiences in the law. New attorneys face many challenges, including finding mentors, fitting in, and finding their place—and diverse attorneys are no different.

Here is one diverse attorney’s perspective on how he is overcoming these challenges.

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