|
|
 |
A Message from your Chair, James R. Barnes, Esq.
June 2011
_web2.jpg "Image") The Future is Now!
I would like to offer a warm
welcome to all YLS members at the beginning of a new Bar
year. The first order of business is to
pass along a well deserved thank you to Philip G. Fortino, Esq., who did
a great job for our Section last year as Chair. The Section has enjoyed many successes over the past year, and
we truly thank Phil for all of his efforts. I would also like to thank the past leaders of the Section,
including Tucker C. Stanclift, Esq., and Sherry Levin Wallach, Esq., who
have served as mentors to me.
The Young Lawyers Section is one
of the largest sections of the NYSBA and has a mission to ease the
transition from law school into practice for new
attorneys. The mission extends in other
directions as well, given the rich diversity of our
members. We are attorneys in practice
ten years or less, and represent every part of New York State,
substantive area of practice, and ethnicity. We offer continuing legal education programs geared to the
interests of our members, mentoring programs, and pro-bono/community
service opportunities. The YLS has a
large Executive Committee, with representatives to each district in New
York State, liaisons to each substantive Section of the Bar, and several
committee Chairs (i.e., the Mentoring Committee, the Diversity
Committee, the Pro-Bono/Community Service Committee, the Membership
Committee, etc.). We have a very active
Executive Committee, but there are many positions that are available for
YLS members and potential members interested in becoming active in the
Section.
The Section features many annual
programs. I just returned from
Washington D.C. from a United States Supreme Court Admissions Program,
where 50 attorneys were formally admitted to the Bar of the Supreme
Court. The Section has always hosted
this program every other year, but due to the high demand, is looking to
host the program annually, meaning that a new delegation will be heading
to D.C. in 2012. On October 21-22,
2011, the YLS will be gathering in Albany for the Fall
Meeting. YLS Chair-Elect, Michael L.
Fox, will serve as Program Chair. The
meeting will offer professional development activities on Thursday the
21st, with a full day of cutting-edge CLE seminars on Friday the
22nd. The YLS will be holding
several programs during the Association’s Annual Meeting in NYC in
January 2012, including a YLS CLE program on the Wednesday the
25th, and a two-day Bridging the Gap program on Thursday and
Friday, the 26th and 27th. The 3rd Annual Trial
Academy is being planned for March 2012 at Cornell University Law
School, featuring a five-day intensive trial techniques program designed
to teach, advance and improve the courtroom skills of young attorneys,
with an emphasis on direct participation.
The Section is planning many
events in districts throughout New York State, with an aim towards
professional development, networking, new member initiatives and
community service. The YLS is also
looking to kick-off a new mentoring program, designed to pair young
attorneys with law students at Cardozo Law School in the fall of
2011.
The theme for my year as Chair is
going to be “The Future is Now,” which has developed from a
couple of sources. A favorite musical
artist of mine, Brad Paisley, released a song a few years ago entitled
“Welcome to the Future,” which reflects on the wonder of the
world in which we currently live where rapid societal change is the
norm. As the song goes, “when I
was 10 years old, I remember thinking how cool it would be…when we
were going on an 8 hour drive, if I could just watch
tv.” Today, the only question to
ask would be which device would be used as the
television.
The legal profession is also
changing at a rapid pace. Earlier this
year, the NYSBA released a report issued by the Task Force on the Future
of the Legal Profession. The report
addressed the following: (1) developments in the economics, structure
and billing practices of private law firms; (2) changes in the model for
educating and training new lawyers; (3) the pressures on lawyers seeking
to find balance between their professional and personal lives; and (4)
the implications of technology on the practice of
law. The report is readily available on
the Bar Association’s website, and I strongly encourage everyone
to read it. Each section of the report
is relevant to young attorneys, and there is no question that every
young attorney faces significant challenges in his or her professional
and personal life.
The Young Lawyers Section is
committed to being a part of the solution to both present and future
challenges. However, being part of the
solution requires both individual and collective
responsibility. We must be proactive to
be successful. We are often referred to
and thought of as the future of the profession. While in one sense we are, in another sense we are part of the
present as well.
The future is
now. We can and will make a difference:
for each other, in our profession, and in our
communities. I am excited about what we
as a Section can accomplish this year, and look forward to working with
each of you along the way.
|
