The Business Law Section is committed to increasing the participation of young lawyers in Section activities. The cost of attending Section meetings combined with a perceived lack of opportunity to be an active participant in the substantive work of the Section have been identified as major reasons why despite a number of outreach efforts the Section continues to have few young lawyers who are meaningful participants in Section activities.

The goal of the Program is to address these challenges by investing dollars in young lawyers who are expected to participate actively in the substantive work of the Section and to grow into future leadership positions within the Section. The Program is designed not only to develop future leaders of the Section but also to enhance the image of the Section among members of the Young Lawyers Division ("YLD") in order to attract young lawyers into Section membership.

For the Program to be successful, the Section must commit financial resources and participation opportunities to the Fellows. These commitments include the following:

1. The reimbursement of expenses, consistent with normal Section reimbursement policies, for attendance at the Spring and Annual Meetings of the Section as well as at any stand alone meeting of the Committee to which the Fellow has been appointed.
2. The Chair of the Committee to which the Fellow has been appointed will commit to provide specific tasks and speaking assignments for the Fellow. The Chair will also assign a member of the Committee to be a "mentor" for the Fellow in order to maximize the opportunity for participation and leadership growth.

A critical feature of the Program is a commitment by those chosen to be Business Law Fellows to take advantage of the opportunities presented to them to become active participants in Section activities. Their commitments include the following:

1. To attend the Spring and Annual Meetings of the Section as well as any stand alone meetings of their Committees.
2. To continue to be involved in the activities of the YLD and to identify substantive areas of common interest in which members and committees of the YLD can coordinate with, and participate in, the work of the Section.
3. To participate with the YLD Liaisons in recruiting YLD members to become members of the Section, with a specific goal for each Fellow of identifying each year no fewer than five persons who can be personally recruited by the leadership of the Section.
4. To coordinate with the YLD Liaisons efforts to provide broader exposure of the benefits of Section membership to the YLD, including developing plans for joint social and substantive events and programs at the Annual Meeting.
5. To report to the Council of the Section and the Council of the YLD on an annual basis their experience as a Business Law Fellow.
6. To act as mentors to new Business Law Fellows and other YLD members who join the Section and to organize an annual Fellows alumni event to be held at each Spring Meeting.

The Officers of the Section will govern the process by which the Business Law Fellows are selected. To be considered for selection as a Business Law Fellow, a person must be an active YLD member who has demonstrated a significant interest in an area of business law that coincides with the work of a substantive committee of the Section. Selection as a Business Law Fellow is intended to be an honor which carries a prestige and distinction reflecting the substantive contributions of a young business lawyer who has been active in the YLD. Candidates for the Program will be determined the first year through consultation with the leadership of the YLD and with the YLD Liaisons and other members of the Section who have significant contacts with the YLD. Thereafter, it is expected existing Fellows will participate in the selection process and that the Section will work with the officers of the YLD to broadly disseminate to YLD members information regarding the opportunity to be named a Fellow, including a nomination/application form which can be submitted to the Section.

The Program will select five Fellows each year and will fund their expenses for two years. Thus, in any year after the first year of the Program, there would be a total of ten Fellows, divided into two classes.

Deadline for submitting nominations is July 18, 2008. If you have any questions, please contact Nhu Ly at 312-988-6710 or by e-mail at lynhu@staff.abanet.org.

Click here to download the Fellows Application.

2007-2009 Fellows

2006-2008 Fellows

2005-2007 Fellows

2004-2006 Fellows

2003-2005 Fellows

2002-2004 Fellows