I’ve been on the job for several weeks now, and my guess is that the Section members haven’t noticed the change! That’s because the Section staff, under the direction of Section Director Brad Hoffman, have done and continue to do great work for our Section. And also because my predecessor, Patricia Costello Slovak, with her energy and devotion to the work of the Section, made the transition pretty easy for me. Thanks, Pat.

This is my first greeting to you as Chair, and I want to take the opportunity to speak to our young Section members. One theme of my tenure as Chair, and this is endorsed by Chair-Elect Barbara Brown too, is to increase membership in the Section and participation by our young Section members. We have all kinds of outreach programs in that respect for law students, government attorneys and academicians, and our new Section Development Fund presents a further opportunity for young or new Section members to increase their participation in the activities of the Section. The Development Fund has just been increased by the Section Council to a commitment of $100,000.00 this coming year, up from $50,000.00. We have already awarded our first fellowships to applicants who, short of Section financial assistance, would not be able to attend our Annual CLE Conference and a committee midwinter meeting. The Section is truly putting its money where its mouth is in its financial support for Section members who need it. This support will help to open up some avenues for people who have not been able to participate in Section activities because of financial need, and their increased participation will serve the Section well.

There are plenty of reasons why you as a young lawyer should become active in the Section. In my own case, attendance at annual meetings and midwinter meetings of the Committee on Development of the Law Under the NLRA allowed me to become confident in my view of legal issues, with the realization that my thinking on some things was in line with that of seasoned, expert lawyers. I had the experience of working on editing the Developing Labor Law treatise over many years, and I learned a lot of law in the process. I also met great people at all levels of experience. With our Section’s many substantive committees and their related publications, you’d find these same things to be true in your particular area of interest. (A young lawyer recently reminded me of something I had forgotten, which is a certain degree of anxiety for a new lawyer in becoming involved in the ABA. I think it’s true that most everyone has had that experience, and just as in any new endeavor, any anxiety is quickly overcome with familiarity and participation.) Participation can also be good for business, and the contacts that you make with government agency representatives will help you in your practice. And I can pretty much guarantee you that you will have fun.

I hope to see you all at the Philadelphia Annual CLE Conference. Remember the early registration deadline is September 14, and all the details about the CLE Conference are available on the Section web page. This Conference is a tremendous undertaking by the Section, and presents you with an opportunity for the absolute best CLE available at the best price in the market. Don’t miss the opportunity..