Young Lawyers Division 2000-2001

JULY/AUGUST 2000 Looking for the Quickest Way to Get to the (Big) Bar? Catch a Ride with Your Liaison . . . .

By John Austin

Aging is like being a passenger in a commercial airplane. Once you board, you have no control of the final destination, which for you, my fellow young lawyers, is Age Out Town. Population? You.

At first, the journey begins slow and carefree. You talk to companions; you read trashy books; you browse the Airshop catalog for laser-guided golf clubs and electric shock devices that guarantee weight loss. The biggest issue on your mind is the choice between ravioli or chicken for your in-flight meal.

Then suddenly, the plane takes a dip down, and the captain announces that landing is imminent. You quickly look out the window; the approaching scenery is unfamiliar and disconcerting. Feelings of doubt, anxiety, and insecurity invade your once-confident psyche.

The plane jerks as it lands, emphasizing the fact that you are little prepared for your destination. As you and the other passengers disembark, the sappy and drippingly sweet "bye-byes" of the flight attendants mock your every step. You are now a stranger in a strange land.

As you exit the gangway, others are greeted by friendly faces, holding signs like "O'Brien" and providing a safe ride through the mean streets. You have no ride; no one greets you. Frustrated and fearful, you grab a greeter and shake him. "Why don't I get greeted? Why don't I have a ride?!" you demand.

"Did you ask for one?" he kindly responds. Taken aback that help is available for the asking, you stammer, "No-o-o-o."

These greeters are nothing more (or less) than our YLD liaisons, who, like airport chauffeurs, transport young lawyers from the YLD into the ABA's substantive sections. In essence, the liaison can be the greeter and the guide to continued, long-lasting involvement in the ABA. Since membership for all young lawyers in the Division is limited, they must keep in mind opportunities for involvement in the "big bar."

YLD liaisons can assist with these opportunities. According to Bill Scoggin, ABA YLD liaison coordinator, it is the liaison who is the primary channel of communication between the YLD, its officers and parallel committees, and the ABA entity. "The YLD Committee structure has become one of the YLD's strongest avenues of entry into the ABA for many young lawyers," Scoggin says. "The liaisons play a significant role in assisting YLD committees to achieve this level of involvement through communication and assistance."

It is the duty of each liaison to stimulate young lawyer membership and involvement within each ABA section or division, according to Scoggin. "It is well documented that membership retention increases dramatically if an ABA member is actively involved in an ABA section. The opportunity for partnership between the YLD committee and the ABA entity is limitless," said Scoggin. "For example, this year YLD committees are required to co-sponsor CLE presentations with their parallel entities in the ABA."

The liaison is also instrumental in drafting and presenting resolutions to the YLD Assembly. Liaisons can inform proponents of resolutions where a section has taken a position on a particular topic. Moreover, liaisons can opine whether a particular section would oppose or support a resolution. As a matter of background, in order for the YLD to take a resolution adopted by the Assembly to the ABA House of Delegates, it is imperative that it gain the support of the related ABA entity. Interaction and cooperation between the drafters and that ABA entity are important to avoid conflicts or concerns over the drafted language, according to Scoggin.

In sum, unlike the reaper, do not fear the liaisons. They are not "dangerous." So, before you see your sun setting in the Division and before you embark on that last AOP trip, call your liaison. He or she will be there, waiting to help you get involved with a new section or committee. Liaisons can also help coordinate projects or resolutions that affect or that need the support of the ABA.

John Austin is an assistant editor of The Affiliate and practices law with Wood & Francis in Raleigh, North Carolina.