Young Lawyers Division 2000-2001
Jonathan Cole is an assistant editor of The Affiliate and practices law with Baker, Donelson, Bearman & Caldwell in Nashville, Tennessee.
Professional Development
The Key to Success Is the ABA Jonathan Cole
If you have had the opportunity to travel to a foreign culture, you may remember the feelings of disorientation you had upon your arrival. You may even wonder why you ever left home in the first place. While the ABA YLD may seem a foreign culture to newcomers, the mystery need not remain with you long. The door is open for you to feel right at home and for you to get the most out of your involvement with the ABA, not only for yourself but also for your affiliate.
Why Should I Get Involved?
The question should probably be: Why shouldn't I be involved? The ABA provides bar leaders the opportunity to interact with others who have the same interest in public service projects and member service programs. It is virtually impossible to get involved in some way with the ABA and not get inspired or rejuvenated that you're part of a profession that is doing something good for other people and society as a whole. When we allow ourselves to get boxed in with our practices, it is easy to see how burnout and apathy take over as controlling emotions. With the ABA, you can see what our profession is doing right. Either through substantive committees or the AOP experience, your involvement with the ABA will rekindle that flame that caused you to apply to law school in the first place.
What Can the ABA Do for Me or My Affiliate?
For your affiliate, the AOP Team provides you the tools necessary to have successful programs for the personal and professional development of your members and projects for the betterment of your community. Keith Frazier of Nashville, Tennessee, remembers when he was president of the Tennessee Bar YLD that his affiliate was faced with the "crunch of shrinking budgets and volunteers who had less and less time as their practices and families developed." However, through the AOP, he was able to better understand the vast resources the ABA can offer affiliates many of whom are facing the exact same issues.By attending AOP Conferences, you can see the types of ideas which have proven successful in affiliates like yours, and if you want to replicate the project in your own affiliate, you can receive "on the spot" training and instruction to accomplish it when you get home. AOP Conferences also allow you the chance to have some of the best times of your life. Just as travel to foreign cultures promises something new around every corner, AOP conferences offer the best ways to experience other cities while meeting new and interesting people who share some of the same goals and objectives you have.
If you need some personalized attention to address an obstacle which is facing your affiliate, the Affiliate Assistance Team will send one of its members to your town or state to address the situation directly at no cost to your affiliate.
Speaking of cost, sometimes it's difficult to find the financial resources necessary to get a project off the ground. That's where the AOP's Subgrants can help. These divisions of the AOP Team, along with The Affiliate that you're reading now, provide you the resources to discover, plan, and implement the programs which will render your affiliate a success.
OK, I Want to Get Involved. How Do I Do It?
The key way to immerse yourself in the opportunities of the ABA is to be active, attend all the ABA functions you can, and volunteer. But you may ask: Volunteer for what? With all the different positions and committee assignments, how do I know what I should do? Well, there is no clear answer; it all depends on you. Just as someone may get the most of a foreign culture by sightseeing while another enjoys spending time with the day-to-day lives of the locals, there is no single recipe for success. Whatever interests you the most is where you should direct your energies.There are several types of assignments: committees, liaison positions, and the AOP Team. If you have an interest in one particular area of the law, you may enjoy serving on a Young Lawyer committee or as a liaison to a committee of the senior bar. There are committees for virtually every area of the law. If you want to learn more about a substantive area of the law or if you want to meet other practitioners in your field, a committee assignment would be right up your alley.
Another option rests with the AOP. As you can see from the introductory article to the AOP in this issue, there are many different ways to serve on this team. Through National Conferences, Subgrants, the Affiliate Assistance Team, or on the staff of The Affiliate, you can ensure that affiliates across the country have the tools necessary to guarantee that they are serving both the needs of their members and the needs of the public.
Therefore, the only thing you need to do is do something. Find out what part of the ABA interests you or your affiliate the most, and then jump in! If you made it through law school, you already know if you want to get the most out of something you can't hold back.
