What does it mean to be a "young lawyer"? Technically, a young lawyer is an attorney in the American Bar Association who is under the age of thirty-six. For some of us, that can mean up to twelve years as a member of the Young Lawyers Division. However, in a practical sense, what does it mean?
It means recent law school graduates and not so recent graduates learning and growing in their profession, becoming more skilled practitioners as their careers develop. It includes the thousands of new lawyers admitted in the past few years. As each class of new attorneys is sworn in, the bell curve shifts to reflect that half of the ABA membership is young lawyers. This is significant and is quite impressive when you consider that many lawyers practice well into their seventies.
It indicates that the profession is growing and changing, and that we are a part of and are affected by those changes. As the number of lawyers increased and the competition grew, we saw the profession shift its focus to billable hours. As computers became more mainstream, we saw offices and courts automate to stay current and competitive. Since many families find both parents working, issues concerning quality of life and part-time work have arisen. As the economy fluctuates, we see mergers and dissolution of firms.
As we witness these changes, we can affect these changes. We can strive to be better professionals. We can learn more through continuing legal education, by taking on a pro bono case, or by working as a team with our colleagues. We can take advantage of opportunities to improve our professional lives in the present, that will be beneficial in the future.
There is a saying that the whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. That is very true in the ABA Young Lawyers Division. We have approximately 170,000 members, many of whom are sharing similar experiences in their careers. We have the ability to bring together tremendous resources in our knowledge and numbers to influence the future of our profession.
We also have the ability to broaden our knowledge through educational programs that the YLD presents to help members in their personal and professional lives.
All of these things are great resources to fellow young lawyers, and indicate our strength in the association. The ABA often looks to the Young Lawyers Division for guidance to see where the profession is headed, or to ask us to undertake an important project that they have identified.
Turning back, we need to ask not what it means to be a young lawyer, but rather, what it means to be a member of the Young Lawyers Division. It means we have the opportunity to make a difference in our lives now and in the future. The way to make a difference is to be involved and to actively work to improve the profession.