Posted by Post authored by Jennifer Byrne
November is a month for giving thanks and enjoying traditions, not just with family, but with your colleagues @theBar!
In November, we enjoy the tradition of welcoming the newest members to the profession. This year, the Illinois Supreme Court administered the attorney’s oath to 1,283 new attorneys on Thursday, November 8, at five separate locations across the state. The largest group, 1,051, was admitted in the First Judicial District during two ceremonies at the Arie Crown Theater at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. Supreme Court Justices Mary Jane Theis and P. Scott Neville, Jr. presided, and CBA President Steve M. Elrod was an honored guest and gave remarks at both ceremonies. CBA staff was also on hand to provide information about CBA membership to new lawyers after their swearing in. New lawyers take note: the CBA offers a FREE one year membership for every newly admitted attorney in the State of Illinois! All newly admitted attorneys are encouraged to take advantage of this offer by visiting our site or by reaching out to the CBA’s membership department at 312-554-2131.
Getting involved in the Chicago Bar Association early and often will not only be hugely beneficial for networking purposes and the job search (visit our Career Resources page for offerings), it will also come in handy as you seek out opportunities to earn your required Newly Admitted Attorney Basic Skills CLE credits (click here for a rundown of new Illinois attorney CLE requirements). The CBA offers a few great ways to earn these credits.
On November 26, the CBA will host its annual day-long New Lawyer Basic Skills Course from 8:40-4:45pm at the CBA Building. New attorneys will earn 6.00 hours of Basic Skills / Professional Responsibility CLE credit by attending the full program. Register for the program now by clicking here.
New attorneys can also satisfy their Basic Skills / Professional Responsibility CLE requirements by participating in the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism’s Lawyer-to-Lawyer Mentoring Program, sponsored by the CBA, which pairs experienced attorneys (6 or more years) with newly licensed attorneys. This program is also excellent way for new lawyers to begin making connections within Chicago’s legal community. Registration will open in late November and an orientation kick-off session will take place over lunch on January 29, 2019.
We also have some fun in store for the month of November! The YLS is excited to partner with the Hispanic Lawyers Association of Illinois for our November Social on November 14. The social will be held at Moe’s Cantina in River North (155 W, Kinzie) from 6-8pm. Free drinks will be available while they last thanks to our sponsors CBA Insurance Agency and Buchanan Court Reporting.
One of the YLS’ longest running and most successful traditions is our Moot Court Competition, which will be held for the 36th Annual Year on November 15, 16 and 17 at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago. This year, 32 teams are competing from law schools across the country. We rely on volunteer attorneys to keep this great tradition alive for law students! Attorneys are needed to volunteer as competition judges on the evenings of November 15 and 16 (5:30 or 7:30 p.m.) and the morning of November 17 (9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.). Competition judges are eligible to earn Illinois MCLE credit. If you’re interested in volunteering, click here to fill out the volunteer form for a Competition Judge.
And finally, in the spirit of holiday giving, YLS will partner once again with Direct Effect Charities and Chicago Public Schools for our annual Dear Santa Letter campaign. Here’s how it works: select a letter, purchase a few items the child has requested from Santa (approx. $25 or less), and mail the package directly to the child’s school. If you’re interested in making a child’s holidays a little brighter, swing by the CBA’s 1st floor bookstore starting in mid-November to pick up a letter! Or, if you would like to distribute letters at your firm or company in bulk (10+ letters) click here to sign up and we will ship the letters to you.
I hope to see you this November @theBar!
Best wishes,
Jennifer Byrne
About the Author:
Jennifer Byrne is the Director of the Young Lawyers Section of The Chicago Bar Association, for which she organizes and coordinates the many events its young lawyers enjoy, including continuing legal education and mentoring programs, social events, the CBA @theBar podcast, blog and more. Prior to Jennifer’s work as a bar association professional, she was a domestic relations attorney in Chicago. Jennifer attended law school at DePaul University College of Law and received a B.A. in both English-Literature and Fine Arts from Illinois Wesleyan University. To learn more about how to get involved in CBA’s Young Lawyers Section, feel free to contact Jennifer at jbyrne@chicagobar.org or 312-554-2031.