Posted by Post authored by Jennifer Byrne
Pictured above: YLS Officers Tracy Brammeier and Katie Oswald mingling with other young lawyers from Seattle at the Conference Welcome Reception, themed “Celebrating Diversity,” at the Francis Marion Hotel in Charleston.
YLS Officers, Tracy Brammeier and Katie Oswald, traveled to Charleston, South Carolina to represent the CBA Young Lawyers Section at the 2018 YLD and GPSolo Fall Conference which took place from October 25-27, 2018. The Conference, themed “Tradition Meets Innovation,” was hosted jointly by the YLD and the ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division, and was headquartered at the Francis Marion Hotel in the heart of historic Charleston. Programming was diverse with topics ranging from “Domestic Violence and Natural Disasters,” to “Adapting to Legal Services to the Changing Legal Landscape.” Much of the agenda centered around legal innovation in keeping with the theme.
The featured speakers were a highlight of the Conference, said Katie. “We heard from the Chief Judge of the Appellate Court of South Carolina. He was so full of energy about the history of South Carolina.” With respect to the CLE programing she added, “Friday’s program on ethics stood out as one of the highlights, focusing on protecting clients digital assets and in depth look at the best use of VPNs to secure office networks.”
In addition to representing the YLS’ interests on matters of national concern, one of the benefits of sending the CBA’s young lawyers to the ABA’s YLD Conferences is the opportunity to network with young lawyers from other states. The CBA’s emerging leaders are able to swap ideas with other young lawyers, and learn about successful programs that can be implemented in Chicago. Tracy and Katie made connections with a variety of young lawyers from different states at the Conference, were able to solidify those connections by meeting up socially after hours and exchanged information for the future.
Katie found the Conference to be extremely valuable, concluding, “Overall, I met some great attorneys who I plan to keep in touch with and I had a great time representing the CBA.”
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.