CBA Record Feb-March 2018

YLS Special Issue: The Benefits of Belonging

MONTHLY YLS SOCIALS PROVIDE CASUAL, VALUABLE NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES Social Justice(s) By Daniel J. Berkowitz

A fter a long day covering a court call, analyzing medical records, or responding to a mountain of e-mails, the thought of staying downtown to spend even more time around lawyers can seem exhausting. For frequent attendees of the Young Lawyers Section’s monthly socials, however, the time spent networking and socializing with their peers is something they look forward to. “When you are working 50-60 hours a week,” said intellectual property lawyer, Brett Manchel, “it is nice to have regularly- scheduled social events where you can count on seeing some friends and meeting new people, too.” Each month, the CBA YLS arranges gatherings of friends and colleagues at different venues around Chicago’s central neighbor- hoods (e.g., the Loop, River North, West Loop), known colloquially as “socials.” The socials provide an opportunity for CBA Members to unwind and relax after a busy day of legal work. It also provides the ability to meet up with old friends and make new ones. While the socials are meant to be fun, the YLS Social Com- mittee, which is responsible for organizing the events, also aims to help lawyers make business connections and interact with other important members of Chicago’s legal community. “We want to get as diverse a body of attendees as possible,” said YLS Social Committee Co-Chair Octavio Duran. “We shoot to get young lawyers with a variety of practices so that they can network and hopefully help each other’s businesses grow. We hope to get judges and members outside of the YLS to provide avenues for the young lawyers and law school students to explore. In our last social, Judge Jesse Reyes was kind enough to attend our event and everyone gained much from talking to him.” The socials also function as an easy entry point for law stu- dents and lawyers who are just starting their practice. As Duran explained, YLS invites law school students “so that they see and understand how important the CBA can be for them, providing help in finding jobs or mentors.” Duran knows firsthand how attendance at the socials can help in gaining mentors and long-term friends. Duran, who went to law school in Michigan, did not have much of a network when he started practicing in Chicago. He attended a YLS social almost immediately after being sworn into the bar, where he met JonathanMraunac and Paul Ochmanek, who were part of the YLS Executive Board. After speaking with them during the social, they encouraged him to get more involved with the CBA and to run for a leadership position. The following year, he did, becoming a Special Project Coordinator. “I continued to see them at more CBA functions,” said Duran, “often picking their brains on any matter, whether professional or personal, and they always made time to help. To this day, Jon and Paul are a terrific friends and mentors to me, and I owe a lot of

The next opportunity to attend a YLS social will be at Point & Feather, 113 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, on April 12 at 6:00 p.m. For information about future socials, check the Young Lawyers tab on the CBAWebsite or the CBA YLS Facebook Group. my success at the YLS to them.” Duran sees incredible value in the socials, since anyone who is already a member of the CBA is welcome to attend. “We have access to one of the largest, most influential groups in the city of Chicago,” Duran remarked. “We are well organized – likely better than most networking groups that are out there. More importantly, you get so much for the membership dues simply by attending our socials. They provide a pathway to success, and all that folks need to do is attend these socials.” Another advantage to attending the socials is the opportunity to meet lawyers in different practice areas. The socials have been “incredibly helpful” to the law practice of family law attorney Alex- andra Perraud, “especially as a new attorney.” Perraud reported that she has met “attorneys that practice in different areas of law that I feel comfortable calling with questions regarding their practice areas that come up in more complex family law matters. Family law is all about growing business, and YLS socials have given me many new connections.” These other lawyers can also become potential referral partners. “[The socials] help me meet new lawyers who practice in fields I don’t,” said Duran. “This means I can refer cases to them if I get leads on a type of law I don’t practice and they do. The same occurs in reverse, where I get referrals from colleagues I meet at these socials.” To those who are hesitant about showing up, either because they have never been or are by themselves, Perraud had a simple message: “Don’t be! Many people stop by for a quick drink after work on their own. You can come and just mingle with friends or you can come and meet tons of attorneys in all areas.” While there are numerous networking opportunities for lawyers in Chicago, the socials have rightly earned a reputation for being incredibly accessible. As Manchel put it: “You can always count on a sociable, fun group of people who actually want to be there, want to meet new people, and have a nice time.” Daniel J. Berkowitz is an Associate Attorney at Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa. His practice focuses on representing insurers in complex insurance coverage litigation arising under general liability, director and officer, and professional liability policies. He is the Assis- tant Editor of the Young Lawyers Journal and a frequent attendee of YLS socials.

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