CBA Record Feb-March 2018

CBA RECORD

EDITOR’S BRIEFCASE BY JUSTICE MICHAEL B. HYMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Creating a Meaningful Life in the Law T here is an essential reason why you should belong to the CBA/YLS (as well as other local, state, and national bar groups): to create for yourself a meaningful life in the law. All you have to do is get involved. Yes, it is that easy. This month’s CBARecord, the annual Young Lawyers Section issue, focuses on the ben- efits of belonging to the YLS. I can think of nothing more important to a Chicago-area lawyer’s early career than active participation in the YLS and CBA. The Young Lawyers Section provides opportunities for young lawyers to become better lawyers. Involvement in the CBA/YLS naturally leads towards new experiences and people while broadening interests, skills, and one’s professional network. The first thing I did after receiving the letter that I had passed the bar exam (yes, a letter ‒ this was pre-www) was celebrate. The very next thing I did was join the CBA/YLS. Actually, I did more than just join. I went to meetings; I volunteered to do pretty much anything that was needed; I took advantage of seminars and social events. It was time well spent. Lawyers I met then remain friends now. Professional demands on you are greater than ever. So are demands on your time. This explains why I believe, more than at any time in the past decade, that continuing participation throughout one’s life is crucial. Membership furthers relationships, facilitates connections, and fosters collaboration with lawyers–some who are like you, and, impor- tantly, some who are not like you. Membership also helps you be more fulfilled, engaged, and successful in your work. And it opens you to different ideas and information outside your bubble that you otherwise would never have known. We live in an age of isolation due to virtual communication. Rather than in-person interaction, electronic devices have encouraged us to be insular, to draw inward, to detach ourselves from our surroundings, to be far too self-absorbed. Although the CBA/YLS has a strong online presence, still, it feels quite enlivening to meet and socialize face-to-face with fellow lawyers, and no other bar association can boast of as many in-person meet- As the adage goes, you get out what you put in. I have gotten so much more out of par- ticipating in the CBA/YLS than I have put in. Not even close. In terms of friendships and warm working relationships with diverse members of the bar. In terms of lifelong professional contacts. In terms of personal development and enrichment. In terms of collegiality. In terms of leadership opportunities. In terms of business (when I was in practice). In terms of serving the public interest, the legal system, and the legal profession. And in terms of the fun, the friendships, and the memories that I have had working with the CBA Record's caring and diligent professional staff (currently David Beam, Director of Publications, and Rebecca Martin, Manager of Advertising and Sponsorships) and, year-after-year, the talented editorial board (current members are listed at left). Both the CBA and YLS offer an impressive variety of opportunities to match your passions and suit your personal and professional needs as your lifework progresses. Get- ting involved is easier than raising your hand. Just show up at a meeting and volunteer, or indicate your interest via email or phone to a committee chair. M y constant CBA/YLS involvement has not only been instrumental in shaping my career, but it also has significantly influenced my life. I hope it does the same for yours. Rehearing: “Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?”–Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland ings, seminars, events, and luncheons as ours. You Get More Out of Belonging than You Put In

EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Justice Michael B. Hyman Illinois Appellate Court Managing Editor Amy Cook Amy Cook Consulting Associate Editor Anne Ellis Proactive Worldwide, Inc. Summary Judgments Editor Daniel A. Cotter Latimer LeVay Fyock LLC YLS Journal Editors-in-Chief Nicholas D. Standiford Schain Banks Kenny & Schwartz Ltd. Natalie Chan Sidley Austin LLP Carolyn Amadon Nina Fain Janet Sugerman Schirn Family Trust Anthony F. Fata Cafferty Clobes Meriwether & Sprengel LLP Clifford Gately Heyl Royster Angela Harkless The Harkless Law Firm Justin Heather Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity Jasmine Villaflor Hernandez Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Michele M. Jochner Schiller DuCanto & Fleck LLP Oliver A. Khan American Association of Insurance Services John Levin Bonnie McGrath Law Office of Bonnie McGrath Clare McMahon Law Office of Clare McMahon Pamela S. Menaker Clifford Law Offices Peter V. Mierzwa Law Bulletin Publishing Company Kathleen Dillon Narko Northwestern University School of Law Adam J. Sheppard Sheppard Law Firm, PC Richard Lee Stavins

Robbins, Saloman & Patt, Ltd. Rosemary Simota Thompson William A. Zolla II The ZOLLaw Group, Ltd.

THE CHICAGO BAR ASSOCIATION David Beam Director of Publications Rebecca Martin Manager of Advertising and Sponsorships

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