CBA Record July-August 2026

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

CBA YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION Chair Aleksandra Petrovic Kellogg, Abrams, & Jovanovic, LLC

One Profession, One Community Aleksandra Petrovic, YLS Chair

First Vice Chair Stephanie Moon Armstrong Teasdale LLP

hoping to build our legal networks in Chicago. I had recently moved back from New Orleans and worked at a small firm where my legal network consisted of only a handful of attorneys. When I walked into the event, I rec ognized one familiar face: my oppos ing counsel on a case, Octavio Duran. At the time, I had no idea he was serv ing as YLS Chair. He welcomed me warmly, introduced me to people who would later become trusted colleagues and close friends, and encouraged me to get involved. That moment changed the course of my relationship with the CBA. I found opportunities to contribute to meaningful projects, serve in multiple leadership positions, and establish deep roots in Chicago. I came seeking a professional network, but I found something far more mean ingful: a true community. Six years later, I encountered the great est challenge of my professional career. My mentor of eight years, my boss, and our firm’s Managing Partner, Mark Damisch, lost his battle with cancer and passed away. At the time, I was eight months pregnant and uncertain whether I could navigate the transition of a law firm and motherhood for the first time, all while battling the grief of losing some one I had worked with for so long. When I needed help the most, the legal community, especially the members of the CBA, rallied around me. Gavin Phelps immediately stepped in to help me

Second Vice Chair Andre A. Hunter, Jr. Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani

Recruitment Officer Joseph Nelson DiCello Levitt

Philanthropy Officer Deepa Singh U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

Program Officers Cha’yra Eddie Levenfeld Pearlstein LLC Stephanie Reed Almeida Law Group

I am deeply honored to have been selected as the 56th Chair of the Young Lawyers Section. I look for ward to following in the footsteps of Gavin Phelps, Kenny Matuszewski, and the many outstanding leaders who came before them. Supporting me this year are Stephanie Moon and Andre Hunter, Jr., as First Vice Chair and Second Vice Chair, respectively. Together with the rest of the Executive Committee, I know they will help lead the YLS into a bright and promising future. My journey with the YLS began in 2019, and it has profoundly shaped my appreciation for this organization and all it offers its members. To understand my vision for the future of the Section, I would like to take you back to where it began. As a young attorney, I attended my first YLS event with my husband. We both arrived

Inclusion and Engagement Officer Kushtrim Ashiku Ankin Law

Secretary/Treasurer Ayomide Jide-Omole VentureWell

Co-Editors of the YLS Journal Katherine Hanson Illinois Appellate Court

George Schaller Duane Morris LLP

Co-Editors of the CBA Blog Sara Shiffman Attorney at Law John Gilmore King & Spalding

Want to get involved in the Young Lawyers Section? Send an email to yls@chicagobar.org and ask to get connected with future leadership and volunteer opportunities.

Immediate Past Chair Gavin Phelps Attorney at Law

44 July/August 2026