CBA Record March-April 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

interviews, researched alternative dispute resolution, and strategized my path into mediation. Some of the best advice I ever received was to talk to people already doing it. I reached out to judges—county, state, appellate, supreme, and federal—as well as professional mediators and arbitrators. So long as I asked the right questions and approached them with curiosity and respect, I found that most were happy to open up, share their insights, and talk about their journeys with me. During this time, I met Jack Cooley, an ADR force. Over lunch, I found myself teaching him how to juggle (a skill he wanted to learn). That moment reinforced a crucial truth: relationships are not just about career moves. They are about genuine human connections and meeting people where they are. I knew quickly that mediation was the right fit, but I needed to strengthen my skillset. I took multiple 40-hour train ing courses: one hands-on mediation course; another on ADR system design, arbitration, and mediation; and a third on divorce mediation techniques. I cast a wide net, open to any ADR-related opportunity to gain experience and dis cern what I truly enjoyed. I joined media tion and arbitration panels, volunteered, coached, and trained others. There’s a conundrum, though. I call it the Catch-22: experience vs. opportunity. You cannot mediate without experience, and you cannot get experience without mediating. The solution? Shadow expe rienced mediators, co-mediate, and vol unteer. If you participated in law school competitions or ADR courses, leverage that background. The more I practiced and gained experience, the clearer my path became.

Government Mediator By Lorna Steuer T ransitions are a constant in all our lives. Deciding to leave a seemingly stable career for the unknown can

see both sides and thrived as a problem solver. This led me to intern for a federal judge and pursue judicial clerkships. I ultimately landed a clerking position in the Cook County Judiciary, progress ing from law clerk to head of the legal research division to representing the Chief Judge in labor disputes. As a young lawyer, it was an eye opening experience. Some assumed I had political connections. In reality, I was a nobody in the political sense. But I built relationships by being hardwork ing, thoughtful, and genuinely interested in helping others. While networking cer tainly mattered, so did self-reflection. I asked myself: What do I love about my job? What drains me? What aligns with my strengths? As I reflected on these questions, my husband (with his entrepreneurial mind set) encouraged me to create a business plan—something completely foreign to me at the time. But this suggestion proved invaluable as it helped me clearly see my path forward: I wanted to be a mediator. So, I began conducting informational

be daunting but also exhilarating. The key to navigating obstacles is knowing and believing in yourself. Focus on what you want, surround yourself with people who believe in you, and take intentional steps forward to achieve those goals. Currently, I am a full-time mediator at the U.S. EEOC, a role I have held for over 23 years. I love what I do. But my transi tion to mediation did not happen over night. When I was a young lawyer, newly married, I had no idea what to do. All I knew is that I was ready for a change. Finding My Calling I tried out several different things in law school. Like many, I started out as a summer associate in Big Law. The work was intense, and it made me appreciate that my real passions lied elsewhere. I took a negotiations course and enjoyed it. I also participated in Moot Court, but I realized I loved collaborat ing to reach solutions. I had an ability to

Lorna Steuer joined the EEOC in 2001 as a Mediator in the Chicago District Office and is a former President of ACR-Chicago and Co-Chair of the CBA’s ADR Committee.

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