CBA Record November-December 2024

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

Empowering Young Lawyers: Career Advancement Resources and Opportunities By Olivia Crooks

A ttention legal eagles! Your launch pad to success is right here at the CBA. Whether you’re a recent law school graduate or in your first decade of practice, the YLS Career Assistance Com mittee offers a robust suite of tools and events designed to help you navigate your career path. The CBA understands the unique chal lenges faced by young lawyers in today’s constantly evolving legal landscape. That’s why we’ve curated a comprehensive set of career resources accessible at www.chica gobar.org. These resources are designed to support you at every stage of your career journey, from finding new opportunities to honing your skills and building your professional network. Job Boards and Career Counseling One of the most valuable tools at your disposal when you are ready to make your next career move is the regularly updated job board, featuring opportunities across various practice areas and experience levels. It’s an excellent starting point for those looking to make a career move or explore new options. To complement this, we offer a resume posting service that helps highlight your profile to potential employers, boosting your visibility in the legal community. Sometimes, what you need most is personalized guidance. Eight times each year, the CBA partners with a seasoned career advisor to offer complimentary one-on-one career counseling sessions that can help you clarify your career goals and develop strategies to achieve them. During these 20-minute speed counsel ing sessions, the advisor can review your application materials, discuss the legal job market and job search strategies, dive into interviewing tips, or consult on a variety of other topics ranging from time management to salary negotiation. I

speak from personal experience when saying these sessions can be invaluable to your success navigating complex career decisions or overcoming professional challenges. Check out the CBA website for session dates. Networking Building a strong professional network is crucial in the legal field, and the CBA hosts numerous networking events throughout the year. These events pro vide opportunities to connect with peers, potential mentors, and leaders in various legal specialties. The connections you make at these events can open doors to new opportunities and collaborations. Meetings and Seminars The YLS Career Assistance Committee is excited to announce our upcoming meet ings and seminars. We’ve carefully curated these events to address young lawyers’ most pressing concerns and interests.

CBA members can register for the follow ing events at Learn.ChicagoBar.org (past meetings are archived for on demand viewing but do not receive IL MCLE credit if offered for the live event). October 2 – Working with Legal Recruiters: Have you ever been ghosted by a recruiter? We kicked off the bar year with a session on working with legal recruiters. Participants learned how to effectively utilize recruiter services, including when and how to engage them for maximum benefit in progressing their legal careers. December 4 – The Art of Self Promo tion: Do you have imposter syndrome? The new year will bring a focus on per sonal development so our December meeting will address the art of self-promo tion. You’ll discover techniques for over coming imposter syndrome, effectively communicating your achievements, and negotiating promotions, all skills that are crucial for advancing in your legal career.

30 November/December 2024