CBA Record February_March 2016

YLS Special Issue l THE COMPLETE LAWYER

Staying Relevant By Matthew A. Passen, YLS Chair

Bar associations across the country are struggling to maintain and grow their membership. Younger attorneys are questioning the value of bar association membership, and those who join are often forced to choose between competing local, state and national bar associations. The question becomes: Howdo bar associations stay relevant and continue to add value to their members? The YLS’s answer has been to create innovative practice development, public service and business development opportunities for our members. This year is no exception. Practice Development At the ABA’s Mid-Year Meeting in San Diego, the Metropolitan Bar Caucus sponsored a program on “Practice Readiness for Young Lawyers” where I was invited to speak on a panel of bar leaders from across the country. The YLS offers a comprehensive list of practice development programs, and I discussed some of them, including our “Practice Basics,” “LunchWith a Judge,” “ShadowProgram” and “Trial Skills” programs. These programs help newer lawyers, especially solo and small firmpractitioners, develop practical knowledge and experience to further their development. As for large firm lawyers, we have developed the “LEAD” (Lawyer Engagement and Development) program to provide training and to discuss issues uniquely relevant to young attorneys at large firms. Most recently, a distinguished panel of large firmgeneral counsel and professional responsibility attorneys discussed the topic of “Professional Respon- sibility Issues for Large Firm Associates” to a packed room of associates. The program, hosted by Holland and Knight, examined how to properly identify ethical issues that arise in large firm settings, and how associates should handle those concerns within large firm structures. We have several more LEAD events scheduled for the coming months. Public Service The YLS also offers constant public service opportunities for our members. Our Wills for Heroes program, which provides estate planning documents free of charge to our com- munity’s first responders, is still going strong. Our Serving Our Seniors program continues to educate low-income seniors about their estate planning options. And our new End Distracted Driving campaign, which involves YLS volunteers giving a presentation on distracted driving to high school students, is gaining ground across Chicagoland. These are just some of the many public service opportunities offered by the YLS year-round. Networking Young lawyers are increasingly realizing the need to concentrate on business development. This is why the YLS provides ongoing opportunities for our members to network with one another and to develop the skills necessary to cultivate business as they progress in their careers. Aside from our monthly socials, we have started innovative programming to meet that need. For instance, we just held a program titled “The Cross Cultural Lawyer,” which was hosted by Schiff Hardin LLP and discussed the unique challenges faced by lawyers of diverse backgrounds in terms of networking and business development. The distinguished panelists provided networking strategies, followed by a reception to practice those skills. In this environment of declining bar association membership, the YLS continues to prove its worth by providing practice development, business development and public service opportunities for its members. I encourage you to take advantage of them. YLS Chair Matthew A. Passen, partner with Passen Law Group, represents plaintiffs in serious personal injury, medical malpractice and product liability actions. In addition to his continued work for the YLS, Mr. Passen also serves as an investigator for the CBA Judicial Evaluation Committee and member of the Continuing Legal Education Committee. He is Past-President of the Chicago Bar Foundation’s Young Professionals Board.Mr. Passen has repeatedly been named a “Rising Star” By Super Lawyers, and was selected as one of the “Top 40 Under 40” lawyers in Illinois by The National Trial Lawyers.

CBA RECORD 29