CBA Record January-February 2025
THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION
CHANGE Kenneth A. Matuszewski, YLS Chair
CBA YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION
Chair Kenneth Matuszewski Rozier Hardt McDonough First Vice-Chair Gavin Phelps Phelps LLC Second Vice-Chair Aleksandra Petrovic Damisch & Damisch Ltd. Recruitment Officer Stephanie Moon
I encountered my own change in life circumstances earlier last year while I searched for a new job. Like many people, I have remained at jobs for several years. In my case, doing so not only allowed me to get accustomed to coworkers’ working and writing preferences, but it also helped me grow as an attorney. As I became comfortable and confident in the work place, so too did I in my personal life. For example, I began cooking and going to the gym more frequently. But many of these things vanished while searching for a new job. While these changes were dif ficult, they forced me to think critically about the type of legal environment that would fit me best, channel my planning efforts for my YLS Chair year, and reflect on how far I had come professionally and personally. This period of self-discovery led me to my current firm, which I enjoy thoroughly. I do not think I would have been able to adapt so quickly there if it wasn’t for the changes I experienced last summer. Apart from new possibilities and change, the New Year means we are half way through the 2024-2025 bar year. I am excited to report that 2025 will have as many, if not more, memorable and meaningful Young Lawyers Section events for law students and attorneys of all ages. Upcoming events include our career development panel discussion with past Chicago Daily Law Bulletin 40 Under Forty winners on January 16 (watch the on demand version at Learn.ChicagoBar. org) and a State Court Judicial Externship Career Fair on January 30. Plus, Practice Tracks (entire month of February), Law Student Speed Networking on Febru ary 13, and a Transactional Negotiation Competition on February 27-March 1. Coming later in the Spring: Federal
Armstrong Teasdale LLP Philanthropy Officer Jacob Berger Tabet DiVito & Rothstein Program Officer Deepa Singh U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Program Officer Pam Sran Fox Rothschild LLP Secretary/Treasurer Andre A. Hunter, Jr. Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani Co-Editors in Chief YLS Journal Nikki Marcotte Kirkland & Ellis LLP Joanna Kopczyk Attorney at Law Vice Chair of YLS Journal Katherine Hanson Chicago-Kent College of Law Co-Editors in Chief @theBar Blog Teresa Dettloff Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office Hannah Werner MacDonald, Lee & Senechalle, Ltd. DEI Officer Bianca Ciarroni Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP
I t’s hard to believe, but 2024 is in the rearview mirror. While the holiday season honored traditions, a new year, in the words of Calvin and Hobbes, is “a fresh clean start,” “like having a big white paper to draw on,” and one that is “full of possibilities!” Many, including myself, use the new year to reflect on the previous year, declutter or deep clean their homes, or make resolutions to exercise more, eat better, spend more time with friends and family, or cut back on negative habits. These intentions and resolutions are all admirable, but they frequently do not last. While change and progress are often considered positive and a force for good, I and many other people often have dif ficulty dealing with change, whether big or small. That is because even the most positive changes dovetail with loss. Using New Year’s resolutions as an example, exercising more means giving up time that would have been spent on other activities, such as sleeping in or hobbies. Giving up or cutting back on certain habits means losing old coping mechanisms and being forced to develop new ones. But change and loss are usually most acutely felt during a change in life circumstances, such as graduation from school, moving to a new home, or starting a new job.
30 January/February 2025
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