CBA Record May-June 2025

THE YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

CBA YOUNG LAWYERS SECTION

APOTHEOSIS Kenneth A. Matuszewski, YLS Chair

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

Classroom on a Four-Star Night. Lawyers in the Classroom works on the front lines all year-round to teach Chicago Public School students about the Constitution, their civil rights, and their civic duties. This bar year, the YLS not only hon ored these foundations, but also experi mented by developing new programs, reviving committees, and restructuring some of the responsibilities of our lead ership roles. While this may be the apo theosis of the 2024-2025 bar year, I am confident we have taken our first steps to ensure that the CBA, the YLS, and their ideals will endure for many years to come. An apotheosis is an apex, climax, or cul mination. For me, it represents an oppor tunity to give my thanks to everyone who has made this bar year so memorable. To all my officers, including Gavin Phelps, Aleks Petrovic, Stephanie Moon, Jake Berger, Andre Hunter, Deepa Singh, Pam Sran, Bianca Ciarroni, Nikki Marcotte, Joanna Kopczyk, Kather ine Hanson, Theresa Detloff, Hannah Werner, and Marty Gould: thank you all so much for trusting me throughout this bar year, for executing such amazing pro grams and initiatives, often in the face of incredible odds, and for your support and guidance whenever I needed it. Running the YLS is truly a team effort, and all we accomplished this year would not have been possible without you. To Gavin, our incoming YLS Chair, I have the utmost confidence that you will continue our tradition of excellence. You’ve created many of our most significant and foundational programs, including Diversity Week and the Transactional Negotiation Competition, yet have always found a way to refine and keep us on track. These skills will serve you well in the upcoming year both as a leader and as a father.

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

M ore than ever, I am proud to be a CBA member and to serve as the Chair of the Young Lawyers Section. As lawyers, law firms, and judges come under attack simply for represent ing their clients or exercising their judg ment, our Association has remained a bulwark for those who uphold the rule of law. Over the past few months, we have used our collective voices to sign and sup port the New York City Bar Association and American Bar Association’s state ments condemning attacks on the rule of law and to issue several of our own con demning the same. We have done so while continuing to support our members, the public, and a firm many of our members call home: Jenner & Block. Standing for the rule of law is neither political nor par tisan. It is a cornerstone of our democracy. Many of the final YLS events for the 2024-2025 bar year honor those who fight for justice, strive to serve the public, and promote inclusion and belonging in all places. Events in April included the Government Service Career Fair and our annual Diversity Week CLE program ming. In May, the YLS celebrated Law Week, which included our celebration of Law Day and culminated in our largest annual fundraising event: Lawyers in the

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