CBA Record September-October 2026

YLS Receives Outstanding Affiliate Award at ABA Meeting By Ann Glynn, CBA Public Affairs Director

representing Spanish-speaking clients; the YLS Racial Justice Commission’s “Prepar ing for Protest” public presentation; and a CLE program entitled “DOGE & What it Means for DEI Hiring in Government.” Founded in 1971, the YLS was cre ated to encourage young lawyers to work together on projects for their community and for the legal profession. Today, the YLS provides opportunities for profes sional growth, community service, and networking to its approximately 7,000 members, who include attorneys in their first 10 years of practice and law students. The YLS offers 30 committees, including substantive practice areas and public ser vice offerings, implements member and public service projects, and hosts numer ous seminars and networking events. For further information, contact the Young Lawyers Section at 312‐554‐2070 or yls@chicagobar.org. YLS Secretary/Treasurer Ayo Jide-Omole, VentureWell, and Immediate Past CBA President Judge Nichole C. Patton, Circuit Court of Cook County, at the 2026 ABA Annual Meeting.

T he CBA’s Young Lawyers Section recently was recognized with three awards, including the Outstanding Affiliate Award, from the American Bar Association at its annual meeting in Chicago. The ABA’s Young Lawyers Division annually presents Awards of Achievement to recognize local, state, and national YLD affiliates across the country for their contributions to the public and the betterment of the legal profession. The ABA YLD gives the Outstanding Affiliate Award to honor local and state young lawyer affiliates for broad ranges of programming, community service, and overall proj ect excellence. The YLS also earned a Comprehensive Award, which recognizes its vast array of programming during the 2025–2026 bar year. Events included an Open House, Judi cial Externship Fair, Law Student Speed Networking, Board Match, and 19th Annual Fundraiser Benefitting CBA Lawyers in the Classroom. In the Diversity category, the YLS was honored for a CLE program, “Neurodiversity in the Legal Profession.” The program examined how traditional concepts of “profes sionalism” in the legal field may unintentionally disadvantage neurodivergent attorneys. It explores how implicit bias—particularly around communication style, demeanor, and social expectations—can affect evaluations, advancement, and disciplinary outcomes. The ABA YLD has recognized numerous YLS programs in years past. These have included the Law Student Mentoring Program; the CBA Law & Debate Club; the Working Women’s Legal Summit; the Lawyers Lend a Hand to Youth program; the CBA @theBar Podcast; the Women in the Law Committee’s “Time’s Up on Workplace Harassment” program; the Intra-Professional Networking Event; a four-week course on YLS Chair Aleksandra Petrovic, Kellogg, Abrams, & Jovanovic, LLC, at 2026 ABA Annual Meeting.

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