It’s that time of year again! No, not TPC time - the time to schmooze at the 17th hole is over and it’s time to get back to work. It’s time for YLS elections! The Jacksonville Bar Association Young Lawyers Section will hold its Annual Meeting and elections the evening of July 16, 2009 at the Haskell Building.
This year has been a huge success for the YLS and we owe that to the dedication of our membership and the leadership of our Board of Directors. The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division honored the Jacksonville Bar YLS with the 2009 Affiliate of the Year award and the 2009 Outstanding Member Service Project award for the “Noon in June!” event. These achievements would not have been possible without the hard work and dedication of our board members.
This year there are four seats open for election on the Board of the Directors. Here are the details: beginning on June 8, 2009, anyone interested in running for election to the YLS Board of Directors should submit their name to Lee Wedekind ([email protected]), along with a designation as to which seat the candidate is seeking. This year seats 1, 3 and 5 are open for election for a two-year term and seat 2 is open for a one-year term to serve out the balance of Michael Orr’s term, who has been elected Treasurer. The deadline to submit names for election to the YLS Board of Directors is 5 p.m. on July 1, 2009. Voting will begin July 9 at the Jacksonville Bar Association office and will continue through the YLS Annual Meeting on July 16 at the Haskell Building.
Service on the YLS Board offers networking and service opportunities which can be hard to find elsewhere for younger lawyers. I have served on the YLS Board for six years and have met many outstanding people in the Bar and in the larger Jacksonville community. President-Elect Kirby Oberdorfer has a great year planned with some new events and new opportunities for the membership. Please consider running for a seat on the YLS Board this year!
Also coming up soon is the previously mentioned award-winning “Noon in June!” event on Wed. June 3. This project provides a fun and informative introduction to the Jacksonville legal community for summer law clerks or attorneys new to the area. After a lunch where the students meet each other and members of the Jacksonville Bar Association, the program includes a tour of the federal courthouse, a visit to City Hall to hear from local government leaders, and a trip to Jacksonville Area Legal Aid. Finally, “Noon in June!” will end with a happy hour, which was the most highly attended YLS happy hour last year. All Jacksonville law firms and government or social service agencies are encouraged to register their law clerks or interns for this afternoon event. For more information on “Noon in June!,” please contact Chris Hand at [email protected] or Patrick Kilbane at [email protected].
Finally, the YLS is seeking applicants for the position of Sports League Commissioner or Co-Commissioner. The Commissioner is responsible for oversight of the various Jacksonville Bar Association sports leagues. Our past Commissioners have done a great job and can offer much guidance to anyone who wants the job! Please contact Kirby Oberdorfer at [email protected] for more information.