YLS Board of Governors, Social Chairperson, Lindsay Tygart-Havice
What a wonderful time of year it is! Football season is well under way, there is a slight chill in the air (and I do mean slight), and the Young Lawyers Section of The Jacksonville Bar Association’s social calendar is already packed with events which are not to be missed.
As every lawyer knows, regardless of whether you are employed in a large or small firm, whether you are in the public or private sector, whether you are a transactional lawyer or a litigator, networking is an essential element of business development and growth. This is one of the many reasons why the YLS is committed to hosting a wide variety of events which give our members an excuse to leave the office before midnight, to ignore the ever-looming billable hour, and to have the occasional cocktail or two. In addition, the YLS events offer one of the best opportunities to meet and socialize with other young lawyers in Jacksonville in a relaxed setting away from the pressures of the office and the courtroom.
But another and much more important reason why the YLS puts such a strong emphasis on hosting social gatherings for its members is because it provides an opportunity for our members to get to know each other on a personal level and develop friendships. This, in turn, fosters professionalism throughout the legal community. For the past several years, Bar Associations across the country have been involved in a widespread effort to promote rules of professionalism. The Jacksonville Bar Association has been a leader in this movement. One of the keys to promoting lawyer professionalism is as simple as spending time together in a relaxed atmosphere, away from the stress of the office. The YLS monthly social events give our members the means to develop human relationships beyond our institutional bonds. That way, even in a Bar Association as large as Jacksonville’s, young lawyers can get to know each other on a more personal level, friendships are easier to establish, and the bonds of trust are less likely to be broken in a personal and professional setting.
The YLS calendar of events began Sept. 25 when we hosted our bi-annual reception for attorneys newly admitted to the Florida Bar. The reception was held at Mark’s Downtown Bar and was sponsored by The Jacksonville Bank, a platinum sponsor of the Jacksonville Bar Association. This event was extremely well attended by newly admitted attorneys, their families, and current YLS members.
Wednesday, the YLS is having its October social event from 6-7:30 p.m. on the deck of the St. Joe Building located at 245 Riverside Ave. This event is being sponsored by Jackson Lewis, LLP and is open to all current YLS members. In addition, in honor of October being breast cancer awareness month, the YLS will be collecting $5 donations at the door and 100 percent of the proceeds will be donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation for breast cancer research.
For our November social, the YLS is doing something a bit different. We are hosting a Movie Night at the historic Five Points Theater. There will be a cocktail reception in the lobby of the theater sponsored by Legal Art Works from 6-7 p.m. and the movie will begin at 7 p.m.
Our January event is guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser, especially for all of the Tiger Woods wannabes in our membership. The YLS is hosting our January social at GolfTEC, which is an indoor golf instruction facility on Southside Boulevard. Along with the requisite hors d’oeuvres and spirits, the instructors at GolfTEC have agreed to provide each of our attendees a private golf swing diagnosis with the use of high speed video and motion analysis equipment.
In addition to providing YLS members with an opportunity to interact with their colleagues in a comfortable atmosphere, the YLS is also working to develop more opportunities for its members to give back to the Jacksonville Community. One of those ways is through our involvement with the Youth Crisis Center. The YLS is currently in the process of developing programs that we can present to those teenagers and young adults living at the YCC in order to help them with legal issues they may face in their lives, such as buying a car or signing a lease agreement on an apartment.
As you can see, the YLS has many events and networking opportunities planned which help to promote professionalism, as well as volunteer programs designed to benefit the Jacksonville community as a whole. We encourage each and every YLS member to make it a point to attend our monthly events and get involved. For more information on our events or on how to get involved, please contact me at 598-9282 or [email protected]. On behalf of the YLS, we look forward to seeing each and every YLS member at our social event in October!