Message from the Chair

PRO BONO / WILLS FOR HEROES CO-CHAIRS

Alex Raby, Bill Kiniry, & David Scull

PUBLICATIONS CO-CHAIRS

Heather Krick, Sonjay Singh

PUBLIC SERVICE CO-CHAIRS

Garrett Mannchen, Christian Noble, & Amy Rappole

SOCIAL MEDIA CHAIR

Letam Duson

STRATEGIC PLANNING COCHAIRS

Lauren Lake & Elizabeth Howard

TECHNOLOGY CO-CHAIRS TJ Keilty III & Joseph Kavanagh

YLS SUMMIT CO-CHAIRS

Greg Waterworth & Lauren Lake

CIRCUIT REPRESENTATIVES

Jeff Sadri, Anne Arundel James Robinson, Baltimore City Alexis Holiday, Baltimore County William Sasse, Carroll Spencer Cropper, Lower Shore Clark Adams, Frederick Tyler Brown, Howard Leslie Miller, Montgomery Meagan Allen, Prince George’s David Arnold, Western Maryland Ernesto Villasenor, UB Law Margaret (Meg) Tippett, UMD Law

The Advocate is published quarterly by the Young Lawyers Section of the Maryland State Bar Association, 520 West Fayette Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201.

The opinions exercised in this publication are those of the authors and should not be construed to represent the opinions of the Young Lawyers Section or the Maryland State Bar Association ©2022 Maryland State Bar Association, Inc.

BY KERRI SMITH, ESQ. CHAIR

Welcome back Young Lawyers! After several years of significant changes to the way we connect with each other, I am very excited for this opportunity to lead the Young Lawyers’ Section as we settle in to our “new normal.” By focusing on the unique needs of young lawyers, the Young Lawyers’ Section excels at developing leaders who go on to do great things in the MSBA, in the legal profession, and in our broader community. I have heard from an overwhelming number of young lawyers about their desire to finally have the opportunity to meet other members of the legal community and build their network within the profession after experiencing several years where it was harder to forge those connections in a solely virtual world. The YLS has responded to those calls for meaningful opportunities for connection by offering a variety of events to members of the Bench and Bar around the State. For example: The Membership Committee kicked off the year by welcoming back nearly 150 members at a networking event in Baltimore City along with colleagues from the Alliance of Black Women Attorneys of Maryland, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, the Bar Association of Baltimore City Young Lawyers’ Division, the Maryland Hispanic Bar Association, and our sponsor Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company. The Membership Committee also

partnered with the Howard County Bar Association and Multi-Specialty Healthcare for a networking event in Howard County. The Public Service Committee organized a Bay Cleanup at Terrapin Nature Park and Beach and volunteered with the charity Athletes Serving Athletes at the Baltimore Running Festival. The Education Committee hosted Tips for Young Lawyers and offered meaningful advice to young lawyers about the “dos” and “don’ts” of practice. The Family Friendly Committee hosted a day of Fall Fun at Sharps Farm including pumpkin picking and other autumn fun activities.

This snapshot of what the YLS has accomplished in the first few weeks of the Bar year shows that there are ways for everyone to get involved in the Young Lawyers’ Section. The YLS has a ton of exciting upcoming events including the Young Lawyers Section Open Meeting on November 10, 2022, in Columbia, and a special event at Legal Excellence Week on November 16, 2022, at Maryland Live! Casino. I hope that many of you will attend our educational, social, and service events. All of our events are open to existing and prospective young lawyer members, so I urge you to encourage your colleagues, law clerks, mentees and other young lawyers in your network to join us. I look forward to seeing you as you take advantage of the value of your YLS membership!

Thank You for Your Service, Jessica!

During the past bar year Jessica Gorsky, Esq. lead the section through a bar year filled with a variety of events each quarter so young lawyers could continue to connect.