X
July 2016 - #OCBAYLDGives

by Michelle A. Philo

The most common question I receive is “Why #OCBAYLDGives?” My answer is simple. The beginning of a legal career often lacks a referral base, a client list, and resources. Membership in the Orange County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division (YLD) gives its members opportunities to jumpstart their legal careers. As a result of the relationships built in the YLD, members are gaining resources, referrals, and knowledge of the local legal profession’s pulse that lasts beyond their years as young lawyers.

The YLD is exclusive to those OCBA members in their first five years of practice. To demonstrate how exclusive this group is, earlier this year OCBA President Todd Friedland inquired why he did not receive notice of a YLD event. Let’s just say there is certain tact necessary in responding when you need to politely inform someone they have too much “experience” to be a member of YLD, but of course are welcome to attend any event.

There is a certain comradery in being in the same exclusive group together—the ability to ask “that question” to another young lawyer, to speak candidly regarding work experiences in order to find the best work environment for your career, and the freedom to know your performance on the softball field will not be used by your supervising partner when evaluating your professional work.

Since I became a lawyer, I realized my involvement with the YLD was noticeably different from my involvement in other organizations. The one key difference I identified was my relationship with the people in YLD and our participation in social media. As more and more Generation Xers and Millennials enter the legal profession, the incorporation of social media in the practice of law will continue to develop. I have met lawyers who continue to cringe at the idea of mixing law with social media; however, many young lawyers have launched successful practices, generated referrals, and increased their legal networks simply by embracing social media. While resources like LinkedIn and Avvo continue to be a standard part of a professional social media profile, young lawyers include the use of social media sites including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat to gain referrals and clients as a result of casual postings about their careers.

It is not uncommon to hear young lawyers share stories about how their current clients contacted them through social media. The stories may start with a simple post asking friends for a referral to a certain type of attorney, and then they are connected through a friend recommending the young lawyer in reply to the post. How does the friend know which lawyer to recommend? Young lawyers are sharing their general experiences as a legal practitioner on social media and, in doing so, are creating a knowledgeable referral base.

As an example, a young lawyer posted a humorous experience about getting lost inside the jail and her interaction with various officers after receiving contradictory directions towards the exit. While the story never revealed anything about her client or the purpose of her visit, her adventure will always remind me and the rest of her social network that she practices criminal defense. Another young lawyer routinely posts check-in statuses at Lamoreaux Justice Center, while another checks in before immigration hearings. Again, no information about the lawyers’ clients or the purpose of their visits; however, their respective social networks associate their practices with family law and immigration law.

Young lawyers are also sharing their professional accomplishments such as pictures of themselves at speaking engagements, articles they have published, or non-profit organizational work they are engaged in. Professional successes such as court verdicts, settlement achievements, and motions won are posted on social media networks as a way to not only celebrate and share with peers, but as a tool to remind the social network of the area of law you practice. While there is still some hesitation from the overall profession when the words “social media” are uttered, young lawyers are casting this aside and embracing social media in their networking. Not to worry, to keep everyone in check with ethical obligations and professional rules, there is usually a prosecutor in every social network that will post one-line reminders such as “Don’t post your crimes on Facebook.” While shaking a hand and exchanging a business card is still a primary method for an initial introduction, the notion of individually developing each relationship in your legal network over a cup of coffee is not the tactic followed by the newest generation of lawyers.

Acknowledging the reality of social media in today’s communications, the #OCBAYLDGives hashtag was created to provide another resource to help young lawyers connect. Members are encouraged to use the hashtag in their social media posts to share their OCBA YLD experiences and share how they give back to the profession and the community as a young lawyer. The YLD leadership team leads five committees to create these opportunities for young lawyers.

#OCBAYLDGives to its community through the Community Outreach Committee chaired by Lily Li of Brown Wegner McNamara LLP. Getting to know fellow attorneys while working side by side in efforts such as cleaning our beaches and the Newport Back Bay allows lawyers to connect and jointly make a greater impact on our local community.

#OCBAYLDGives networking opportunities through the Social Committee led by Kelly Galligan of Rutan & Tucker, LLP. The ability to network at events such as the popular YLD Day at the Races and the Tiki Cruise enables young lawyers to connect outside the legal experience.

#OCBAYLDGives members the ability to incorporate fitness into their work-life balance through athletic events coordinated by the Sports & Fitness Committee co-chaired by Timothy Schneider of Myers Bernstein LLP and Kristin Garcia of Jackson Tidus. The Bad News Bearristers softball team continues to be a success along with this year’s new meetup-style events with pickup indoor soccer games, hiking, and other fitness-focused activities.

#OCBAYLDGives young lawyers educational programming focused on topics of interest to those new in the profession. The Education Committee, led by Mohammed Elayan of Bryan Cave LLP, has planned programs this year on topics including mental health in the profession, learning whether an in-house position is right for young lawyers, and the popular “Judges’ Pet Peeves” panel.

#OCBAYLDGives members the ability to expand their horizons through the newly minted Diversity & Inclusion Committee chaired by Santiago Duarte of Duarte Law Group APC. This committee is working with the above committees to include diversity and inclusion in YLD programming. As an example, this committee is joining forces with the Education Committee for an Elimination of Bias CLE program.

In addition to the Committee Chairs, this year’s YLD team would not be complete without the YLD Chair-Elect Colin Hendricks of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth, P.C. Interestingly, Colin and I first met while networking at an event in Toronto, Canada as law students; we connected on social media, and have been friends ever since. He embraces all YLD has to offer, and I’m excited for his leadership next year.

I encourage all young lawyers to get involved with the exclusive OCBA Young Lawyers Division. Attend events, connect with others, expand your network, and share your #OCBAYLDGives moments. The opportunities are boundless and, quite simply, good for business.

Michelle A. Philo is the Chair of the OCBA Young Lawyers Division. She is Corporate Counsel at Adtile Technologies Inc. She also serves on the OCBA Board of Directors, as Co-Chair to the 1L Kickstart Task Force, and as Treasurer to the Orange County Women Lawyers Association. She can be reached at michellephilo@gmail.com.

Return