Young Lawyers

The Young Lawyers Committee works to serve the interests of young lawyers in the ABA Criminal Justice Section, including providing practical career information, publishing and speaking opportunities, networking, public service opportunities, activities to improve the criminal justice system and young lawyer participation in Section leadership.

The ABA Young Lawyers Division defines young lawyers as “under the age of 36 or in practice five years or less”.  If you are interested in joining our Young Lawyers Committee, contact crimjustice@americanbar.org  

Advance  Your Career

Be an Expert:  Follow  Developments in Criminal Law

Differentiate Yourself:  Lead, Publish, Speak

Goals and Projects

Continuing Legal Education:  Possible topics of CLE programs: Improving Community and Law Enforcement Interaction; Bail Reform; The Latest in Community Supervision Alternative to Incarceration.

Publications: Articles in the Section Newsletter on a topic of interest for young attorneys.

Increase Membership Participation

Policy Resolution: Policy resolutions on major issues affecting young attorneys will be considered, including rising tuition costs, falling salaries, lack of employment prospects, and lack of real-world preparation associated with traditional law school education.

Mentorship Program

We are excited to announce the 2020 launch of CJS Mentoring Program! The program will match you with a more seasoned criminal justice attorney who is a leader in the ABA Criminal Justice Section. We will match you by your interests, and ask program participants to committee, minimally, to one phone call or virtual meetup, with a seasoned veteran in the field. If you participate, you will receive the matches in late July/early August 2020.

• Young Lawyer registration is here

• Mentor registration is here

Leadership

Co-Chairs: 

Deanna Adams, Tiffani Smith

News

The Criminal Justice Practice-Ready Clinic

The Clinic will run from November 16, 2020 - January 31, 2021.
Mentorship and workshop program sessions will require live attendance. Other programming will be completed on your own time. All Clinic requirements will be due by January 31st.

The Criminal Justice Practice-Ready Clinic will provide recent graduates and current law school students with opportunities to learn and strengthen key lawyering skills necessary to building a successful criminal justice practice. Clinic participants will have opportunities to engage with potential employers and gain marketable experiences relevant to careers in criminal justice. This clinic is designed to respond to the professional development gap caused by employers cancelling internship programs and pausing entry-level hiring due to the impacts of COVID-19. 

Registration is closed.

November Course List 

Webinar on the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program

Law school and undergraduate debt piles up quickly.  For those of us in public service, the Public Student Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF) was touted as a way to work in jobs with missions we love and still get out from under debt.  The PSLF program forgives the remaining balance on qualifying student loans after making 120 qualifying payments while working full-time for a qualifying employer.  An estimated 55% of those eligible for the program aren’t utilizing it or utilizing it correctly.  The webinar discusses how to properly utilize the program and the future of the program as a whole.

Link to the Webinar
Link to Presentation Slides

The Diversity and Inclusion Fellowship Program

Resources 

A Universal Marketing Checklist for Young Lawyers

A Partner Offers Some Advice to New Lawyers

Financial Tips for Young Lawyers

Starting a Solo Practice for Under $3,000