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September 10, 2024

The Section

I’m extremely honored to be beginning my term as Chair of the Section. And I look forward to doing my best to continue the Section’s mission of providing a welcoming, diverse and vibrant network for labor and employment attorneys across the globe.

When I first got involved in the ABA in the late 1990s, I figured it would be a great excuse for going to a warm place during the winter months. And I told my wife that we could just hang out by the pool each day after the programs ended.

As it turns out, I completely undersold how much the Section and my Section colleagues would become part of our lives. And over 25 years later, I am extremely thankful that I completely underestimated the amount of personal and professional value I have received from the Section and its members.

Among all the benefits I have received from my involvement in the Section, there are two I think are particularly relevant to my goals for the coming year.

First, was the opportunity to meet and develop relationships with attorneys from across the table, or from the courts or agencies where I practice, outside of the adversarial arenas where we practice. The ability to talk, listen and learn from these lawyers in a non-adversarial setting created not only personal connections, but invaluable professional insight and perspective. And in looking at the coming year, I think it’s critical we continue to look for ways to support and promote the valuable benefit that comes from that opportunity.

Second, when I started attending Section meetings, I was pleasantly surprised by the number of Section members who went out of their way to approach me, welcome me, and invite my wife and I to join them, whether it was at a reception or a program.

And so the other area I’d like to focus on in the coming year is encouraging  Section members to continue our long tradition of mentorship and inclusivity.

I think our Section can take advantage of the great position it finds itself in today  to create a great future. Through the incredible hard work and sacrifice of many Section chairs and Council members over the last 10 years, we find ourselves financially sound.

Obviously, we cannot be complacent and need to be fiscally prudent in mapping our future.

But given our good fortune, I think our Section has an opportunity to use our resources to grow by continuing to focus on the principles of civility, inclusiveness, diversity and mentoring that have long been the hallmark of our organization.

And by encouraging existing members to contribute some of their personal capital to identifying, supporting and promoting the future members and leaders of our Section.

I look forward to doing what I can over the coming year to help us meet those objectives and doing as much as I can do over the coming year to help the Section fulfill our collective mission.

Thanks again for the opportunity to be of service.

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Joseph J. Torres

Partner, Jenner & Block LLP

Joseph J. Torres is a Partner at Jenner & Block LLP in Chicago, Illinois, where he serves as Co-Chair of the firm’s ERISA Litigation, Business Litigation, and Labor and Employment practices.