Young Lawyers Network - RPTE Fellows: Exploring the Legacy and Opportunities

“Where are the fresh faces?” asked RPTE Leadership in April 2001. The response to that question created opportunities for 178 young lawyers and counting.

The RPTE membership committee studied the question and pointed out that those most likely to join an ABA section were younger and newer to the profession. The RPTE membership committee wanted to create a program to give these newer and younger faces a path to leadership. “The idea was taken from the Business Law Section,” stated Andrew Palmieri, former RPTE chair, who was a member of the initial Fellows selection committee. The Business Law Section had launched a similar program three years prior and was launching a companion program called the Ambassadors Program. Jo Ann Engelhardt, co-chair of the leadership and mentoring committee, who also served on the membership committee, confirmed, “We gleefully borrowed their main provisions.” The membership committee offered several ideas for implementation, from giving a stipend to the Fellows to waiving the Fellows’ fees for the RPTE section meetings. The Fellows program was approved in the spring of 2001, and the first Fellows class was selected, starting in the fall of 2001. The initial class had two Fellows focused on real property and two on trusts and estates.

RPTE Fellows

The Fellows program gives young and new attorneys from various backgrounds a more direct path to Section leadership. There is an application process that routinely brings in more applicants than open Fellows positions; the selection process is rigorous and thorough. Each Fellow is assigned a substantive committee and a mentor. The mentor is meant to be a guide through the Section, helping the Fellow meet additional leaders and answering any questions. The Fellow, in turn, must create a work plan. The work plan consists of opportunities the Fellow has identified within the Section, whether speaking, writing, comment projects, or anything else where a Fellow can help. In return, RPTE provides a stipend to attend the annual and leadership meetings for the two years of the program.

“I encourage current Fellows to seize their opportunities to get involved,” says Steve Gorin, a current leadership and mentoring committee member. Steve was the Fellows chair in the earlier years of the program and has served as a mentor to many Fellows. During his time as chair, Steve instituted the work plan requirement. “Seeing Fellows speak and put together program materials made Section leaders realize they have that access to talent that would make the leaders’ jobs easier. Soon, everyone wanted to work with a Fellow, and the program expanded.” Over the years, the program has grown from four Fellows to ten Fellows starting each bar year. This means that 20 active Fellows help with section work each bar year.

Christina Jenkins, RPTE Diversity Officer and former Fellow (RP 2010-2012), said that the Fellows program provides “opportunities for young lawyers to be in places and rooms they normally wouldn’t [be in] at that time of their careers. The Fellows are exposed to some of the best practitioners in real property, trusts, and estates fields. The program opens the door and allows them to choose the direction of their careers without being solely dependent upon the firm that they are in.”

“We focused on making sure that each Fellow would get at least a substantive committee vice chair position at the end of their term, as well as opportunities for involvement in standing committees,” said Steve. Although not guaranteed, one of the program’s goals is to have the Fellows receive some type of leadership appointment after the ends of their terms. Most Fellows receive a vice-chair appointment for a substantive committee after their terms have ended. Trust and Estate Fellows also have an additional opportunity to become a Dennis I. Belcher Young Leader through ACTEC.

Past Fellows Success

Hugh Drake, a Trusts and Estates Fellow in the 2003-2005 class, had decided he would be involved with RPTE whether he was selected or not. Hugh is from a small legal market, and “attorneys in Springfield, Illinois, are generally not involved in national organizations.” He added that local attorneys are usually involved in the state and local bars. Hugh felt that RPTE was the right organization for him, as it was immediately applicable to his practice and would elevate his practice dramatically. Hugh also stated that he applied to become a Fellow multiple times. When Hugh was not chosen for the program, he decided to get involved with RPTE, as his firm supports professional activities. When he was finally selected to become a Fellow, Hugh stated that the financial support from the Fellows program helped dramatically to ensure that he could attend the RPTE meetings.

Hugh said the Fellows program gave him the structure and the discipline to reach a certain level in leadership. “You need to be receptive,” he added. “Once I found my feet, it gave me confidence to be more involved in the section.” Andrew and Steve were instrumental in getting him up and running. In 2023, Hugh became the RPTE Section Chair.

Although Hugh is the first Fellow to become Section Chair, he will not be the last. Two additional Fellows will be serving as Section Chairs: Ray Prather (TE Fellow 2008-2010), who will be chair in 2026-2027, and Kellye Curtis Clarke (RP Fellow in 2003-2005), who will be chair in 2027-2028.

You can find former Fellows at all levels in the Section, whether as a substantive committee chair, a group vice chair, on a standing committee, or on council. Josh Crowfoot, former RP Fellow (2016-2018) and current Council member, shares his enthusiasm. “I’m very grateful for my participation in the Fellows program. As a young lawyer, it provided the best opportunity for me to get involved and ‘plugged in’ to the Section. I was able to publish articles and speak on panels with leaders on the RP side, who were willing to show me the ropes within the Section and provide encouragement when it was needed. The Fellows program built confidence in speaking and writing in my practice area. Through my involvement with the Fellows program and later other committees, I grew my professional network from local to national. I’ve been referred work (and referred work to others) because of those relationships. I’ve added to my list of mentors and built lifelong friendships within the Section. It all started with the Fellows program.”

Fellows Impact on RPTE

“The hard work of the Fellows Committee and the Fellows themselves has rewarded the Section tenfold,” said Jo Ann. “There is more diverse energy in the Section. We have expanded our reach to younger practitioners in more varied practice settings.”

Hugh explained that the Section exists to serve everyone, and a majority of its members are solo practitioners in small firms and from smaller legal markets. “The Fellows program is a pipeline to leadership, and we want our Fellows to reflect that demographic.”

Hugh, who has been on the Fellows selection committee for many years, indicated that “every year I am more impressed and wonder if I would have been chosen. It is amazing what the applicants accomplish so early in their careers.”

Fellows’ work can be seen everywhere, from comment projects to speaking on CLE and eCLE panels to writing articles for Probate and Property and the eReport. Christina added that the “Fellows program is pumping life into the Section. The program identifies young lawyers who can be appointed to leadership positions… We are building leaders and securing the future of the Section by adding new, bright, and young talent.”

Of course, the Fellows program is not the only way to become active in the Section, and those who are not selected are encouraged to participate in Section activities. One way to get started is through group calls that are held monthly. “You should develop a plan for how RPTE involvement will benefit your career and advocate for access to whatever you need to get there. Feel free to approach any leaders you meet,” Steve added.

“My professional life would not look anything like it does currently without my involvement in the RPTE Section, and I don’t know if that would have been possible without the Fellows program,” said Hugh. “Acceptance to the program opens the doors; you must walk through it and work to get the benefit out. Be proactive and take full advantage of the opportunity,” added Christina.

Application

Each year, the Section chooses ten Fellows, five from Real Property and five from Trusts and Estates. To be considered for selection, a person must (1) have practiced in the trusts and estates or real property area for at least one year, (2) be younger than 36 years of age, or have been admitted to the bar for less than 10 years, and (3) have demonstrated leadership at the state or local bar level or in the ABA Young Lawyers Division. The applicants do not need to be ABA or RPTE members but would need to join upon being selected as a Fellow. Fellow applications are typically due in June.