All times are Eastern Daylight Time. All program information is tentative.
The complete CLE hours offered are:
- 6 hours for 60-minute states
- 7.2 hours for 50-minute states
2021 Virtual Spring Conference Schedule
Monday, April 12
2 p.m.
YLD Scholars w/ Walmart Virtual Break
Tuesday, April 13: Through The Years
11 a.m.
ABE + YLD Financial Wellness Virtual Session
It's never been a better time to review your current financial health. The ABE is pleased to sponsor a complimentary one-on-one virtual Financial Wellness Checkup with a financial professional from New York Life Insurance Company. This session gives you a chance to ask questions that can help put you on a path to building a strong financial foundation.
Advance registration is required. Registration deadline is March 30.
12 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.
YLD Meditation Series
With all that is happening in the world, many of us have begun new mindfulness practices to remain hopeful, centered, and tranquil.
Take a 15-minute break and join attorney and certified health counselor Ritu Goswamy as she shares positive affirmations that will help guide you through the start of your conference day.
- Today's focus—Connect with our Mind: What does it mean to think like a lawyer today?
1:30 p.m.
Opening Plenary: When Your Career Chooses You
You’ve heard this story before: you started law school with dreams of being your town’s District Attorney, and you ended up in estate practice on the other side of the country. Sometimes you choose your path, but just as often, the path chooses you! Hear from experienced attorneys about how their career paths emerged and developed, the choices they made (or didn’t make), and how those experiences can be helpful to you as a young lawyer.
Panelists will offer practical advice for seeking out and being open to new opportunities; building a new practice or area of expertise; handling disappointment, stress, and anxiety; and building a fulfilling career.
Speakers
- Erika Robinson, Jackson Public School District Office of The General Counsel, Jackson, MS
- Donna Frazier, Caddo Office of the Parish Attorney, Shreveport Louisiana
- Elizabeth Yang, Attorney. WStrong LLC, Reston Virginia
- Steve Stapleton, Attorney. Clark Hill PLC, Grand Rapids Michigan
Moderator
- Daiquiri Steele, Attorney / Professor, Tulane University Law School and ABA House of Delegates Representative
3 p.m.
Student Debt: Is it a consumer protection issue? (CLE)
A crisis. A cliff. An economic disaster—on a national and personal scale. We’ve heard many descriptors for the student loan debt mess many of our young lawyers know too well, but is it really a consumer protection issue at its heart? Spoiler alert: Yes! Hear from leading state and local experts on consumer protection about the consumer protection overlay—from encouragement to max-out the available loans, to repayment issues, and even dischargeability (or lack thereof). Our speakers will also discuss potential solutions for combatting these issues and the ongoing crisis—the number one issue facing young lawyers today.
Learning Objectives
- Recognizing the consumer protection overlay throughout the life cycle of a student loan (from signing up through repayment and discharge),
- Identifying solutions to those issues on a micro scale (what young lawyers can look for/ward against), and
- How a consumer protection focus can help combat the larger crisis (macro scale, industry wide)
- What legislative actions have been taken and what the landscape looks like during this Administration.
Speakers
- Creola Johnson, President’s Club Professor of Law, The Ohio State Univ. Moritz College of Law
- Farah Majid, Legal Services Birmingham, AL
- Daniel A. Zibel, National Student Legal Defense Network
Moderator
- Aaron Sohaski, Counsel, Henry Ford Health System and ABA YLD Student Loan Debt & Financial Wellness Director
4:30 p.m.
Women of Criminal Justice: Why Do They Leave? (CLE)
This diverse panel of leaders from the Criminal Justice Section's Women's Task Force will report briefly on the Task Force findings on why women leave the practice of criminal law. They will also openly discuss the successes and failures of their own career paths--prosecutor, defender, judge, and professor.
The panel will offer perspective to attorneys on issues of accessibility, diversity, and inclusion. Employment law and policy concerns will be discussed generally and specifically as they relate to impact on women practitioners of various biases including the so-called motherhood penalties.
Panelists
- Maryam Ahranjani, Professor, School of Law, University of New Mexico
- Honorable Denise Langford Morris, Oakland County Circuit Court Judge, Pontiac, Michigan
- Honorable Rachel L. Pickering, Adjunct Professor, Washburn University School of Law
- Sarah Redfield, Professor Emerita, University of New Hampshire, Franklin Pierce School of Law
- Kim T. Parker, Kansas County and District Attorney's Association
Moderator
- Bianca Brown, Cook County State's Attorney's Office.
5:30 p.m.
Flash-Back Dance Party Break
DJ Aroc will play a wide range of flashback music and take requests for first 20 minutes. Speed Networking follows for the next 20 minutes.
Wednesday, April 14: YLD Men of Color Summit
11 a.m.
ABE + YLD Financial Wellness Virtual Session
It's never been a better time to review your current financial health. The ABE is pleased to sponsor a complimentary one-on-one virtual Financial Wellness Checkup with a financial professional from New York Life Insurance Company. This session gives you a chance to ask questions that can help put you on a path to building a strong financial foundation.
Advance registration is required. Registration deadline is March 30.
12 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.
YLD Meditation Series
With all that is happening in the world, many of us have begun new mindfulness practices to remain hopeful, centered, and tranquil.
Take a 15-minute break and join attorney and certified health counselor Ritu Goswamy as she shares positive affirmations that will help guide you through the start of your conference day.
- Today's focus—Connect with our Heart: How can we, as lawyers, heal ourselves and be more inclusive of others?
12:30 p.m.
Making a Difference—People of Color as Attorneys General (CLE)
There are 56 Attorneys General who serve as the chief legal officer in their respective states and territories. These attorneys counsel their government agencies and legislatures, and serve as a representative of the public interest. This CLE will discuss how the addition of people of color is changing the conversation of justice in the United States and its territories.
Specifically, this panel will discuss:
- How they are addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system,
- The policies they have enacted or want to enact to counteract systemic racism, and
- The challenges faced, and efforts made to restore the public’s confidence in our legal system.
Panelists
- Keith Ellison, Attorney General of Minnesota
- Aaron Ford, Attorney General of Nevada
- Gurbir Grewal, Attorney General of New Jersey
- Kwame Raoul, Attorney General of Illinois
Moderator
- Jonathan Bogues, YLD Men of Color Chair
2 p.m.
People of Color in Bar Leadership & High-Level Leaders
Learn from past-presidents of the National Bar Association, Hispanic National Bar Association, and the National Native American Bar Association about the impact their engagement has had, the importance of minority bar associations, and their relationship with the ABA. There are more people of color serving as state Attorneys General than ever before. Bar Associations serve as a central point of engagement for lawyers and help maintain the integrity of the legal profession.
Hear from this esteemed panel about:
- Their paths to being the top attorney in their states, and why representation in their offices is more important than ever.
- How diverse bar leaders can help report on legal trends and advocate for reform.
- The importance behind ensuring those most impacted by the law are represented in the law.
Panelists
- Victor M. Marquez, Partner, Squire Patton Boggs; Chair, ABA Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity Commission; Past President, Hispanic National Bar Association
- Juan Thomas, Quintairos, Prieto, Wood & Boyer; Chicago, IL
- Reginald Turner, Attorney. Clark Hill PLC, & ABA Chair-Elect
- A.B. Cruz III, President of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association
- Robert O. Saunooke, Past President of the National Native American Bar Association
- Amanda Green Alexander, Founder of Alexander Law; National Conference Women's Bar Association, Past-president.
Moderator
- Linton Clarke, YLD Men of Color Project; Tax Attorney, Total Tax Inc, Sugar Land, TX
3:30 p.m.
Alternative Paths: People of Color in Less Common Legal Practice Areas (CLE)
Much of innovation comes from adding new perspectives to old ideas. As organizations battle to remain relevant, many are adopting new diversity hiring practices to promote both social and financial advancement. This CLE will explore how people of color have entered lesser known legal arenas like academia, tax law, environmental law, and marijuana law to encourage equitable and remedial practices. Specifically, this panel will discuss:
- the challenges of shifting an organization's focus from "white centric" to "people centric";
- the initiatives created to address inadequacies in their respective fields; and
- the need to further incorporate POC in all disciplines, but especially in those areas that impact POC the most.
Speakers
- Jerome Crawford, Director of Legal Operations and Social Equity for Pleasantrees Cannabis Co, Detroit, Michigan; and Past Co-Chair of YLD Men of Color Project
- Janet Steverson, Douglas K. Newell Professor of Law, Lewis & Clark Law School
- Jeffrey Page, Attorney Advisor Office of General Counsel Operations , US Department of Transportation. Washington, DC
- Linton Clarke, YLD Men of Color Summit; Tax Attorney. Total Tax Inc, Sugar Land Texas.
Moderators
- Marcus McGhee, Ethics & Compliance Attorney at Indiana Supreme Court; and Vice Chair, YLD Men of Color
- Lawrence Pittman, Attorney, US Environmental Protection Agency; and YLD Men of Color
5 p.m.
Networking Break: Meetup Mixer, presented by MoCP
Networking Break: Speed-Networking Event
7 p.m.
Virtual Cooking Demo
Get ready for some good eats! It is time to flex your cooking skills during a live demonstration with ABA YLD’ers Esther Hyun and Darryl Wilson as they bring the heat with a signature dish. Be ready to join us for some fun live from your home kitchen!
Once your dish is done, show off your plating skills by tagging us #YLD Spring.
All participants will receive gift card to be used only to purchase the main ingredients.
Update: All seats for this event are full
Thursday, April 15: For the Land
12 p.m. to 12:15 p.m.
YLD Meditation Series
With all that is happening in the world, many of us have begun new mindfulness practices to remain hopeful, centered, and tranquil.
Take a 15-minute break and join attorney and certified health counselor Ritu Goswamy as she shares positive affirmations that will help guide you through the start of your conference day.
- Today's focus—Connect with our Intuition: What can we do to ground ourselves amidst our lawyer lives?
12:30 p.m.
Voting Rights in Indian Country (CLE)
How do elections work in a nation inside another nation? Unfortunately, as with many other vital systems, United States elections and voting rights of indigenous peoples on tribal lands often lack the resources of other political subdivisions in the country. Learn more about developments and the people fighting for these rights.
Attendees will:
- Understand the legal framework for elections in Indian Country
- Identify inequities in elections, which prohibit full electoral participation
- Learn how to overcome legal and practical obstacles, ensuring equitable engagement in the electoral process
Panelists
- Patty Ferguson-Bohnee, Director, Indian Legal Clinic and Associate Clinical Professor of Law, Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University
Moderator
- Spencer Rubin, Attorney, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP; and ABA YLD NCT Member.
2 p.m.
Energy and the Climate Crisis: Are We Entering a New Energy Paradigm? (CLE)
Join us to learn from legal experts about new trends in energy generation and equitable access to clean power. The panelists will discuss critical developments in energy law and regulation, focusing on the necessary federal action to move the United States towards compliance with the Paris Agreement targets, and what legislation is likely to be enacted during the current congressional term.
You will also learn about regulatory barriers for siting land-based solar, and what mechanisms are effective in providing equitable access to clean energy in low-income neighborhoods, including positive trends in shutting down heavily-polluting peaker plants. Additionally, state laws and agency regulatory interpretations are instrumental in moving successful renewable energy projects to completion on tribal lands - what has been successful, and what can your state do to improve access to renewable generation in indigenous communities?
Speakers
- Opening Speaker: Craig Hart, Executive Director Pace Energy and Climate Center
- Pilar Thomas, Partner. Quarles & Brady LLP
- Ilan Gutherz, VP of Policy & Strategy, Borrego
Moderator
- Jordan Lesser, Legal Counsel for the New York State Assembly
3:30 p.m.
Closing Plenary
An Appetite for Risk: Embracing Change
Successful legal outcomes in government do not happen in a vacuum. It is a result of understanding the relationship between law, policy and planning. In this session, lawyers will learn: How the policy, planning and regulatory framework for a city impacts the ability to respond to health and economic crisis; how to work with elected officials to advance proactive policy and planning for development initiatives that achieve revitalization; and how to be a leader for community revitalization efforts and the role of financing in policy and regulatory planning.
Speaker
- Hon. Thomas J. Murphy, Urban Land Institute -Washington, DC; and Former Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Moderator
- Jessica Bacher, Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, Executive Director of the Land Use Law Center-New York
5:00 p.m.
Closing Remarks
It's time to say goodbye as ABA Young Lawyers Division Chair Chris Brown and the Section of State and Local Government Law Chair Erica Levine Powers share their final conference thoughts.
5:15 p.m.
Music with Mike Noonan
Kickback and unwind with special musical guest performer our very own ABA YLD & SLG'er, Mike Noonan.
5:30 p.m.
Networking Break: Planting Initiative
Looking to grow? Then join us for an instant zen session led by the Succulent Bar. Take some time to relax as you DIY your very own on-trend succulent masterpiece during this private planting event. All participants should keep a look out for a very cool planting kit coming your way soon.
This networking event is only available to the first 25 participants that sign-up during registration.
First come first serve basis. Maximum participants: 25 people.