About the Division
About the YLD
The Young Lawyers Division (YLD) was originally formed as the Junior Bar Association. The purpose of the JBA was to provide younger ACBA members an avenue for participation in bar association activities, continuing their legal education, and provide a forum to advocate for social change. Membership was open to members under 35 years of age. A part of the JBA was the Women’s Auxiliary, which was open to the wives of young lawyers.
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The JBA transitioned into the Young Lawyers Section in 1960s. The YLS earned their first American Bar Association award with the Award of Achievement in the 1964-1965 bar year for the Section’s programming, projects, and accomplishments. The Section elected its first woman, Sandra Kushber, to serve as Chair in 1974. The Section also elected its first African American, Rosemary Crawford, as Chair in 1998 and its first African American man, Eric Cottle, in 2001. Another first occurred in 2025 with the election of the Division’s first Latina Chair, Rebeca Himena Miller.
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In 2001, the Bar Leadership Initiative was established to aid and encourage young lawyers to develop their professional and community leadership skills.
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In 2002, the YLS becomes a Division of the ACBA. Membership is extended to young lawyers who have practiced for 10 years or less.
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The Division continues to grow. In 2024, the Law Student Committee was formed. The Committee was established to provide a space for law students to network and to provide programming tailored to law students’ needs.
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Today, the Division consists of six committees: Communications, Diversity, Education, Member Services, Public Service, and Law Students. The Division is comprised of lawyers who have been admitted to the practice of law for 10 years or less or are law students of an accredited ABA law school. Lawyers and law students who join the ACBA and meet the criteria automatically become members of the Young Lawyers Division without paying any additional dues. The Young Lawyers Division provides its members with a means of gaining broader participation in bar activities, a forum for continuing legal education, and a vehicle for social exchange with their contemporaries at the bar.
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The Division also provides scholarship to second- and third-year law students through its YLD Scholarship Fund established in 2019. Every year at its annual meeting, the Division recognizes a member who exemplifies outstanding leadership and distinguished service to the Division, the legal profession and the community at large through its Outstanding Young Lawyer Award.
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The YLD is actively involved in helping young lawyers participate in activities of the ACBA and directs activities toward improving the administration of justice and prompting public welfare. The YLD helps young lawyers deal with problems and obligations specific to its members and advises the ACBA of the needs and opinions of its newer members.
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More information about the YLD can be found here.
Mission
To empower our members; promote a just, accessible, and inclusive judicial system; and serve the community at large.
Values
To be an invaluable resource to the legal profession and the community by:
Fostering a culture of unbiased collegiality, ethics, and professionalism;
Championing equality, diversity, and inclusion in the profession;
Promoting equal access to legal and other law related services;
and Enhancing the success of our members through education, networking, leadership, and professional development.