“Belonging With Purpose” Underscores YLD’s Emphasis In 2024-25
I cannot think of a better way to conclude the 2023-2024 bar year under YLD’s immediate past chair, Jonathan Bogues of Michael Best & Friedrich LLP, than with the announcement that Jonathan’s blog series initiative “Letters to my Younger Self” won an Award of Achievement by the American Bar Association’s YLD at this year’s annual meeting. Leaders throughout the NCBA penned letters that served to not only inspire younger lawyers as they embark on their careers, but also – and more importantly – remind younger lawyers that they are not alone, that others have struggled and succeeded before, and that they can find a place to belong. I want to thank and congratulate Jonathan on an amazing year leading the YLD, as well as all outgoing leaders on a job well, well done.
Collins Saint, left, accepts presidential gavel from Jonathan Bogues.
I was honored to author my own Letter, in which I reflected on my mental and physical health battles, as well as my journey of self-realization in embracing my gender identity and transitioning while the NCBA reckoned with its place in LGBTQ+ allyship. Especially since the publication of the Report on Relationships Between the NCBA and Systemic Racism, the NCBA has continued to strive toward being a place where every North Carolina lawyer can find a place to belong.
During my remarks at the NCBA Annual Meeting, I shared that I had been grappling with questions of whether I belonged in the NCBA following the events of the spring and summer of 2023. I spent the 2023-2024 bar year open to stepping into position as YLD Chair and a member of the Board of Governors’ Executive Committee as well as stepping away from the NCBA altogether. Ultimately, I chose not only to stay but to remain fiercely focused on ensuring that our association is one where those who question their place can find room to bring their full self into their chosen profession.
As a result, in carrying forward the outcomes of Jonathan’s initiative with the promises of the NCBA, I am excited to lead the YLD in a year focused on Belonging with Purpose. This year, the YLD will
- Enhance our purpose as a division;
- Enable young lawyers and law students to find their purpose; and
- Purposefully create a culture of belonging within the division and the broader NCBA.
Achieving a culture of belonging must be purposeful; it does not happen by accident. Throughout the year, the YLD’s formal meetings will be full of activities to foster belonging among our leaders. We will have pro bono and community outreach activities, wellness and DEIB opportunities, and networking occasions at every meeting. Further, our leadership orientation will include a substantive session by NCBA leaders Ebony Bryant, Jennifer Mencarini, and Alison Ashe-Card on how we can achieve and sustain belonging within the YLD.
As one means to accomplish these goals, I am excited to announce that the YLD has a new division – the New Lawyers in Practice Division, led by Division Director Samantha Gordon (McIntyre Elder Law) – focused on the new lawyer in their first two years of practice. This division will provide learning opportunities for the newest lawyers through the new CLE Committee, chaired by MJ Segal (Not Your Average Law Firm) and Hunt Harris (Law Firm Carolinas). The YLD’s Liaisons to all NCBA sections and divisions, as well as select NCBA committees, will be coordinated by Sydney Davis (Poyner Spruill) and provide additional substantive opportunities to new lawyers to develop their law practice. The division will also provide resources and support to this population in the New Lawyers in Practice Committee, chaired by Trey Ellis (U.S. District Court for Middle District of North Carolina) and Maya Davis (Law Offices of James Scott Farrin). Lastly, this new division will house the YLD’s new First Generation Committee, chaired by Emily Carico (Legal Aid of North Carolina) and Tiqeece Brown (Your Favorite Lawyer). This Division will focus primarily on aiding new lawyers in developing their brand, finding their passion, connecting with each other, and growing their skills.
As a First Generation law student, I am ecstatic to champion the First Generation Committee. The YLD’s leadership is full of first-generation lawyers and college students. At first, I was surprised that the YLD is led by those who did not have familial examples of paths to follow. Taking a step back, though, it makes sense: We needed to find a place to belong in our profession, and we found each other, we found leadership opportunities, and we found a place where we could stumble and struggle together without fear of career repercussions and with abundant support. This committee will host the YLD’s new YouTube series TL;DR, where Tiqeece Brown will have deep discussions with the hardest parts of life as a new lawyer – transitions, loss, divergence, and rejection. This committee will also lead the division in creating its first First Generation Summit, an all-day, in-person opportunity for first-generation lawyers to connect, learn, and give back to our communities.
We will also continue to support already practicing young lawyers through the Bar Outreach Division, led by Division Director Shameka Rolla (Smith Anderson). Within that Division, the Communications Committee Co-Chairs Ari Sibrey (The Clauson Law Firm) and Megan Reilly-Dreas (Hall Booth Smith, P.C.) will support TL;DR through additional blog posts to foster belonging within the YLD and profession. The Wellness Committee Co-Chairs Caleb Holloway (Robinson Bradshaw) and Garrett Steadman (Robinson Bradshaw) and DEIB Committee Co-Chairs Brooks Savage (State of North Carolina) and Carson Lane (Parker Poe) will likewise be tirelessly focused on our role as a YLD in developing young lawyer-leaders in moving the profession further towards physical and mental wellness as well as cross-cultural connection. Lastly, the Membership and Outreach Committee, led by Joe Newlon (Brooks Pierce) and Latasia Fields (N.C. Department of Justice), will continue to promote belonging through networking events across the NCBA.
As a Division, we will continue to work to meet the needs of law students through our Law Student Division, led by Division Director Alex Gwynn (Brightmark). Alex will be supported by the Bar Exam Committee Co-Chairs Sarah Spangenburg (Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton) and X. Lightfoot (Ward and Smith) and the Law Student Outreach Committee Co-Chairs Tae Storr (N.C. Department of Justice) and Mary Beth Davis (Halvorsen Law Group). We will have representatives from all seven – yes, seven, including High Point University – law schools in North Carolina to welcome law students into our organization and our profession.
Finally, the YLD maintains its commitment to enhancing our communities through the Civic Engagement and Pro Bono Division, led by Division Director Sidney Thomas (N.C. Commissioner of Banks), and the Community Outreach Division, led by Division Director Cherell Harris (Blue Cross Blue Shield NC). The Pro Bono Committee, chaired by Brad Piland (NC Department of Public Safety), Lindsey Fields (JD, MPH) and Miller Capps (Alexander Ricks), will (among other things) host Empower Hours to help the NCBF clear the Free Legal Answers queue. Co-chairs Clare Magee (J.D. candidate at Wake Forest University) and Catherine Clodfelter (Parker Poe) will help the YLD members grapple with our role as lawyers in a pivotal election year, as well as consider the YLD’s own elections process to ensure we are living our values and having fair, transparent elections. Brooks Savage, as ABA YLD District 9 Representative, and Brad Piland will also lead the YLD’s Standing Disaster Legal Services Committee to respond to any FEMA-declared emergencies in North Carolina.
In the community, the YLD will work to bring the law into the classroom through the Legal LINK Committee, chaired by Zack Kaplan (Ballew Puryear PLLC), and the Law Week and Liberty Bell Committee, co-chaired by Sidney Thomas and Nick Sorensen (N.C. Department of Justice). The YLD will also continue its work to feed North Carolina through the annual Legal Feeding Frenzy, led by Spencer Fritts (The Law Offices of John M. McCabe) and Meredith Brewer (Maynard Nexsen).
As one more goal for the year, the YLD has committed to raising $50,000 for the Open Door Fund, thereby establishing the first YLD Justice Fund, and providing the additional benefit to Open Door Fellows of being invited to be a Law Student Representative to the YLD. Taylor Dewberry (Smith Anderson) and Jessica Hester (Hamilton Stephens Steele & Martin) will lead the YLD in these efforts by chairing the Foundation and Development Committee.
It is my honor to promote these goals of the YLD alongside the YLD officers: Chair-Elect Sheila Spence (JMP), Secretary Michele Livingstone (Poyner Spruill), and Administrative Division Director and YLD Representative to the ABA House of Delegates Jeremy Locklear (Parker Poe).
Whether a law student, a new or young lawyer, or a long-standing member of the NCBA, I am committed – and the entire YLD is committed – to moving our association forward towards full inclusion. I hope you join us.
Collins Saint is the 2024-25 chair of the North Carolina Bar Association Young Lawyers Division.