Young Lawyers Section: Connections

My name is Lisa Arthur and I am the Young Lawyers Section president. This year at YLS we are all about connections—connecting young lawyers to other lawyers and young professionals, connecting young lawyers to volunteer opportunities, and connecting young lawyers to the Greensboro community.  I will use this column each month to update you about what is going on with YLS and how you can connect with us.

Book Buddies. Book Buddies is a volunteer program that YLS created and supports every year.  The program pairs lawyers with classrooms at Hampton Elementary to read aloud to the class for thirty minutes to an hour.  The great thing about the program is that it’s flexible—once you’re paired with a classroom, you work with the teacher to schedule mutually agreeable reading times.  Our goal is to fully staff Hampton’s pre-K through second-grade classes and expand to another Guilford County school. Book Buddies is open to all GBA members, so you don’t have to be a young lawyer to volunteer with us. To find out more about Book Buddies and how you can volunteer, please see article on page 6.

Backpack Beginnings. Our first YLS event this year will be with Backpack Beginnings on Thursday, September 14, 2016, at 4:00 p.m. with a happy hour to follow. Come meet new YLS members and help stuff “comfort” backpacks for Guilford County kids.  To RSVP for this event, please email me at lisa.arthur@smithmoorelaw.com.

Swearing-in Ceremony/Bridge the Gap Program.  Please mark your calendars for Friday, October 14, 2016.  Our Bridge the Gap Program starts at 9:00 a.m. and provides a great opportunity for new lawyers to tour the Federal, State, and Bankruptcy Courts.  Our Swearing-In Ceremony will begin at 3:00 p.m. at the Commissioners’ Room located on the second floor of the Old Courthouse (301 W. Market Street).  We would love for members of the GBA to join us and support our newly licensed attorneys. If you are a newly licensed attorney or know of a newly licensed attorney, please e-mail me directly at lisa.arthur@smithmoorelaw.com so I can send you the application materials.

Lisa Arthur is President of the Greensboro Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section and an attorney with Smith Moore Leatherwood in the litigation practice group. Follow YLS on Facebook