Welcome Letter

April 21, 2004

Re: 2004-2005 YLS Executive Committee Appointments

Dear Fellow Young Lawyer:

If you are like many of us, you have struggled balancing your work with your "real" life. While these issues are not new to the profession, the focus on billable hours and competitive pressures over the last several years have made balancing work and life even more difficult for many of us. The Connecticut Bar Association Young Lawyers Section – which has been around for over 55 years – is starting a multi-year effort to address these issues and provide young and new attorneys with practical solutions. This effort – entitled "The Equilibrium Project" – promises to be the centerpiece of an exciting time for the CBA-YLS. For example, we have already lined up Susan Bysiewicz, Connecticut’s Secretary of State, to speak to the YLS leadership team in June on the issue of balancing work and life.

We have many ideas like this project in the planning stages for the 2004-2005 bar year. However, we cannot implement these ideas without the continued commitment from young lawyers across the state. Whether it is serving on one of our many committees or project teams, or even taking a leadership role, we are looking for people like you to continue to stay involved.

In the past, young lawyers have had to fill out cumbersome forms to try to be involved. We have eliminated these forms. Instead, at our website, we have set up an electronic sign-up sheet to make it easy for you to sign up for various committees or teams and indicate whether you’d like to take a leadership position. No prior experience is necessary. Just visit www.ctbar.org/ylssignup and fill in your information today. You can also visit the YLS general website at www.ctbar.org for more information about the YLS. Even if you just prefer to be a recipient of e-mails notifying you of our upcoming events, I urge you to take just a moment to fill out this online signup. This will ensure that our records about you are up-to-date and that you will continue receiving information about the YLS. Leadership positions will be filled in early May, so please indicate your interest as soon as possible.

If you have any question about the YLS and what a commitment to the YLS leadership team would mean, please feel free to contact me directly at 860-275-0345 or via e-mail at daschwartz@dbh.com. I look forward to hearing from you.

Very truly yours,

Daniel A. Schwartz
Chair-Elect, CBA-YLS