LSB April 2018_Web

YOUNG LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE
What can the Young Lawyers’
Committee do for you?
ERICA PANAGAKOS, BELPERIO CLARK & MELANIE TILMOUTH, TINDALL GASK BENTLEY
(CO-CHAIRS OF THE YOUNG LAWYERS COMMITTEE)
facebook.com/YLCSA
The South Australian Young Lawyers’
Committee (YLC) is a special
interest Committee of the Society and
an integral part of a young or newly
admitted practitioner’s transition to the
legal profession.
Formerly known as the “New Lawyers
Committee”, the YLC represents the
interests of not only practitioners who
are under the age of 35 but also those
practitioners who are in their first five
years of legal practice, irrespective of their
age. The Committee represents the largest
cohort of practitioners in South Australia
in addition to law students and graduates.
The National Profile of Solicitors 2016
report indicates that 31.1% of solicitors
are aged 34 years or under, and 27.1% of
solicitors had been admitted five years or
less.
The Committee’s main purpose is to
promote the interests of young lawyers
to the Society and the wider profession,
and to further the development of young
lawyers by organising educational, social,
wellbeing and networking events and
initiatives.
Membership of the committee reflects
diversity in experience, practice areas
and employer type, including country
practice, private practice, government,
and the Courts, amongst other sectors.
The YLC considers its members having
diverse backgrounds and experiences to
be important, particularly where 9.4%
of young lawyers work in the country or
hold employment in rural areas. Four of
the Committee’s current members work
or have previously worked in country
locations.
One of the YLC’s core responsibilities
has been the establishment of the
‘Young Lawyers’ Support Group’, which
comprises approximately 25 practitioners
from various backgrounds who have
agreed to assist, where possible, young
lawyers who require independent guidance,
particularly in relation to challenges faced
by young lawyers in the early years of legal
practice.
The YLC also offers continuing
professional development seminars
throughout the year, often at no cost.
The YLC’s yearly CPD program usually
includes an ethics and wellbeing interactive
seminar, and a performance review
seminar to assist young lawyers to prepare
for the often daunting performance review
process that awaits them.
The YLC offers regular events for new
admittees to rub shoulders with leading
members of the profession, including
senior barristers and members of the
judiciary. “Welcome to the Profession”
events are an initiative of the YLC and
are held twice a year at the Society. These
events provide invaluable opportunities
for newly-admitted lawyers to meet and
network with members of the profession
who they may not otherwise encounter
or interact with, and introduce the new
admittees to the benefits that come from
holding membership with, or being
involved in, the Society.
One of the hallmarks of the work of
the YLC is the hosting of social events
to allow young lawyers to mingle with
their peers, which is especially important
for young lawyers who may be the only
junior practitioners in their firms. The
YLC encourages young lawyers to attend
events such as the annual Golden Gavel
competition, the Spring Gala and lawn
bowls night.
The YLC encourages young lawyers to attend
events such as the annual Golden Gavel
competition, the Spring Gala and lawn bowls night.
Over the years, the YLC has also
introduced events with the mental health
and wellbeing of young and newly
admitted practitioners in mind. The
YLC holds a number of initiatives to
help young lawyers achieve a healthy and
balanced lifestyle including a mixed netball
competition and an annual cooking class
which focusses on quick, easy, healthy
meals for young professionals.
The YLC welcomes feedback and
suggestions regarding initiatives that
will assist young lawyers to develop and
progress their careers.
When you become a Member of the
Society and are 35 years or less, in your
first five years of practice or a law student,
you will automatically become a Young
Lawyer Member and receive invites to
Social and Networking events, access to all
the Young Lawyer wellbeing, education,
advocacy and support services, as well as
access to many other services, discounts
and opportunities available through
membership of the Society.
Joining the Society is free for law
students at any South Australian
University, and is heavily discounted for
newly admitted practitioners.
If you have any questions or feedback
regarding the YLC, or would like to
become a Member of the Society, please
contact Member and Community Services
on 8229 0200 or mcs@lawsocietysa.asn.au.
After a considerable amount of effort
by the Committee, we are pleased to
report that the inaugural Young Lawyers
Wellbeing and Salary Survey was
forwarded to members by the Society
on 9 March 2018. The results of the
survey will be considered by the Society
and the Committee and the survey’s key
outcomes will be published in due course
for the profession’s consideration. We
hope that the survey will thereafter be
conducted on a regular basis to track the
progression of young lawyers and to assist
in their development in the early stages of
their career.
April 2018 THE BULLETIN 29