Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Committee Application Form: June 1, 2015 May 31, 2016 1. All applications must be received on or before April 30, 2015 at 5 p.m. Please email the application to: adavis@iplawfl.com or Fax it to 407-926-7720. 2. You must be a member in good standing of the Young Lawyers Section of the Orange County Bar Association in order to apply. If you are unsure of your membership status, please contact the OCBA at 407-422-4551. 3. Please legibly handwrite or type your responses below. If you need additional space, please attach extra pages. Name Email Address Address Phone Number City, State, Zip Code Birth Date Place of Employment Bar Admission Date Attached to this Application are descriptions of the YLS committees for the upcoming year, along with the open committee positions for this year. Please list which committees and positions for which you are applying (you may apply for more than one): Do you have any past experience that you believe will assist you in serving in the role(s) for which you are applying? Have you served on any YLS committees in the past? If so, which committees? Do you have any ideas for the committee(s) in which you are interested? If so, please describe below:
YLS Committees June 1, 2015 May 31, 2016 Afternoon at the State Courthouse: An Afternoon at the State Courthouse is a unique seminar that provides insight into local judicial policies and procedures, universal courtroom decorum, and helpful hints for attorneys practicing law throughout Central Florida. The seminar is taught by current judges and is designed for attorneys, law students, paralegals, paralegal students, and other legal assistants, and is open to the public. Responsibilities of the committee include reaching out to local law firms, law schools and other legal academic programs to promote the event and ensure it is well attended. This event occurs during the afternoon hours, typically on a Friday, in mid-june or July. Committee members will also be expected to attend the event and arrive early to help with registration. Awards: The Awards Committee is responsible for identifying potential award opportunities for YLS members, as well as members of the greater OCBA and judiciary, and assisting the Board in preparing nominations for such awards. Responsibilities for the Awards Committee include maintaining the calendar of awards, preparing descriptions of awards for Board meetings, preparing nomination packages for nominees, and ensuring that awards packages are submitted in a timely manner. Backpack Project: The Backpack Project Committee raises money to purchase backpacks and school supplies for the students and teachers at Rock Lake Elementary School. Rock Lake is one of Central Florida s most economically disadvantaged schools. The YLS partners with A Gift for Teaching to provide the backpacks. Each year a happy hour is held at the end of July or the first week in August to raise money and collect school supplies. The happy hour serves as the fundraiser for the project. Committee members are responsible for attending and assisting with the happy hour. Additionally, the committee will meet at A Gift for Teaching to fill the backpacks with school supplies and is responsible for delivering the backpacks to Rock Lake Elementary on the Friday before the first day of school. Community Service: Due to our membership s increased interest to volunteer with community organizations and get their hands dirty, this committee will focus on planning a couple of service events at local charitable organizations, which will allow Young Lawyers to give back to the Central Florida community. This is a new committee, and all ideas are welcomed. Dodgeball Tournament: The tournament is a one night event. Teams of up to six players and up to 4 alternates compete in a double elimination bracket. There are awards for First place, Second place, and Most Spirited. The event is usually followed by a Happy Hour for the participants. The Committee will need to obtain sponsors to offset costs of the tournament and Happy Hour, as well as obtain a venue, manage the team sign-ups, and arrange for referees. Last year, the event occurred in November, but it could move to the Spring. s Evening with the Judiciary: Evening with the Judiciary is a mid-week cocktail party that occurs in late February, and its invitees include lawyers and judges. In a social atmosphere, which is generally themed, lawyers get the chance to mingle with judges and colleagues while enjoying small plates, appetizers, and drinks. In past years, attendance has ranged from 250-475. Duties of the committee include: finding and negotiating an appropriate venue, planning a theme, hiring a caterer, managing a budget, choosing and providing beverages, entertainment, and name tags, sending invitations to all local judges, publicizing the event, managing rsvps, assisting with set-up and clean-up of the event,
and other miscellaneous tasks. Planning the Evening with the Judiciary requires commitment and service several months in advance and is significantly time consuming in the few months leading up to the event. Gator Game Bus Trip: The Gator Bus Trip committee organizes the annual YLS trip to a University of Florida football game. The committee selects a game to attend once the football schedule is announced. The committee also reserves a bus, purchases a block of tickets, advertises the event, gathers sponsors, buys enough food and drinks (including adult beverages) for the group, collects money from attendees, and makes sure everyone is back on the bus at the end of the day. This event is a lot of fun to organize and one that many Gator fans look forward to each year. Golf Tournament: The Golf Tournament raises a large portion of the funds that we use throughout the year on our various charitable endeavors. Committee members are expected to help lock in vendors, collect gifts for the raffle, collect gifts for player goodie bags, and be available to work the day of the event. The day of the event is much more fun than work. On the day of the tournament committee members need to be present at 6:00 A.M. to help setup. There is an initial registration period where we need committee members to help register players, sell raffle tickets, tend bar, and generally get players where they need to be. After the initial registration period, committee members will split up for a variety of tasks. Some committee members will help set up the post-tournament raffle. Other committee members will be given golf carts to travel the course to make sure that the vendors and players are not experiencing any problems. It is acceptable for committee members to socialize, so long as they do not neglect their duties. This committee should be large, due to the size of the event. Great Oaks Village: Great Oaks Village is a residential group home for foster children in Orlando. Each year, YLS organizes a day where several of its members and local judges go to the home and organize a fun day with the kids. The activities range from basketball, arts & crafts, waterslides, bounce house, face painting, eating pizza and a question and answer session among the children and the attorneys and judges at the end. The committee is responsible for securing donations for the event, purchasing items for use at the fun-day and planning the activities. The event usually occurs on a Saturday morning in May. In the past, the committee has also worked together to fundraise within the community in order to meet a specified need at Great Oaks Village. For example, in the past, the committee has organized a shoe drive in order to provide all of the children with new shoes on the day of the event. Halloween Party at WRCC: In mid to late October on a weekday night, YLS will plan a Halloween Party and Mock Trial for the children at the Women s Residential and Counseling Center in downtown Orlando. The event consists of YLS providing new Halloween costumes for each of the 30-40 children living at the Center, as well as games, prizes, and crafts. Additionally, YLS hosts a Mock Trial of the Big Bad Wolf to teach the children about the legal process. The committee must work with WRCC/Coalition for the Homeless to select a date and organize the event space. Additionally, the committee will need to organize the mock trial and party volunteers, buy party supplies and costumes, and leave work early on the day of the event to set up the party room.
Holidays All Year Long: Holidays All Year Long is a unique event that happens in two parts. Part 1 is a fundraising happy hour that typically takes place at the end of January. The goal of this happy hour is to raise funds for local organizations benefiting children. Part 2 typically happens in April and is when the committee drops off the goods (toys, food, etc.) to the different organizations. The committee works together from start (typically early October) to finish. Committee members are asked to help with the happy hour, purchasing toys and assisting with drop-offs, among other things. The time commitment is significant but the pay-off is huge! Holiday Party: The Holiday Party committee will begin to meet in the late summer to begin organizing the members-only YLS Holiday Party in December. In recent years, admission to the event has been a charitable donation to a local organization. The committee will work to secure sponsors and a venue for the event, and will also coordinate the menu, invitation, and additional party details. IDignity: IDignity is an organization which assists the disadvantaged in Central Florida to navigate the complexities of obtaining their personal identification, such as birth certificates, Florida ID cards and Social Security cards. YLS coordinates with the organization to arrange for a time for its membership to assist in signing up individuals for such forms of identification. The committee members will need to be available to attend the event and to set up lunch for the volunteers on the day of the event. The event usually occurs in Spring. Positions available:committee Members Investitures: YLS is seeking one or two individuals to help arrange and coordinate the participation of the YLS in local judicial investitures. Law Clerk and Young Lawyer Reception: The Young Lawyers & Law Clerks Reception is an annual event that allows young lawyers and law clerks in the Orlando area to meet local attorneys and judges in a relaxed environment and helps promote the Orlando legal community. The attendance for this event is typically over 300 people. This event occurs towards the middle/end of July each year. The planning of this event takes place from May-July. This committee meets every 2-3 weeks leading up to the event. Committee members will assist in making contact with and securing sponsors for this event. This includes reaching out to local firms, businesses, and individuals. Members also participate in the planning of the event, including ideas for sponsorship levels, catering selection, marketing the event, and any new ideas to keep this event exciting! Committee members should be available to assist with the day of coordination, including event set-up, checking in attendees, working the silent auction and mingling at the event. Luncheons: Luncheon committee will work closely with the President and the Treasurer throughout the year. The committee will work to secure speakers, manage rsvps and payment of luncheon attendees, and generally assist with the set up and function of the luncheons. Mentoring Program: YLS-Law Student Mentoring Program is open to all OCBA members who have completed at least one year of practice. OCBA mentors are paired with law students for one academic year to provide guidance on transitioning from law school to the practice of law, with a focus on practicing with professionalism. Mentors are able to engage in any activities that they and their mentee choose, including lunch, YLS and OCBA functions, and substantive legal activities such as hearings and client meetings. As a member of the committee, you will assist with enrolling and monitoring
mentors and mentees, promoting and participating in activities, as well as putting together the Kick-Off and End of the Year events. New Member: The New Membership Committee acts as a recruiting tool for YLS. In addition, we serve as ambassadors for new members in the sense that we provide an immediate contact and comfort level for those newly involved. Traditionally, the primary tasks and responsibilities of this committee include: 1) receiving from the OCBA the list of each months' new YLS members and sending an introductory e-mail to them in advance of the YLS luncheon and any other pending events, 2) attending the monthly YLS luncheons, sitting at the "New Member Table" and gathering contact information for follow-up with the new members and 3) otherwise compiling new member information and maintaining contact with and availability to the new members in an effort to make YLS more approachable, accessible and attractive to all. This Committee's monthly time commitment is not overwhelming and has traditionally been composed of attending the monthly luncheons, being an active YLS member, and spending time maintaining e-mail and other correspondence with the new members. Public Relations: The PR Committee will work with the Communications Coordinator and YLS Secretary to ensure that information regarding YLS events is being distributed on social media, and with the OCBA, Florida Bar, and other local news outlets. Duties may include writing short articles for publication. The PR committee will have a manageable stream of work all year. s Scholarship: Each year, the YLS recognizes one outstanding High School Senior from Orange County and awards a scholarship to Valencia College. The committee is responsible for distributing scholarship applications to the schools, reviewing applications, interviewing select applicants, coordinating disbursement of funds and monitoring student progress. The selection process runs from February through June. Social: The Social Committee's duties include planning and carrying out general YLS social events throughout the year, including, but not limited to, YLS-wide happy hours after work and social events with other organizations such as the young CPAs. We try to plan some form of after work or other happy hour event once every couple of months. YLS is looking to expand the social committee to include activities in addition to Happy Hours. The monthly time commitment is usually 3-5 hours per month. Speech and Debate: The Speech and Debate Committee s duties include planning the annual speech and debate competition held at a local high school, gathering other attorneys to help judge the competition and attending and participating in the competition. The competition is typically in September, but there will be work leading up to September.