Welcome from the President-Elect, Jewel White Cole

Welcome from the President Welcome from the President-Elect YLD/Florida Bar Brochure

I am thrilled to have been elected President Elect of the Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors and have the opportunity to represent you on the many issues that face new and young lawyers today.  Whether it be dealing with student loan debt, the transition from law school into practice, billable hours, or simply trying to balance your quality of life with the demands of work, young lawyers are faced with countless issues on a daily basis that are unique to our position as new members of the profession.  The YLD strives to tackle the issues affecting young lawyers to help ensure the future of our profession.

One important issue the YLD has tackled in the past couple of years is mounting a campaign to provide meaningful student loan relief for state attorneys, public defenders and legal aid attorneys.  As a law student who graduated with student loan debt and decided to take a legal position with local government, this issue is very real to me.  Today, many law students graduate with over $85,000 in debt.  The YLD voted in 2005 to take a lobbying position to support student loan forgiveness for the above mentioned attorneys, as studies show these offices have a hard time retaining talented attorneys due to the pressures of mounting student loan debt.  Since that time, the YLD and Florida Bar has made great progress and recently saw the passage of the legislation by Congress that addresses the many issues promoted by the Florida Bar in its lobbying position.   

The YLD has always offered Continuing Legal Education designed for Florida’s newest lawyers.  While some of us not-as-young-as-we-used-to-be lawyers attended the 3 day “Bridge the Gap” seminar, the Supreme Court mandated Basic Skills Course requirement has changed and you are now required to attend the “Practicing with Professionalism” seminar and 3 basic skills courses.  In its continuing effort to provide a quality educational experience for young lawyers, the YLD has assembled a committee of some of our most experienced governors to review the program offered at PWP.  In addition to this review, the attendance at PWP has been limited to encourage a more interactive experience for course attendees and numerous locations have been added around the state to make it easier for you to fulfill your CLE requirement. 

Although the YLD is tackling all of these tough issues – and more – we are continuing many of the programs you and your affiliates have hopefully come to appreciate over the past several years.  I am pleased to tell you that this year’s Affiliate Outreach Conference will take place in my own backyard, at the beautiful Renaissance Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, located in St. Petersburg.  The YLD is continuing its partnership with the Florida Bar Foundation to provide grant funds to its affiliates for all of the meaningful public service projects hosted throughout the year.  Additionally, this will be the third year the YLD has been a sponsor of the Minority Mentoring Picnic in Hialeah and this year, we will be an inaugural sponsor of a similar event in Central Florida. 

If you are reading this message, then you have already visited the YLD’s new and improved website, launched under the leadership of immediate Past President John Stewart.  The website is a valuable tool for communicating with our both our affiliates and the rest of the Bar and its new appearance has only made it more so.  As young lawyers, we strive to be leaders in the use of technology in our profession and have used our website for anything from posting our meeting agendas (as opposed to printing and mailing them), to providing information about our various annual events, to allowing members to register for CLE courses. 

As you can see, the YLD keep busy throughout the year working to ensure its mission to advocate, educate and serve is accomplished.  As I begin to make plans for my year as President, I would be happy to hear from you about issues affecting both your professional and personal life and how the YLD may be able to assist.  You can contact me at 727-464-3354 or jcole@pinellascounty.org.