Early Career Lawyers Community Launches
June 12, 2023
On June 8 the D.C. Bar Communities launched the Early Career Lawyers Community (ECLC), the newest addition to its nearly two dozen practice-specific and specialty entities that provide opportunities for members to grow their professional networks and develop their careers.
The Early Career Lawyers Community is open to attorneys with 10 years or less of practice experience. D.C. Bar President Ellen Jakovic played a critical role in the creation of the group as part of her presidency’s broader agenda of increasing involvement and engagement. Addressing attendees at the launch, Jakovic said she envisions the ECLC as “a place where lawyers who are just starting out in their careers can come to network, share ideas, learn leadership skills, learn what they want to do with their practice, give back, do community service, and volunteer with the Pro Bono [Center].”
Jakovic acknowledged D.C. Bar CEO Robert Spagnoletti and Communities Director Pamela Robinson for their early support of the group’s establishment, as well as for their efforts to aid its rapid development and implementation.
During her term, Jakovic has also prioritized collaborative efforts with area voluntary bar associations. She thanked the Bar Association of the District of Columbia’s current president, Rawle Andrews Jr., and its immediate past president, Andrew Cook, for collaborating with the D.C. Bar in forming the ECLC.
Early career attorneys themselves played a significant role in making the new community a reality. Its working group cochairs, Regan Zambri Long associate Emily Lagan and Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia trial attorney Quiana Harris, both in their first years of practice, led the initial operation of the ECLC.
“D.C. has no shortage of bright legal minds at the forefront of their legal careers, and it is our hope that this Community becomes your home within the broader D.C. Bar. We want this to be a place where new lawyers come to learn, socialize, and network. Our events will be tailored with those goals in mind,” Lagan said.
Harris encouraged ECLC members to get involved in ongoing organizational planning. “We do hope that you all remain engaged,” Harris said. “We want to make sure everyone knows [their] suggestions are welcome. Any ideas that you may have, or things that you want to see as an early career lawyer here in D.C., please feel free to let us know because that’s exactly what we are doing,” Harris said.
D.C. Bar Communities staff attorney Christopher Kelley serves on the ECLC working group as an early career attorney himself. A recent transplant to the District from his native Tennessee, Kelley says that the ECLC will help connect new members of the Bar to resources and opportunities that might otherwise be overlooked.
Information about joining the Early Career Lawyers Community and voting on its upcoming agenda can be found here.
