Washington Lawyer - September/October 2024 - 6

FROM OUR PRESIDENT
What Can the Bar
Do for You?
By Shaun M. Snyder
E
nhancing member engagement
is one of three areas
I am focusing on during my
term as D.C. Bar president.
As the CEO of the National Association of State
Treasurers, I often consider how my actions impact
our members. Some of the key questions
I ask are: Are we providing something of value
to our members? Is what we are providing
helping them learn and develop professionally?
Are our offerings enough to get them involved
even more, such as serving in a leadership role?
It shouldn't be a surprise that I apply these
same questions to the Bar as a member and
as an elected leader.
I spent the first part of my career in government,
both federal and District. Unfortunately,
there were not many opportunities to participate
in membership organizations relating to
my government role. And for a variety of reasons,
I was not very involved in the D.C. Bar
then. It wasn't until 2013, when I began working
for a membership association, that I started
to truly understand what these organizations
are and what they can do for their members.
In my job, I engage with members who have
spent decades in the public finance profession
and have been very active with our association.
Over and over I've heard members talk about
how the association has positively impacted
them - learning from their peers and subject
matter experts, taking advantage of opportunities
to grow their networks, and leveraging
those experiences to do their jobs better or
to transition to different jobs within the field.
When I attend bar-related events (including
those of voluntary bars), I hear the same thing
from members. I see people who have been involved
for decades talk about the value of bar
membership and engagement, professionally
and personally.
6 WASHINGTON LAWYER
* SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2024
At the annual meeting of a voluntary bar association
in June, I heard something remarkable
during an award speech. The recipient, a D.C.
judge, was the first in her family to attend college.
I could tell how much of an impact this
voluntary bar had on her as she moved from
college to law school, worked as an attorney,
and then became a judge. In her speech, she
challenged each person in the room to " open
the door just a little bit " for others, just as
someone did for her and started her down
her professional path.
Let's help open the door
for our newer members.
To have the greatest impact, engaging with
members early in their careers is key. That is
why I am so pleased that during Ellen Jakovic's
term as president, the Bar created the Early
Career Lawyers Community (ECLC). In its first
full year, this new group designed for lawyers in
their first 10 years of practice drew hundreds of
members.
The ECLC has already hosted some wonderful
events, including networking and educational
programs to connect our newer members with
the Bar and put them on the path to leverage
their Bar membership to grow professionally. If
you work with or know someone eligible to be
a part of the ECLC, please encourage them to
join. The early years of practice are challenging,
and knowing where to go and how to grow
beyond the work right in front of you can be
difficult. Let's help open the door for our newer
members by encouraging them to get involved.
But
why wait until people are already practicing?
I'm particularly excited about our next
step: reimagining and relaunching our Law
Student Community. Earlier this year, Immediate
Past President Charles Lowery hosted a
lunch with Bar leaders and the deans of D.C.
law schools. We discussed building connections
between their students and the D.C. Bar,
especially since many of them will eventually
take the D.C. bar exam and become members.
The Law Student Community currently offers
great benefits: the ability to participate in our
student-led podcast, apply for the Karen Hastie
Williams Leadership Fellowship, attend the Judicial
Clerkship Bootcamp, access Communities'
live programs for free, join other Communities,
and take advantage of the Lawyer Assistance
Program, including the bar exam prep
group. We didn't have this resource when I was
in law school.
With the active support of the deans in promoting
the Law Student Community to their
students, we can grow this Community even
more and engage students before they start
their legal careers.
The ECLC and Law Student Community are just
two examples of how we can increase member
engagement with the Bar early on and provide
enhanced benefits to our members.
As we undertake the process to develop a
new five-year strategic plan for the Bar, I look
forward to further discussing member engagement
with you. What would you like to see
from the Bar now? What would make you more
likely to be involved? Looking back on the earlier
part of your career, what would have motivated
you to participate, and how can we use
that feedback to encourage early involvement?
Please share those ideas with us. Your voice
and experience are critical to this process.
Connect with Shaun at ssnyder@dcbar.org.
Patrice Gilbert Photography
Washington Lawyer - September/October 2024

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