SBM YLS

Omaha – An ABA Spring Meeting in Review

At the 2024 American Bar Association’s Spring Meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section (SBM-YLS) members were able to travel and learn from many practitioners. As the Chair of the Men of Color Project for the ABA Young Lawyers Division (YLD), I was also privy to the ABA YLD’s Council meeting. At the Counsel meeting, the Chair of the ABA’s YLD, Tamara Nash, spoke about her goals with the group and how we can all contribute to more educational and diverse programs.

The Council meeting also spotlighted Affiliate Stars of the Quarter, where they highlighted the SBM-YLS for our Mother’s Day event, which was dedicated to mothers who’ve lost children to gun violence. The meeting also consisted of District Representative highlights and a “Welcome Home Task Force” that doubled as an ice-breaking tool for Council members to learn more about each other. The Council also asked members to write an inspirational note in a “Thank you” card that would be delivered to a random boy at the Omaha Home for Boys. This was a very unique gesture that inspired many of us members to write as many cards as they could, and we also donated socks and other items to the boys.  

Additionally, the Council gave an “Omaha Bucket List” of things to do while visiting. One list item was to visit the Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium1. The ABA YLD sponsored a night at the zoo where we were all able to eat and tour the zoo as part of a private event. Aside from the council meeting, there were also great Continuing Legal Education (CLE) seminars available, like “Litigation Basics, Jury Selection, and Technology: Tips and Tricks.” In that CLE, we discovered a jury trial tip about reaching out to the court and asking for the list of potential jurors ahead of trial, which can increase your preparation for trial before the day of trial. Overall, this was a great experience, and we grew as young lawyers from it.   

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  1. Fun fact: The Omaha Henry Doorly Zoo was voted the Number 1 zoo in the nation in the USA Today 10 Best Reader’s Choice Awards for 2024. ↩︎

Darnell T. Barton is the current SBM YLS Treasurer as well as a Criminal and Civil Rights Attorney at Barton Law, PLLC.