By Megan McCloskey

When you see "YLD," what do you think of? A really short vanity plate? A text message "sent from my Blackberry?" Some new disorder you should be taking Ritalin or Xanax for?

I have been regularly surprised over the last few years by how rarely "YLD" conjures the King County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division and how little many lawyers know about our organization, including what the YLD has done in the past and what it is doing today.

The YLD was among the first organizations of its kind in the country, founded by the 1948 graduating class from the University of Washington Law School, many of whom were World War II veterans and not all of whom were all that "young." Originally called the Young Lawyers Committee, the group persuaded more senior lawyers to come and teach them basic practice skills at lunch meetings - the first "Bridging the Gap" seminars. In exchange, Committee members volunteered for the then Seattle Bar Association's Speakers Bureau and talked to community groups about legal issues of the moment. The Young Lawyers Committee also formed the backbone of the bar association's Legal Aid Commit-tee, which offered legal assistance to citizens who could not afford help.

Throughout the succeeding decades, the Committee, re-named as the Young Lawyers Section, played an active role in the bar association and took the leading role in many bar projects. The Section started the Youth and the Law Committee, which connected an attorney with every high school in Seattle; its Contemporary Legal Problems Commit-tee provided legal services for the establishment and operation of minority-owned enterprises and solicited contributions to support minority law students; and its LAMP (Legal Aid to McNeil Prisoners) Committee assisted prisoners with civil and criminal problems.

Section members also were in the forefront of the social issues of their day. Its Board of Trustees resolved not to meet in any private club that discriminated on the basis of race or religion and urged other bar organizations to do the same.

In the 1970s, the Bridging the Gap seminars led to the creation of the Washington Lawyers Practice Manual, a compendium of seminar materials. The year it was published, the manual won an ABA Award of Achievement as the single most outstanding project of a local bar association in the country.

The organization also continued to search for ways to provide legal assistance to those traditionally underserved. In 1975, the first Neighborhood Legal Clinic was opened at Country Doctor on Capitol Hill. The group also printed the first Judges' Book, a guide to trial practice in King County, and created the Judi-cial Evaluation Survey, currently used to assist in rating judges in King County for re-election. First as the YLS and now as the YLD, King County's young lawyers have also written and published several handbooks, including a handbook for pro se litigants, another for those pursuing small claims and a third for those interested in forming a non-profit.

Today, past officers are some of the most distinguished and well-known attorneys in King County. The Washington Lawyers Practice Manual now consists of eight volumes and has generated more than $2 million to support the YLD's public service programs. The YLD supports 25 Neighborhood Legal Clinics throughout King County, which in the last year served nearly 7,000 King County residents.

While continuing this work, the YLD board's focus this year is on its constituents and ensuring that we are providing them with the information and services they need to successfully develop a practice in King County. To accomplish this objective, we are returning to our roots.

With the cooperation of the WSBA, the YLD is planning a new, two-day Bridging the Gap CLE to be held on March 3 and 4, 2006, at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. The CLE will cover numerous practical topics not typically addressed during law school, such as local rules practice, civility and professionalism in the courtroom and conference room, basic negotiation strategies and issues specifically relating to the day-to-day practice of law, such as timekeeping, billing, technology and others. Please mark your calendars; we encourage all lawyers in the first five years of practice to attend.

In addition to its traditional activities, the YLD is initiating several new programs. The board is planning the first-ever Winter Social for members, to be held on January 25 at the Founder's Room in Benaroya Hall, at which we will honor outstanding mentors, nominated by YLD members. Please watch your e-mail for announcements about the event and further details on how to submit a nomination.

On December 2, the YLD will host the first in a new quarterly YLD Lunch Series for young lawyers who have been in practice for a few years. The first topic will be "Going and Being In-house" and will feature a panel of in-house lawyers from companies such as Washington Mutual, Microsoft, Amazon.com and Starbucks who will share their experiences and the pros and cons of working as in-house lawyers.

The board is also in the beginning stages of planning a 5k Fun Run to be held in late summer 2006. The run will raise funds for the Neighborhood Legal Clinics and KCBA's other public service programs. It will be open to lawyers and members of the community.

The YLD is continuing the mission of the division's founders, dedicating itself to improving and protecting the profession, ensuring all young lawyers have the skills and support necessary to succeed and actively serving our larger community. Perhaps next time when you see "YLD," you will think of these things and encourage the "young" lawyers you know to get involved, too.