Searching for Volunteers for the Grab a Coffee Program — Summer 2026

Anna, a white woman with brown hair, wears a black dress and black blazer.Courtney, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a dress with a black and white checkered pattern and a black blazer.Matt, a white man with brown hair, wears a pale blue shirt, grey suit, and mint green tie.By Anna-Jamieson Beck, Courtney Latourrette and Matt Meinel

Do you have time to grab a cup of coffee? Instead of taking this one to-go, how about spending thirty meaningful minutes with a future lawyer?

A half hour of your time is all we need to make this program a success! We are seeking attorney volunteers to connect with a law student and pass on the valuable insights you have about succeeding in law school and entering the practice of law. If you would like to volunteer, please fill out the attorney sign-up form (law students can sign up with this student sign-up form). If you have signed up during a previous GaC session, you will need to sign up again.

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68th Anniversary of Law Day: “The Rule of Law and the American Dream”

Nicholas, a white man with brown hair, wears a grey shirt, grey and white striped tie, and black blazer.By Nicholas SorensenSidney, a Black woman with black hair, wears a white blouse, black jacket and glasses. and Sidney Thomas 

What is Law Day? Each year, the American Bar Association (ABA) hosts Law Day on the first Friday of May to celebrate the role of law in our society and to cultivate a deeper understanding of the legal profession. President Dwight D. Eisenhower established the first Law Day on May 1, 1958, to provide an opportunity for the nation and legal community to reflect on the vital role law plays in maintaining justice and order, protecting our rights and promoting democracy. In 1961, Congress officially designated May 1 as Law Day as a nationally recognized celebration.

North Carolina celebrates its own Law Day on the first Friday of each May. This year, Governor Josh Stein proclaimed May 1, 2026, as Law Day to all North Carolinians to be a celebration of the rule of law, equality before the law and the enduring principles of liberty and justice that protect the rights and freedoms of all people, encourage civic education and engagement among students and strengthen a free and just society in which every individual has the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

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What Asheville Revealed About the Future of Legal Leadership

Alex, a Black woman with black hair, wears a black blouse and a blazer with black and white checks.By Alex Gwynn 

The future of legal leadership is not being shaped in isolation; it is being built in real time at the intersection of crisis response, community engagement and cross-sector collaboration. A recent gathering of young lawyers in Asheville offered a clear view of what that future looks like in practice and where the profession is headed.

In Asheville, young lawyers from North Carolina and Georgia convened for a cross-state program centered on networking, service and leadership development. Hosted across multiple venues, the program blended education, community engagement and collaboration across jurisdictions. More importantly, it demonstrated a shift in how legal leadership is developed: not through theory alone, but through direct exposure to complex, real-world challenges.

That shift was most evident in the program’s focus on leadership during crisis.

A group of individuals stand in business casual attire in front of brightly lit windows.

Young lawyers in North Carolina and Georgia joined Asheville City leadership for a program on crisis response, collaboration and the evolving role of attorneys in public leadership. Photo courtesy of Envisioning Freedom Productions, LLC.

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Where Service Becomes Leadership: Pro Bono in the Lives of Emerging Lawyers

Joshua, a Black man with black hair, wears a white shirt and black suit. Isabella, a Hispanic/Latina woman with brown hair, wears a pale blue blouse and black suit. By Joshua Batchelor and Isabella Reed

This spring, the YLD Pro Bono Leadership Cohort came together through a meaningful series of pro bono clinics, civic engagement programs and community-building events across North Carolina. Rather than functioning as isolated service opportunities, these experiences collectively reflected a shared commitment to access to justice and helped participants begin to see pro bono service as something deeper than an obligation, an evolving part of professional identity, leadership and how we show up in the legal community.

Throughout the spring, cohort members engaged in hands-on service, collaborative programming, and informal networking that created space not only for legal impact but also for reflection, relationship-building and professional growth.

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Report From the ABA Midyear Meeting

Chazle, a Black woman with black hair and auburn highlights, wears a blue suit and blazer and a pearl necklace.By Chazle’ Woodley

Happy April All!

As the new Young Lawyer Delegate to the American Bar Association (ABA) House of Delegates, I would like to take this opportunity to provide an overview of the resolutions considered during February’s Midyear Meeting of the ABA House of Delegates in San Antonio, Texas.

The ABA House of Delegates serves as the policymaking body of the ABA. The House is responsible for drafting, debating and voting on resolutions that shape ABA policies regarding both professional and public matters. It represents not only various constituent groups within the ABA but also the broader legal profession, including delegates from state, local, and specialty bar associations. As the ultimate governing authority of the ABA, the House is committed to advancing the legal profession by addressing issues of significance to the legal community and to the law itself. The ABA maintains active policies across a diverse range of topics pertinent to the legal field, many of which have been central to the Association’s advocacy for many years.

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More Than the Law: Why Having Hobbies Helps Lawyers

Courtney, a white woman with light brown hair, wears a dress with a black and white checkered pattern and a black blazer.

By Courtney Latourrette 

The practice of law demands precision, resilience and focus, but we’re at our best when we bring our full selves to the profession. How can we make sure we are at our best? That was the theme of a recent discussion hosted by NCBA YLD joined by NCBA BarCARES President Eric Richardson and members of the NCBA YLD Pro Bono Cohort.

The group explored what hobbies can teach us about being good people — and better legal professionals. From pottery to poetry, marathon running to yoga, the conversation highlighted that growth takes time, both personally and professionally. One participant discussed their passion for making pottery and what it has taught them about resilience and perseverance. Like mastering any craft, building a fulfilling legal career isn’t about instant perfection but about consistency and reflection.

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Building Pathways: Durham County Youth Home and the Future of the Profession

Quinn, a Black woman with curly black hair, wears a white blouse. Alex, a Black woman with black hair, wears a black blouse and a blazer with black and white checks.Joshua, a white man with brown hair and a beard, wears a blue shirt, grey suit and orange and white and blue striped tie.

 

By Quinn Byars, Alex Gwynn and Joshua Peacock

Mentorship, lived experience and service came together last summer to break barriers and expand opportunities for justice-involved youth through the Building Pathways pilot at the Durham County Youth Home. The Durham County Youth Home is a secure juvenile detention facility operated by Durham County, providing temporary custody and care for youth involved in the juvenile justice system while they await court proceedings or case disposition. In addition to structured supervision, the facility offers education, counseling, and supportive programming designed to stabilize youth, foster positive behavioral development, and help them envision a future beyond their current circumstances.

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Women Who Lead: Spotlight on Melissa McKinney

Taylor, a Black woman with black hair, wears a blue and white blouse and black jacket.By Taylor Gibbs 

As winter gives way to the promise of spring, the NCBA Young Lawyers Division’s DEI Committee takes this opportunity to recognize and celebrate Women’s History Month. Alongside International Women’s Day on March 8, this month serves as a time to honor the achievements and contributions of women throughout our nation’s history, reflect on the progress made toward gender equality and acknowledge the work that remains.

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Redefining Resilience: A Conversation with YLD Chair Sheila Spence on Reflections for Women’s History Month

Alex, a Black woman with black hair, wears a black blouse and a blazer with black and white checks.By Alex Gwynn 

Opening Question: Resilience & Motivation

Alex: As we reflect during Women’s History Month, how would you define resilience in your own words, and looking back on your journey through law school into leadership, what feels most meaningful about that time, especially what sustained or motivated you to keep moving forward during such a challenging season?

Sheila, a Black woman with brown hair, wears a white shirt, pale blue suit and pearl necklace and earrings.

Sheila Spence

Sheila: Resilience is the decision to keep showing up, especially when there is no guarantee that showing up will be enough. It is not the absence of fear or doubt. It is moving forward in spite of them, one day at a time.

I dreamed of becoming a lawyer when I was nine years old. That dream did not come with a roadmap, and the path turned out to be harder than I ever anticipated, yet more meaningful because of it. When things got difficult, I kept returning to that original dream and what it meant to me. That was enough to keep me moving.

What feels most meaningful now is not simply reaching this point. It is knowing what it cost to get here, and that I did not give up.

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Making Service Your Professional Identity, Not an Add-On

By Alex Gwynn

For many lawyers, service begins as a requirement and includes pro bono hours, bar expectations and résumé building. Over time, however, service can become something deeper, a professional identity that shapes how we lead, how we practice and how we show up in our communities.

On Saturday, February 28, the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) welcomed 24 members of its inaugural pro bono cohort through a pinning ceremony and oath, civic leadership roundtables and a networking lunch co-sponsored by the Government and Public Sector Section and Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of North Carolina.

The goal of the pro bono cohort was not simply to host another volunteer opportunity, but to build a culture where pro bono and civic leadership are woven into the professional identities of law students and young lawyers from the very beginning.

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