Rising Professionals Program (2024 Annual Meeting)

Join the Rising Professionals Program in Kansas City!

Elevate your legal career by attending the Rising Professionals program, part of the Federal Bar Association’s 2024 Annual Meeting & Convention in Kansas City, MO. Mark your calendar for Thursday, September 5, and take advantage of this unique opportunity to network, learn, and grow.

Our Rising Professionals program is specially designed for aspiring legal professionals like you. For a low, student-friendly rate, you’ll gain access to an afternoon of educational sessions and our Welcome Reception at the National WWI Museum. This is your chance to:

• Engage with Expert Speakers: Learn from leading legal minds who will share insights and trends shaping the future of law.
• Expand Your Network: Connect with seasoned professionals and fellow law students from across the country.
• Enhance Your Skills: Participate in dynamic sessions that cover hot legal topics and career development strategies.
• Experience Kansas City: Enjoy the vibrant culture and hospitality of one of America’s most dynamic cities.

Don’t miss out on this unparalleled chance to jumpstart your legal career. Register now for the Rising Professionals program at the FBA’s 2024 Annual Meeting & Convention, and take the first step towards a successful future in law. See you in Kansas City!

Hosted by the Younger Lawyers Division, Law Student Division and Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapter

Schedule of Events

Times posted in Central Time (CT) and are subject to change.

2:45 PM – 3:45 PM
It is Literally Impossible to be a Woman [Lawyer]
Presented by the Foundation of the Federal Bar Association and Younger Lawyers Division

Inspired by Oscar-nominated America Ferrera’s monologue as Gloria in Barbie, and supported by studies, statistics, anecdotes, law review articles, 30 years of litigating, a decade of studying implicit bias, and eight years on the bench, as well as fun references to Barbie, Judge van Meerveld will start with her own monologue about the continuing plight of women in the profession.  This will be followed by topical, “gamified” prompts (sexism bingo, to be precise) designed to inspire sharing personal stories and brainstorming professional solutions for everyday instances of sexism and implicit bias that women in the legal community still face, and the role of both women and men in recognizing, counteracting, and correcting it.  Discussion will include topics ranging from pay inequities, disparate application of both subjective- and objective- performance criteria, prove-it-again syndrome, and the maternal wall.

• Moderator: Ashley Belleau, President, Foundation of the FBA
• Chloé M. Chetta, Member/YLD Member, Barrasso Usdin Kupperman Freeman & Sarver, L.L.C.
• Hon. Janis van Meerveld, Judge, U.S. District Court – Eastern District of Louisiana

4:00 PM – 5:00 PM
Mock Mediation Workshop
Presented by the Younger Lawyers Division and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section

Using a comprehensive mediation scenario, the workshop will provide a forum for understanding current challenges and innovative solutions in the mediation process that will benefit all levels of practice. Through interdisciplinary learning and collaboration, the workshop will provide an opportunity for productive dialogue to enhance the quality of the mediation process for all participants. The workshop format will also afford networking which is crucial to mediation practitioners who often work in silos. All federal courts are required to offer at least one form of ADR. Although many federal courts offer more than one form of ADR, mediation remains the primary form of ADR used in the federal courts. Program requirements vary from timing to panels to training, but there is an inherent level of uniformity in the mediation process. Numerous state courts also have some form of ADR requirement or recommendation, with mediation being the most widely used method of ADR. The workshop will be in a format designed to assist attendees in multiple jurisdictions and will include: 1) pre-session communications; 2) introductory sessions, with and without opening statements; 3) separate and joint caucuses; and 4) options for adjourning.
Presented by the Younger Lawyers Division and Alternative Dispute Resolution Section

• Moderator: Laurel Stevenson, Director of Mediation and Assessment Program (MAP), U.S. District Court – Western District of Missouri
• Hon. Mark Beatty, Magistrate Judge, U.S. District Court – Southern District of Illinois
• Amy Coopman, Owner/Mediator/Attorney, Bridge Mediation, LLC
• Jo Colbert Stanley, FBA ADR Section Chair/Arbitrator Mediator Attorney, Stanley Legal Services, LLC

6:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Welcome Reception | National WWI Museum and Memorial
Hosted by the Kansas and Western District of Missouri Chapter

Experience the WWI museum’s beautiful Paul Sunderland Glass Bridge during our Thursday evening reception. The bridge hovers over a field of 9,000 poppies, each representing 1,000 combatants who lost their lives in World War I (9 million in total). Guests will also have private access to the museum’s Main Gallery for a portion of the reception.

Registration

Online registration for this event closed Friday, August 30 at 5:00 PM EDT.

RISING PROFESSIONALS STUDENT TICKET $30
Includes admittance to the following Thursday programming (part of 2024 Annual Meeting & Convention)
It’s Impossible to be a Woman Lawyer, Mock Mediation Workshop, WWI Reception

> Law Student Membership is required for purchase!

[Join Today] Free FBA Membership for Law Students

• Our Law Student Division caters specifically to the needs of law school students, which includes leadership opportunities and learning directly from practitioners.
• The FBA has nearly 100 professional chapters across the United States tasked with building partnerships with their local law schools, and will work with affiliated law school student chapters to create opportunities that cater specifically to law students considering federal practice.