SBAND PRESIDENT
SBAND PRESIDENT
CREATING AWARENESS OF THE LEGAL PROFESSION IS A RESPONSIBILITY WE ALL SHARE
TAYLOR OLSON SBAND President
Happy Fall ! I want to start off the article by saying thank you to everyone for such a warm welcome to this position . The first few months have flown by ! Executive Director Weiler and I have attended many events on behalf of the association . In August , we attended the annual ABA meeting in Denver , where we focused on issues that have been front and center in the legal profession in the last year . It was helpful to discuss current issues and bring back ideas that work for other organizations .
I attended the swearing-in ceremony for our new attorneys ( thank goodness I didn ’ t faceplant in front of everyone coming down those stairs !) and was able to meet with many new attorneys and their family members . We now have more than 3,000 sworn members of the North Dakota Bar !
Next , I attended the investiture of Professor Brad Meyers to the Randy H . Lee Professorship at the University of North Dakota ( UND ) School of Law . This was a wonderful event honoring an amazing professor . I ’ m glad I was able to attend .
We will spend the next few weeks participating in board meetings , appointments , and judge investitures . There have already been many this fall , and I ’ m looking forward to attending one in my own district .
Tony Weiler and I also recently attended a joint Law School / SBAND meeting at the school of law , which led me to spend the next few days thinking about the perception of lawyers , specifically with high school and college students , in North Dakota . During our meeting , we spent time talking about an issue our board of governors has also recently discussed : Why is the interest in law school so much lower ?
Creating awareness of the legal profession among our youth is a responsibility we all share . Our legal system plays a vital role in upholding justice , protecting individual rights , and maintaining the rule of law . As such , it is essential we inspire the next generation to take up the mantle of justice and become stewards of the law . Now , I don ’ t have any statistical data to back this up . . . yet . However , it seems we have a real problem on our hands , especially in a small state like North Dakota . There were only 43 applicants who sat for the bar exam in July 2023 , and there were only 27 UND graduates who sat for the exam . Dean Brian Pappas reported at our joint meeting that roughly 85 students took the LSAT in North Dakota in the past year . Why are these numbers so low and what can we , as North Dakota practitioners , do to help ?
One answer we discussed at length was to increase the interest in law school at a younger age . Many young individuals are not fully aware of the career paths and the incredible possibilities the legal field has to offer . To address this issue , it is crucial we , as legal professionals , take proactive steps to engage and inspire our youth to explore this noble profession .
So , this is my call to all of you ! If you can , please find some time to go into the schools . It can be at a Law Day presentation or by speaking to a group of kids to introduce the legal field and mentorship . You could assist in community outreach by becoming involved in sponsoring or leading a mock trial team . There have been many successful programs across the state which have promoted our profession . We need to launch public awareness campaigns that emphasize the importance of the legal profession in safeguarding democracy and individual rights .
By implementing these strategies , we can ignite the spark of curiosity and passion for the law within our youth . Let us become the source to empower them with the knowledge and resources they need to embark on a long , successful career path . After all , the future of our justice system depends on the enthusiasm and dedication of the generations to come .
4 THE GAVEL