Assistant AG sets goals for association's Young Lawyers Section

New ICBA-YLS President Katherine Bennett (right) is pictured at a YLS event with Immediate Past President Alex Rusek and former president Jackie Dupler.

– Photo courtesy of Katherine Bennett

By Sheila Pursglove
Legal News

Katherine J. (Montgomery) Bennett, an assistant attorney general in the Michigan Department of Attorney General Corporate Oversight Division, is the new president of the Ingham County Bar Association Young Lawyers Section, succeeding Alex Rusek.

Specifically tailored to assist young lawyers and those new to the practice of law, the ICBA-YLS is open to all ICBA members aged 36 or younger or who have been practicing less than five years, and provides educational, networking, and social events. Events have included the Paper Chase 5K, an appellate seminar, an arbitration seminar, a “refresh your recollection” evidence seminar, post-holiday parties that raised donations for local charities, a Spring social, an Oktoberfest celebration, fitness classes, outings to Lansing Lugnuts baseball games, and various charity fund-raising activities, including support of Haven House in Lansing.

“I enjoy YLS because it’s a great opportunity to serve the bar and my community,” says Bennett, whose term started July 1. She has been involved with YLS since 2015, and joined the executive council in 2016.

The YLS section has several new members on the board this year. In addition to Bennett and Rusek, the lineup includes Mary Bowen, Mark DeLuca, Aylysh Gallagher, Brittany Nichol, Jackie Dupler, Mike Van Huysse, Teddy Eisenhut, and Chris Wickman.

“While I’m sad to see our longstanding board members move on to new projects, I’m excited about all of the new ideas and perspectives that will be brought to the table with new council members,” Bennett says. “My goal is to take that fresh energy and come up with new ways we can serve the local bar and community.”

Also a member of the Women Lawyers Association of Michigan-Mid-Michigan Region, State Bar of Michigan, and American Bar Association, the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School alumna would encourage other young lawyers to join the ICBA YLS Section.

“Sometimes, at the end of a long day, you just want to go home and relax—I think that’s why some people are reluctant to get involved with YLS, as it’s another activity on top of an already busy schedule,” she says.

“But what people don’t realize is that it’s worth it! It’s so much fun getting to know other attorneys in the area. And getting involved in an organization like YLS also helps develop valuable organizational, networking, and leadership skills.”

At its first meeting on August 9, the new board will outline its schedule for the coming year.

“In addition to my goal to develop new activities and events, you can count on us organizing our traditional annual events such as the Horn of Plenty and Paper Chase 5K—stay tuned,” Bennett says.

For additional information visit www.inghambar.org/About-Us/Young-Lawyers-Section.aspx, visit them on Facebook, or e-mail Bennett at katherinejmontgomery@gmail.com.

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