The fact is, as fine a job as they do, everything a young lawyer needs to succeed in their chosen profession is not learned in law school.

Don’t take our word for it – here’s what Dave Sommers, executive director of the Omaha Bar Association, had to say.

“You really learn how to practice law when you’re in practice,” Sommers said. “A lot of that experience comes from learning from the other attorneys.”

For many recent graduates, that learning process began on Tuesday night when the OBA hosted its annual “Reception Welcoming New Attorneys to Law Practice.”

As Sommers said, passing the bar is just the start. The event at the AIM Exchange Building’s 7th Floor Trading Floor Space was designed to be a serious beginning. It’s something that’s been missing in recent years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and served as a welcoming event to attorneys who were sworn into the practice of law in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

With about 170 new lawyers joining the profession in the state annually, the event is viewed by the profession as a key to launching a legal career. The welcoming event allows attorneys to mingle, make connections, and develop relationships with people to whom they can reach out for professional guidance.

     Sommers has been an attorney for a little more than a decade and has experienced the benefits. The event is especially important for young attorneys who may not have roots in the state. He said “The Reception” has been around much longer than he has.

“It keeps the corridors open between the generations,” Sommers offered. “I saw the benefit of it . . . I have been in their shoes.”

Technology is great, he suggested, but face-to-face meetings still carry great value.

Robert Wankmuller was one of the “freshly minted” attorneys who attended Tuesday’s event. He said he was there to meet other attorneys and felt the need from being part of “The Class of COVID.”

Simply stated, Wankmuller offered: “It’s the best opportunity to get to know new lawyers in the area.”

Also new to the profession is Payton Hostens, who told The Daily Record she was there to meet her fellow attorneys including newcomers and potential mentors.

“That would be great as well,” she posed. Hostens plans to work in corporate and business law, estate planning, and administration.

The need for new attorneys is great, Sommers said, with those 170 or so new graduates yearly not enough to meet the state’s need. That’s one reason why “The Reception” is important to the legal community and will help new lawyers succeed. It’s just one event that will be followed by a walk through the courts with local judges, with other networking events planned for the months to come.

In addition to meeting and greeting, Sommers will collect ideas from posted note boards to provide “words of wisdom” that he will compile and pass along. “I’m all about data hoarding,” he joked.

Another legal veteran who attended the event was Ann Miller of the Douglas County Attorney’s Office, who said it’s important, not just for the young attorneys, but also the established professionals who are looking to work with them in the future.

Miller pointed out that during the pandemic the legal community was not able to have the same interactions as usual. They were unable to get to know each other in the courtroom or the halls of the courthouse after a hearing where the profession could be discussed, and young practitioners learn from the established professionals.

“They didn’t have the same physical interactions,” Miller emphasized. “Law school teaches you the law. It doesn’t teach you how to practice it.”

Which is why Sommers is excited to have the “Reception Welcoming New Attorneys to Law Practice” back on the calendar.

“It’s really just about relationships that open so many doors,” Sommers said. “The power of it is tremendous.”