March 4, 2026 – If you could fast-track your growth as a lawyer – better skills, stronger connections, and a clearer path forward – would you do it?

Getting involved in the Young Lawyers Division (YLD) can help you move forward in your practice and feel less alone doing it, says Samantha Huddleston Baker, a shareholder with AxePoint Law in Milwaukee and president of the Young Lawyers Division board.

She shares insights on how YLD involvement can be a practical advantage for young and newer attorneys and why she’s excited for the Young Lawyers Conference on March 20.

Finding Your People

Baker, now in her eighth year of practice, describes her work as broad-based business counsel, “I like to say I’m an outside general business counsel.” In addition to working with a lot of small businesses, Baker also handles real estate, mergers and acquisitions, general compliance, and employment law, and more.

But the theme of the discussion wasn’t practice area – it was the early-career experience many lawyers recognize: Leaving law school and suddenly feeling on your own.

“I think a lot of attorneys struggle when they graduate from law school,” she said. “We hear about impostor syndrome.” That can hit hard when you move from being surrounded by peers to being ‘the newbie’ in a law office, she said.

For Baker, YLD offered a remedy that wasn’t abstract. It was connection. Finding “a place where I could connect with others that were similarly situated or going through similar experiences as me” helped pull her toward involvement, she said. And once she got involved, she realized “it is a great community, and it does provide that sense of camaraderie.”

The Moment it Clicked: Young Lawyers Conference

When asked whether there was a moment when YLD truly felt like her community, Baker pointed to her first Young Lawyers Conference.

There, she saw something she didn’t have in her day-to-day environment: A wide range of peers in the same stage of practice, but with different perspectives.

“Finding a place where I could connect with others who were similarly situated or going through similar experiences as me, really pushed me towards wanting to get involved in the Young Lawyers Division specifically,” she said.

That mattered even more because, as she put it, “Especially for me at a small firm … I don’t have, you know, 50 other attorneys that I can go to and talk with.”

The conference was also a chance to be in the same room with her peers. “That’s where everyone can come together in person,” she said. “We don’t always have that opportunity … The interpersonal part [that was easy in law school] isn’t there anymore.”

Her takeaway from that first conference was immediate: “[It] really made me say ‘Okay, this is great. I want to do more.’”

YLD is for Young Lawyers

As president of the YLD board, Baker said she hopes young lawyers associate the group with belonging and ownership.

“I hope they feel a sense of camaraderie,” she said. “I hope they feel that they have a community.” She also framed YLD’s purpose plainly: “The young lawyers division is for young lawyers. There’s no purpose other than that.”

Her message to young lawyers is that YLD can be what you make of it. “I hope they feel like it’s theirs and they can seek from it what they want,” she said.

“You can be as involved or as uninvolved as you wish, but at least you know that community is there for you and it’s there to support you.”

More than Camaraderie: Opportunity

Baker described another major benefit of involvement, the chance to build skills that translate to practice and to make a difference.

“Opportunity to make a difference in the practice of law,” she said. That might mean “advocating for a specific area where you're practicing, advocating for a specific client group, advocating for a specific practice area.” The key point: “Your voice matters and by being part of the Young Lawyers Division, you can make that voice heard.”

She also emphasized leadership development, even for people who don’t see themselves as leaders. “Being able to lead … within your firm, within other communities or memberships that you're a part of. That skill is something that I think everybody should be working on whether you consider yourself a leader or not,” she said. And she tied it directly to client service: “Our clients are looking for some sort of leadership from us.”

Finally, she described how involvement can broaden career awareness. “Not everybody wants to stay in the same position that they got right out of law school,” she said, noting that involvement can “open their minds” because “sometimes we don’t know what’s out there until we actually experience it or talk to other people about it.”

Low-commitment Ways to Start

Baker also offered practical ways to engage without taking on an overwhelming load.

First, explore resources: “Take a look at the Young Lawyers Division website on Wisbar.org. There’s a ton of resources for young lawyers,” she said.

Second, attend a networking event. She noted that YLD hosts three to four networking events over the year, typically in different places across the state. They can be “a very low commitment” way to meet others, she said. “Get out there, meet some people, have some snacks.”

Third, connect with other young lawyers and share ideas. “If you have ideas, present them to the Young Lawyers Division,” she said. That can be another low commitment way to engage while also helping yourself professionally.