New Cincinnati Law, CBA partnership benefits students, legal community

The University of Cincinnati College of Law and the Cincinnati Bar Association (CBA) are announcing a new partnership that will enable them to offer greater opportunities and resources for students, faculty, and the legal community.

“We’re excited about strengthening our relationship with the CBA,” said Kate Christoff, Recruiting and Analytics Manager at the College of Law. “This partnership will have many benefits for our law students—more mentorship opportunities, stronger programming, and greater exposure to the legal profession.  The goal of introducing our students to the valuable resources of the CBA while in law school is to develop the future leaders of the tristate legal community.” 

The CBA supports the area’s legal professionals with a variety of professional services and resources, representing almost 4,000 members of the legal profession. The partnership allows law students to experience for themselves the value of CBA membership, and to know that they are welcome in our professional community.

“This is definitely a mutually beneficial relationship,” said Ellen Graham, Director of Membership at the CBA. “Cincinnati Law students will have greater access to over 30 practice and interest groups and valuable programming and events at the CBA, exposing them to the benefits of membership and strengthening their relationships with Cincinnati’s legal community before they graduate from law school.”

The partnership will emphasize the following areas:

• Joint Programming - such as CPD in the City - a pop-up career counseling program hosted at the CBA  for Cincinnati Law students working downtown over the summer, and First Year, First Look, a CBA co-sponsored event that introduces first-year law students to legal employers, as well as CBA member attorneys engaged in CBA practice groups;
• Networking Opportunities - such as the law school’s Coffee Hour and a Half, a 90-minute event held monthly.  Each year, the CBA sends attorneys to meet students and share insights about their careers. Catalyst, another option, is a three-month program where students experience the everyday life of an attorney.  The CBA has been an asset in recruiting attorney members as mentors for the program;
• CBA Offerings - which will be more inclusive of students and will help develop stronger connections between student organizations and CBA practice groups.  Law students can join the CBA for free until their graduation. Their membership includes the opportunity for students to join and attend practice group meetings, attend Young Lawyers Section events and attend CLE seminars for little to no cost.

“We know that networking leads to jobs.  However, this partnership is not just about jobs,” said Christoff. “It is about our students strategically engaging with the Cincinnati legal community, which has always been committed to the success of our students. We want our students to know about the great work of our local attorneys, and our local attorneys to know about our great students. Working closely with the CBA will be a way to better facilitate that.”

Graham agreed. “This partnership will make the legal community stronger.”

Students will receive a free membership to the CBA. Faculty members can join at a discounted rate. 

Founded in 1833, the University of Cincinnati College of Law has the distinction of being the first law school west of the Alleghenies. From humble beginnings 175 years ago in a room above Timothy Walker’s law offices to its home today in Clifton (OH), Cincinnati Law has been on the leading edge of legal education. Thousands of lawyers have graduated from the law school, and about one-third practice in the Greater Cincinnati community, working in all areas of the law. For more information about the College of Law, visit www.law.uc.edu

As one of the oldest and largest local legal associations in the United States, the Cincinnati Bar Association is committed to serving its members and providing information to the public regarding the legal community and legal education. For more information visit www.cincybar.org or call (513) 381-8213.