Trial Magazine

The NLD is open to AAJ members who have been barred less than 10 years. This Caucus focuses on networking, membership, education, fundraising, mental health, and public service.

What made you want to get involved with the NLD?

I went to two phone drives—an AAJ PAC drive in Atlanta and a membership drive in San Francisco. I didn’t know anyone! But once I sat down with them to get started, I found it to be a seamless transition into a great group of folks. Phone drives are a smaller, more intimate way to get involved, as opposed to a large gathering like convention.

A colleague who saw me at a phone drive encouraged me to come to convention and to come early so I could participate in the NLD service project—a Habitat for Humanity project. It was so rewarding—about a dozen of us working together toward a common goal. I loved it and wanted to get more involved.

How would you explain the value of engaging with the NLD to a new attorney?

The value cannot be overstated. Whether we’re talking about networking, referral sources, or professional development opportunities, the NLD is a wonderful resource. I reach out to my AAJ colleagues when I have questions, and it has saved me hours of research. The connections you make are amazingly valuable. My bosses no longer question the time I spend on AAJ activities because they understand that value and what these connections mean for my practice.

As a graduate of the AAJ Leadership Academy, what did you take away from that experience?

There are two distinct benefits of Leadership Academy. The first is getting to know your colleagues. You might know them superficially, but Leadership Academy gives you an opportunity to dive deep into their psyches and get to know their communication styles. The second benefit is getting to know how your brain works. You take a series of assessments, and some of the results are surprising. It helped me learn why I communicate the way I do, what values I hold, why I think the way I do, and how to communicate with others who think differently and have different communication styles.

What is a great piece of advice you’ve gotten along the way?

Stay relevant. Whoever has the information has the power. A colleague told me that, and I’ve used it in my mass torts practice by staying well informed so that I can position myself as an expert in my practice area.

What is your favorite memory of your time with the NLD?

Socializing with others at the same place in their career and getting to know them outside work-focused settings has helped form bonds and friendships. Phone drives, service projects, and retreats always leave me with great memories. Working in small groups with a common goal is very satisfying. Much of our work as attorneys is done over the phone or over Zoom, so it’s nice to take a break from that and get people together to volunteer for a cause, recruit members, or plan our yearly activities.

What is a goal you have for the NLD this year?

The NLD has two terrific committees that J.D. Hays created before I became chair: the Mental Health Committee and the Professional Development Committee. The conversation around mental health is changing for the better in our profession. Those involved in the committee have shared so many vulnerable experiences, and I’m so proud of that.

Regarding professional development, we can explore so many subjects through AAJ Education, and for topics that don’t qualify for CLE, through the NLD directly. And there is so much interest—lots of great ideas came out of a recent questionnaire we had about programming. For instance, members are very interested in how to thrive as a new lawyer with children. I want to see these committees flourish this year to provide the programming our members are asking for, and I’m proud to carry the torch.

I’d also like to increase the number of contributors to the AAJ PAC, which supports the races of pro-civil-justice candidates and incumbents from both sides of the political aisle. NLD members are from a generation that is saddled with more student loan debt than any prior generation. As a result, we typically rent longer, hold off on having kids, and make other financial decisions that make it hard to give. But we must hold up our end even if that means giving only $5 or $10 per month. It’s practice insurance, really—if we want to thrive and ensure our futures, we have to row this boat together.

Ashleigh Raso practices with Meshbesher & Spence in Minneapolis and is the 2021–2022 chair of the NLD.

Giving Back to the Community

Each year, the NLD teams up with the other AAJ member Caucuses and Trial Lawyers Care to host service projects at AAJ’s Winter and Annual Conventions. The NLD also incorporates service into one of its membership drives annually. Last November, members of the NLD and the Minority Caucus, along with AAJ Vice President Sean Domnick, worked with Caras con Causas for a beach clean-up in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Volunteers collected more than 30 bags of garbage. To stay updated on NLD events, please join the list server by emailing membership@justice.org.

AAJ staff and members of the NLD and the Minority Caucus participate in an AAJ service project in San Juan, Puerto Rico in 2021. Pictured: (Back, L-R): Jennifer Rafter, C. William Margrabe, Jared Smith, Sean Domnick; (Front, L-R): Melanie Medina, Amanda Fox Perry, Ibiere Seck, Ingrid Halstrom, Lindsay Gale, Jessica Ramirez.

NLD Executive Committee

2021–2022
Chair: Ashleigh Raso, Minneapolis, MN
Chair-elect: Jared Smith, Louisville, KY
Treasurer: Leslie Pescia, Louisville, KY
Secretary: John Abaray, Louisville, KY
Immediate Past Chair & Representative to the AAJ Board of Governors: J.D. Hays, Boulder, CO
Representatives to the AAJ Board of Governors: Stephanie Luzzi, East Brunswick, NJ Kevin Biniazan, Virginia Beach, VA Dominic LoVerde, Chicago, IL