Leona Krasner, a matrimonial attorney in New York City, joined the City Bar Association in September. (Photo: David Handschuh/ALM)

Leona Krasner, a 32-year-old matrimonial lawyer in New York City, said attending a bar association function is a lot like visiting the doctor. You dread going, but you know it's good for you.

After hearing that analogy, you're probably thinking that Krasner is one of the millennial lawyers who doesn't belong to a bar association or isn't very active. But you'd be wrong!  She chairs the communications committee for the New York State Bar Association's women in law section and she joined the City Bar in September.

Krasner said she came up with innovative ideas for her state bar section but her suggestions were rejected. She thinks bar associations should tackle topics that touch millennials' personal lives such as how to negotiate raises, how to advance in your firm and how to balance work and family. Her ideal bar association event? One she attended several years ago that mixed sushi, drinks and a conversation on ethics.

"All the millennials went to that," she recalls. "People would rather go to a fun event than one that sounds boring."

Dues are too expensive. The events aren't cool. Everyone in the room is twice my age. No one listens to me. I don't feel like I'm part of the clique. These are the complaints of millennial lawyers who are much less likely to show up at bar association events than lawyers in their 50s or older.

"The conversation that I have had most often with my peers has been about money. It always boils down to 'my student loan is due next week and you want me to shell out another $100 for a bar association event. Are you mad?' said Sarah Filcher, 33, staff attorney for the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and vice president of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York.

Sarah Filcher, staff attorney for the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and vice president of LeGaL, the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York, at Brooklyn Borough Hall. She assisted homeowners through a Volunteer Lawyers Project clinic at Borough Hall. (Photo: David Handschuh/ALM)

"I think there is this assumption that millennials don't want to join anything," she said. "What people aren't hearing is the other end of that conversation. A bar association feels like a luxury item for a lot of millennial lawyers."

Filcher said she wishes more employers paid for bar associations because millennial lawyers, saddled with six-figure student loan debt, have little disposable income.

"I just don't think people are talking about how frequently the money is prohibitive for the individual attorney," she said. "It's almost as though you're priced out of professional development."

Andrew Gruna. (Courtesy photo)

The major social events that bar associations put on are even more difficult to justify on a millennial's budget, she said. "The galas are cost-prohibitive. To ask somebody to come up with at least $300 a ticket for one evening is a huge ask," she said.

Andrew Gruna, 26, who works for the city's Human Resources Administration, finds the events pricey. "If you're not at a firm that's willing to foot the bill, trying to get involved is tough," he said.

Gruna did enjoy going to a brewery tour in Brooklyn with the young lawyers' section of the state bar association but it didn't provide the networking opportunity that he had hoped.

"It seems to be sort of one or the other. Either come in for a three-hour ethics lecture where you'll fall asleep or grab a drink with other lawyers but we don't talk about what we do for a living," he said.

David Arpino. (Courtesy photo)

David Arpino, 32, a criminal defense lawyer in Suffolk County who's working with his dad at a small family-owned firm, said he's glad he doesn't have to pay for bar association events out of pocket. "I imagine if I was paying it myself it might be a little cost-prohibitive."

Arpino attended a CLE class in Suffolk County with the goal of advancing in his field and getting his name out there. "I was probably the youngest one in the room by about 15 years," he said.

Shayla Ramos, 27, who graduated from the Maurice A. Dean School of Law at Hofstra University in May, has been trying to encourage her law school classmates to join bar associations but has had little success. They want to spend every available minute studying.

"Maybe in law school, they should push you a little more to network," she said. "Honestly, I feel they don't do it enough. Their focus is really you need to pass the bar. You need to be the best in your class."

Shayla Ramos. Courtesy photo

She wasn't able to get her friends who are now young associates to participate either. "I think as a young lawyer you're so involved in wanting to do your best at your new job you want to dedicate all your time," she said.

Ramos thinks that's a mistake. She belongs to five bar associations: the Hispanic National Bar Association, the New York City Bar Association, LeGaL, the LGBT Bar of Greater New York, the Nassau County Bar Association and the Federal Bar Council.

"It's really cool that as a student I was really welcome and it definitely opened the door to many opportunities now," she said.

Joseph Greenwood. (Courtesy photo)

Joseph Greenwood, 32, the vice-chair of membership for the international section of the New York State Bar Association, said that he has gained pivotal practice pointers enabling him to start a boutique international law firm from his New York State Bar Association membership. Despite his enthusiasm, he still thinks bar association functions leave something to be desired.

"The coolness of events is definitely questionable," he said. "To my mind, a lot of events are overthought—in a profession with long hours and demanding workloads, one's wishes for these events are fairly basic—to be able to network in a relaxed environment, with like-minded people of roughly the same age, over a few drinks and some food."

Editor's Note: This is the second of a six-part series. Next Up: How the New York City Bar Association Sparked the Biggest Jump in Membership in 17 Years.

Read the Previous Part of This Series:

Survival of the Fittest: As Baby Boomers Retire, NY Bar Associations Face Harsh Realities

Read the Next Part of This Series:

How the New York City Bar Association Sparked the Biggest Jump in Membership in 17 Years

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