Founded in 1940 as the Junior Bar, the State Bar of Michigan Young Lawyers Section (YLS) is the oldest and second-largest section of the State Bar. Its objective is to "sponsor and carry on activities of particular interest and value to young lawyers in Michigan; to coordinate activities of the various local young lawyer groups in Michigan; to cooperate fully with, and as an integral part of, the State Bar of Michigan; and to cooperate with the various local bar associations in the State of Michigan, and the American Bar Association, including its Young Lawyers Division, in the promotion of their programs."