New Young Lawyers Chair Alexandra Simels Is Building the Future of the Legal Profession
6.6.2025
Alexandra Simels, the new chair of the New York State Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Section, sees her new leadership role as an opportunity to help lawyers connect, get involved, and speak out.
“I think that it’s our responsibility as attorneys to not only be involved with the practice itself, but how it shapes so many things around the country, including legislation and things that we care a lot about,” she said. “So being part of NYSBA, helping to make a positive impact for New York attorneys – and then leveraging that on the bigger national stage of impacting attorneys across the nation – and supporting good rules, good legislation, and fighting the good fight has been incredible.”
Simels is an attorney at Martenson, Hasbrouck & Simon. She works in the Labor and Employment practice group in the firm’s New York City office. In addition, she runs a mentorship program for students about to take the bar exam and next year, she’s going to teach a course at Seton Hall University.
“Being a lawyer just really feels like it fits so well in my life, and I love being able to give back to the legal community,” Simels said. “I’m hoping that teaching is a way that I can connect with people and encourage people to become attorneys. And the mentor program is so incredible and so meaningful in so many ways. I love seeing people succeed.”
Simels spoke about continuing the work of her section chair predecessors to connect attorneys through social events and programming.
“NYSBA has afforded me a place where I have community,” Simels said. “We can have hard conversations. We connect and do something social and fun, like a happy hour, or going to play virtual golf. But we can also have really hard conversations and support what the future of lawyering looks like, and I think that New York generally is a great place to do that. And I think that NYSBA represents the great work that New York attorneys do.”
