CEO Quarterly Message: Time Flies When You’re Impacting Change

July 2025

By Chris Nguyen
Chief Executive Officer

The start of a new quarter serves as a signal for an update from the CEO.  It seems like only yesterday we were ringing in the new year. Yet, here we are, heading into the second half of 2025.

Time does fly when you’re impacting change. At our June Board Meeting in San Diego, your new officers were elected. These incredible volunteers have championed CLA’s mission in many capacities. Now, they are accepting the challenge to continue where their ambitious and dedicated predecessors have left off. Beginning in September 2025, they will advance existing programs and initiatives, work with our Sections, Committees, and members to promote access to justice, and develop goals to ensure CLA remains the strongest volunteer bar association in California. To learn more about the new leadership, read the announcement in this month’s eNewsletter.

Registration for CLA’s 2025 Annual Meeting has opened. Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero will again share her time with us at both the joint award ceremonies (successful Sections collaboration!) and at the Sneaker Ball.  Chief Justice Guerrero was sworn into office on January 2, 2023, making history as the first Latina to serve as California’s Chief Justice. New this year are events for affinity bars, new lawyers, a book selling and signing by your colleagues who are authors, and lots of programming focused on AI and cybersecurity.  The Sneaker Ball will conclude the weekend, honoring our leaders, recognizing our volunteers, and fundraising for our charitable arm, California Lawyers Foundation (CLF). CLF’s goal is to continue to raise funds for educational scholarships.

Time flies, so hurry and  lock in your early bird registration rates.

 At no other time has CLA worked so closely with California’s affinity bars to form partnerships. This has been a goal of mine, and of President Betty Williams, for a while. We gained important traction last fall, thanks mainly to Betty’s tireless efforts and through the connections CLA Chair Terrance Evans developed and shared. Terrance has a deep commitment to diversity and promotes CLA with his boundless energy and will continue this great work as our next President. Time flies when you’re impacting change. In less than a year, we have met with affinity bars representing Asians and Pacific Islanders, African-Americans, Latinos/Latinas, and disabled attorneys. Their members have spoken with me directly, telling me how much they appreciate Betty’s work to make them feel “seen.” Affinity bar members have also let me know how much they have appreciated Terrance’s invitations to speak to our board and made to feel welcomed.  Because of our efforts, some affinity bar members are now CLA members, with some elected to leadership roles. We will continue our efforts and extend our work to affinity bars from Central and Southern California.

Speaking of impact, CLA’s Privacy Law Section has played a pivotal role in the State Bar of California’s official approval of Privacy Law as a certified legal specialization. Approved last month, this historic success means that for the first time, a formalized track will allow attorneys to demonstrate their advanced proficiency in this rapidly evolving law specialty practice area. While this is the culmination of years of dedicated commitment, time truly flies when you’re impacting change. Details about this achievement are included in this month’s eNewsletter.

CLF held its first ever “Fairways to Justice” golf tournament classic this spring for the benefit of the California Legal Pathways Collaborative (CLPC) which teaches high school students enrolled in the law academies civics and law and encourages them to go to colleges and law schools. The tournament participants and sponsors shared positive feedback. One student shot a hole-in-one, earning her a $2500 scholarship. Due to such positive feedback from students, attorneys and judges, we are planning a second edition in 2026, to coincide with the Annual Meeting in San Diego.

CLF’s Billable Hour campaign, which asks attorneys to donate the equivalent of one billable hour for student scholarships, is more than halfway to reaching its goal of 100 donors. Time flies when you impact change. As a result of this campaign alone, CLF can offer over $15,000 in scholarships to students. To read more, see the announcement in this month’s newsletter. Or, if you are interested in donating, click here: Billable Hour.

How are you impacting change? Maybe you are impacting change through your legal practice, community involvement, mentoring, or providing pro bono work. In my time as CLA’s CEO, your work has continued to impress, inspire, and impact. Time flies!