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Awards

CLA issues a variety of awards annually that celebrate attorneys, judges, and programs that demonstrate an extraordinary commitment to promoting justice and high ethical standards.

Many of the award recipients have worked with vulnerable populations, including people with disabilities, low-income farm workers, and communities whose primary language is not English. Each award has its own deadline and application. If you know a colleague or acquaintance who you think deserves to be recognized, we encourage you to nominate them. For questions about the nomination process, please email: initiatives@calawyers.org.

Please review our list of awards below.

Award nomination period is May 15, 2023 through June 30, 2023

Aranda Award

Presented for the first time in 1999, the Aranda Award honors a judge who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to improving access to our courts, and who has significantly improved access for low-and moderate-income Californians. The Judicial Council, the CLA, and the California Judges Association, in association with the California Commission on Access to Justice, co-sponsor the award. The Aranda Award is named in honor of the late Judge Benjamin Aranda III, who was known for his tireless efforts to promote fairness and access in the courts.

Award Criteria
Criteria to be used in the selection of the award recipient include one or more of the following:

  • Demonstrated dedication to improving access to our judicial system for low and moderate income Californians;
  • Demonstrated commitment to increasing the involvement of volunteer attorneys in the representation of the indigent;
  • Successful establishment of a model system for providing assistance to self-represented litigants;
  • Successful establishment of a model cooperative effort with local legal services programs or bar associations designed to improve available representation for low or moderate income litigants; or
  • Other significant activities demonstrating a long-term commitment to improving the accessibility of our judicial system for all Californians, regardless of income.

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

Past Aranda Access to Justice Award Recipients

Bernard E. Witkin Medal

Recognizes attorneys and non-attorneys who, through a career of extraordinary service, have made significant contributions to the quality of justice and legal scholarship in California.

Award Criteria
To a member of the legal community who has helped shape the legal landscape through an extraordinary body of work.

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

Past Bernard E. Witkin Medal Recipients

Diversity Awards

The Diversity Awards are to recognize outstanding efforts made by a law firm, bar association, or organization to promote diversity in the legal profession, in their organization or among their peers.

Bar Association Award Criteria:

  • Open to any state, regional, affinity/identity or specialty bar associations;  
  • Demonstrated success creating and sustaining a program, campaign, project or effort that promotes diversity in the bar association and/or legal community

Organizational Award Criteria:

  • Open to any 501c3, 501c4 or 501c6 non-profit organization or educational institution
  • Demonstrated success creating and sustaining a program, campaign, project or effort that promotes diversity in the bar association or community at large.  

Law Firm Award Criteria:

  • Open to any Law Firm that has demonstrated significant and sustained, long-term efforts in encouraging, increasing and/or maintaining diversity in the legal profession. Specifically, this award is open to law firms who have demonstrated success with targeted efforts to retain, promote, and develop minority attorneys and whose efforts can be easily replicated by other firms.

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

Past Recipients of the Diversity Awards

Excellence in Civics Engagement Award

This is awarded to a California attorney who has championed the advancement of civics programs, campaigns, projects or efforts that promote the understanding of civics and the 3rd branch of government.

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

Loren Miller Legal Services Award

Honors an attorney who has demonstrated long-term commitment to legal services and who has personally engaged in significant work extending legal services to the poor. This award is co-presented with the California Commission on Access to Justice and the Legal Aid Association of California.

Award Criteria
Nominee must be a member of the State Bar of California. General criteria to be used in the selection of the award recipient include one or more of the following:

  • Demonstrated dedication to the development and delivery of legal services
  • Community organizing to increase access to the legal system
  • Performance of legal services with a demonstrated long-term commitment to providing legal services
  • Successful precedent-setting litigation which benefited the poor
  • Successful local, state and/or national legislative advocacy on behalf of under-represented persons

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

Past Recipients of the Loren Miller Legal Services Award

To learn more about the awards recipients, visit one of these pages: 2022 Recipients | 2020 Recipients | 2019 Recipients

Other Awards

Harry B. Sondheim Professional Responsibility Award

Recognizes a member’s outstanding long-term contribution to the advancement of attorney professional standards in California. For questions about the nomination process, please email: initiatives@calawyers.org.

Award Criteria
The profile of a typical recipient would include a combination of some, but not necessarily all, of the following career achievements:

  • At least 15 years in the practice of law in California;
  • Service as a member of COPRAC, the Rules Revision Commission, or another State Bar or Supreme Court committee charged with studying a professional responsibility issue;
  • Service as a member of the Board of Governors;
  • Service as a member of a county bar or specialty bar association ethics committee, including specialty groups such as the National Organization of Bar Counsel (NOBC) or Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL);
  • Experience teaching professional responsibility to law students, including as an adjunct;
  • Extensive writing and continuing education (MCLE) presentations on professional responsibility;
  • Service in the State Bar discipline system as a trial counsel, a respondent’s counsel or a State Bar Court Judge, or in the State Bar Professional Competence Office;
  • Service as a fee arbitrator;
  • Service as an expert witness on matters of professional responsibility;
  • Litigation experience in attorney professional liability or related subjects;
  • Experience giving risk management advice to lawyers, including activity as a member of law firm management or on behalf of legal malpractice insurance carriers;
  • Service as a member of the ABA House of Delegates on behalf of a group in the California caucus (i.e., a State Bar delegate or a local California bar association delegate);
  • Charitable financial contributions directed toward the support of professional responsibility programs or activities (i.e., sponsorship of educational events; or State Bar Foundation contributions); and
  • Noteworthy activity as a legislative or judicial proponent of advancing professional standards and the law governing lawyers in California (including, revision, interpretation, enactment or repeal of governing standards).

The above list is not intended to be exhaustive. A nominee for the award may be living or deceased.  In addition, achievement of all the foregoing is not intended to be either necessary or sufficient for conferring the award. The objective of the award is to recognize a substantial long-term commitment to advancing the field of professional responsibility rather than any single discrete achievement. Local and specialty bar association ethics committees are encouraged to submit nominations.

Nomination Questions

  1. Why do you believe this person should be considered for this Award and what makes them special? (response in 500 words or less).
  2. The California Lawyers Association is committed to reflecting diversity, broadly defined, in all its activities. Please briefly (250 words or less) describe any characteristics, experiences or background, including traditional indicia of diversity, the nominee would represent.
  3. One additional reference

This award is given every 3 years. The next award recipient will be chosen in 2025.

Past Recipients of the Harry B. Sondheim Professional Responsibility Award

Jack Berman Award of Achievement

Honors a young lawyer (first eight years of active State Bar membership) who has provided outstanding service to the legal profession and public, as well as dedication to issues of concern to new and young lawyers. For questions about the nomination process, please email: initiatives@calawyers.org.

Award Criteria
Any active members of the State Bar of California who have been practicing 8 years or less may apply or be nominated.

  • Award applications should describe a relevant project or service to the public, the judiciary,
  • and/or the legal profession. The project or service may—but need not be—pro bono.
  • The application may describe work performed before 2019, but should highlight achievements from 2018.
  • The award recognizes a new or young lawyer for his or her individual achievements

Past Recipients of the Jack Berman Award of Achievement

Legislator of the Year

This distinguished award is given to a member of the California State Assembly and/or Senate who has championed the advancement of the legal profession and issues important to the legal profession. For questions about the nomination process, please email:  initiatives@calawyers.org.

Nominees will have:

  • Provided outstanding support to the state legislature
  • Championed the advancement of the legal profession
  • Championed advancement of issues important to the profession including lawyer excellence, diversity and inclusion, the administration of and access to justice

This award is selected by CLA’s Governmental Affairs Committee.  For more information, please contact Saul Bercovitch, Director of Governmental Affairs at Saul.Bercovitch@calawyers.org.

The California Lawyers Association also issues the Wiley W. Manuel Certificate for Pro Bono Legal Services.  To learn more, click here.

Section Awards

Antitrust Lawyer of the Year
Business Law Section Lifetime Achievement Award
Award for Lifetime Contribution to the Field of Environmental Law
Family Law Judicial Officer of the Year
Family Law Lifetime Achievement Award
Family Law Court Staff Award
Intellectual Property Law Vanguard Awards
International Law: Warren M. Christopher International Lawyer of the Year Award
Litigation: Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame
Litigation: Appellate Lawyer Hall of Fame
New Lawyers: Jack Berman Award of Achievement
Public Lawyer of the Year
Real Property Law: Morning Star Award
Solo and Small Firm Excellence in Practice and Excellence in Service Awards
Taxation:  Benjamin F. Miller Award
Taxation: Joanne M. Garvey Award
Taxation: V. Judson Klein Award
Workers’ Compensation: Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards

See More Under Awards

2019 CLA Award Recipients
Submit Your Nominations for the 2023 CLA Awards
Past Aranda Access to Justice Award Recipients
Past Recipients of the Bernard E. Witkin Medal
Past Recipients of the Diversity Award
2022 CLA Awards Recipients
Past Harry B. Sondheim Professional Responsibility Award Recipients
Past Recipients of the Loren Miller Legal Services Award
2023 CLA Awards Recipients
2020 CLA Awards Recipients

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