California Lawyers Association
A Message from the CEO: Our Busi-ness is NEVER Usual AND Annual Meeting 2025
October 2024
I don’t think you would argue with me when I say that, “business as usual,” doesn’t apply to CLA. We are thinkers and innovators in the legal profession, and I doubt that two days ever look the same for any of us.
As we close out the third quarter of 2024, I want to reflect on some numbers in support of CLA’s 18 Sections, 40,000 members, volunteer leaders, California Lawyers Foundation, our colleagues across the country and around the world, our sponsors, students, and the many publics which we serve.
The facts are impressive. Since the year began, CLA has contributed to the success of 23 day-long programs and 15 multiple-day events. This includes the Real Property Law Retreat and 9th Annual Women in Commercial Leasing Law Symposium, the Estate and Gift Tax Conference, Legislative Day, the Annual Privacy Summit, the 14th Annual Advanced Wage and Hour Conference, and the 40th Annual Meeting of the Labor and Employment Law Section. Most recently, we have supported the 33rd Annual Environmental Law Conference in Yosemite® and CLA’s 2024 Annual Meeting. We have promoted or are scheduled to promote more than 200 events just since the beginning of May, and we have posted or have scheduled to post more than 800 social media updates over the past five months. We have helped to market dozens of webinars, online educational seminars, and creative and instructive activities.
Our Accounting team has processed more than 1,000 reimbursement requests totaling over $500,000. This includes almost 400 reimbursements made to individual volunteer members. Equally impressive this year have been the number of virtual and print publications where CLA has shared its assistance. In total, we have provided input and guidance to 15 of our 18 Sections in promoting your publications and materials.
In our “busi” ness, CLA is mindful and responsible. We work to ensure the professional advancement of attorneys practicing in California. It is our goal to help you realize our mission to “promote excellence, diversity, and inclusion in the legal profession and fairness in the administration of justice and the rule of law.” It is a mission worth repeating again and again. Your CLA membership reflects your own continuing investment in, and commitment to, excellence in your profession.
As your CEO, I constantly look toward the future and what’s next. I welcome opportunities to involve myself in your interests, projects, and pursuits. It is a privilege to be among such high achievers making a difference throughout the state.
Lastly, I am pleased to announce that the 2025 Annual Meeting will be held from September 11th through September 13th in Los Angeles. This is a critical opportunity for colleagues to connect with one another, learn from each other, and return from the conference with new concepts, relationships, and the sense that we never stop evolving as an organization. Please mark your calendars now.