California Lawyers Association Announces New Board of Representatives Officers

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (September 18, 2023): The California Lawyers Association (CLA) is proud to announce the election of new officers to lead the organization and its Board of Representatives. As the voluntary bar association for California attorneys, CLA is the statewide leader in representing attorneys of all practice areas. 

The new officers represent a diverse class of some of the nation’s most prominent attorneys and are set to take office on Monday, September 25, 2023:

• Betty Williams – President, Managing Shareholder at Law Office of Williams & Associates, PC
• Sabrina Green – Vice President, Managing Partner at Stratton & Green, ALC
• Tara Burd – Chair, Senior Counsel at Klinedinst PC
• Terrance Evans – Vice Chair, Partner & Co-Leader of the Banking & Financial Services Practice at Duane Morris LLP
• Anthony Lai – Secretary, Associate Attorney, Feinberg Mindel Brandt & Klein, LLP
• Jill M. Manning – Treasurer, Partner at Pearson Warshaw, LLP

“We are excited to announce and welcome six wonderful attorneys, Betty, Sabrina, Tara, Terrance, Anthony and Jill to CLA leadership,” said Jeremy M. Evans, who serves as the current CLA President and will complete his two-year term after the Annual Meeting in September.  President Evans will continue to serve as Immediate Past President through 2025. “As an organization that has achieved a statewide, national, and global spotlight in our commitment to elevate not only the practice of law, but the rule of law, our new officers are poised to further advance the innovation and initiatives that expand our impact and serve our members. We look forward to their unique perspectives and leadership to serve our members and strengthen the legal profession.“

CLA solicits nominations from its members and sections to serve in a leadership capacity as officers and on the Board of Representatives. Each nomination is vetted by an independent committee before recommendations are evaluated and approved by the Board of Representatives.

“The new officers appointed to the Board of Representatives represent a new chapter in CLA’s history,” said Oyango A. Snell, CEO & Executive Director of the California Lawyers Association. “Not only do these leaders reflect the most diverse slate in the organization’s history, each officer has achieved a status in the legal profession that will inspire present and future attorneys to reframe their abilities to make impactful change in their communities. The future of law is represented in the new officers of the Board.”

CLA’s Board of Representatives guides the association’s leadership in policy advocacy, professional development, diversity initiatives, operational excellence, and news and insights. The Board of Representatives has 18 members, expanding the impact of the legal profession not only in California, but worldwide.

Betty Williams – President, Managing Shareholder at Law Office of Williams & Associates, PC

Betty Williams is the Managing Shareholder at the Law Office of Williams & Associates, P.C. in Sacramento, California. She specializes in civil and criminal tax matters including audits, appeals, and settlements of any tax controversy, including multi-state and residency matters. She defends criminal clients in tax evasion and related crimes. Betty has obtained penalty abatement for her clients in the millions. She has represented clients before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, the U.S. Tax Court, the International Chamber of Commerce, in Superior Courts, and before the California Office of Tax Appeals. Betty serves on the U.S. Tax Court Appointments Committee of the American Bar Association, and is the former Vice President of the California Lawyers Association, a Fellow of the American College of Tax Counsel, a member of the California Office of Tax Appeals’ external advisory committee, and serves on the CJA Trial Panel for the Office of the Federal Defender.

Sabrina Green – Vice President, Managing Partner at Stratton & Green, ALC

Sabrina L. Green is a managing partner at Stratton & Green, ALC in San Diego which specializes in labor and employment and complex business/construction litigation. Sabrina is immediate Past Chair of CLA where she has served on the Board of Representatives for the past five years. Sabrina has also served as two-time Past Chair for Solo Small Firm Section of CLA, serving previously as treasurer and secretary. Sabrina is the founder of CLA Lawyers Outreach and Rural Attorney Outreach Committees and has chaired a multitude of CLA committees including Solo Small Firm Summit, Programs Committee, SSF Education, Outreach and Awards. Sabrina is a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Business Association of Southern California, NCL Meals on Wheels Coordinator, and recently termed off serving locally as a Director at Large for the Labor and Employment section of the San Diego County Bar Association.

Tara Burd – Chair, Senior Counsel at Klinedinst PC

Tara R. Burd is a graduate of California Western School of Law, and Senior Counsel at Klinedinst PC. She is a State Bar of California Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law with extensive probate and trust litigation experience. Ms. Burd serves on the CLA Board of Representatives for her second term as the Real Property Law Section’s Representative, and previously served as the Co-Chair of the Real Property Law Section. She also served as Chair of the Membership Engagement Committee, which created new cross-sectional committees to serve practitioners in the areas of Cannabis, ESG, and Indian and Tribal Law. Outside of the CLA, Ms. Burd served on The State Bar of California’s Access Through Innovation of Legal Services (ATILS) Task Force, and is Past President of the Irish-American Bar Association of San Diego. 

Terrance Evans – Vice Chair, Partner & Co-Leader of the Banking & Financial Services Practice at Duane Morris LLP

Terrance J. Evans is a Partner in the San Francisco and Los Angeles offices of Duane Morris LLP, where he is the Co-Leader of the firm’s Banking and Financial Services Practice. Mr. Evans is also the Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the CLA Racial Justice Committee, Past Chair of the CLA Litigation Section, Co-Chair of the American Bar Association ICLC Diversity & Inclusion Committee, Member of the Bar Association of San Francisco Judicial & Finance Committees, Past President of the Charles Houston Bar Association, and Director of Region IX of the National Bar Association. He represents clients in federal and state trial and appellate courts across the United States including the United States Supreme Court. Mr. Evans also regularly counsels clients regarding racial justice and diversity and inclusion issues. He has led more than 175 diversity training sessions for judges, lawyers, law students, and members of the community around the USA.

Anthony Lai – Secretary, Feinberg Mindel Brandt & Klein, LLP

Anthony Lai, CFLS, is a senior associate attorney at Feinberg Mindel Brandt & Klein LLP, specializing in family law. With nearly a decade of litigation experience, he focuses on dissolution of marriage, child custody, support, prenuptial agreements, and domestic violence cases. Anthony is recognized as a Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of California and has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star from 2021-2023 and one of Pasadena’s Top Attorneys for 2022-2023. Anthony is an active leader in the legal community, particularly in advocating for the unique needs and interests of new attorneys across California. He previously served as the Chair of the New Lawyers Section of CLA and is currently a member of the LACBA Barrister’s Young Lawyers Section Executive Committee. Committed to serving the Asian Pacific American (APA) community, Anthony is a member of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles Board of Directors. He offers legal advice and support to the underserved APA community through various pro bono legal clinics. In his leisure time, Anthony enjoys taking his family to Disneyland and unapologetically supports the Dodgers and the Chargers.

Jill M. Manning – Treasurer, Partner at Pearson Warshaw, LLP (San Francisco Office)

Jill Manning is a Partner in the San Francisco office of Pearson Warshaw, LLP, where she represents individuals, employers and businesses who have been harmed by price-fixing and tying schemes, restraints of trade, and other types of anticompetitive conduct and unfair business practices. She has successfully represented plaintiffs in some of the leading cases brought under federal and state antitrust and consumer protection laws and has achieved recoveries exceeding $1.5 billion. Ms. Manning is one of the top-rated antitrust attorneys in Northern California and has met the stringent “Super Lawyers” selection criteria annually since 2018. In addition to her litigation practice, Ms. Manning is a court-appointed mediator, neutral evaluator, settlement mentor, and discovery facilitator. Ms. Manning lives in West Marin with her husband and daughter. She enjoys cooking with vegetables grown in her garden, hiking coastal Marin and Sonoma with her Australian Shepherd, playing tennis, and exploring ancient ruins.

More information about CLA’s leadership is available at www.calawyers.org/cla/leadership.

About California Lawyers Association: Established in 2018 and headquartered in Sacramento, California Lawyers Association is the statewide voluntary bar association for all California attorneys. CLA’s mission is to promote excellence, diversity, and inclusion in the legal profession and fairness in the administration of justice and the rule of law. Visit us at www.calawyers.org to learn more about CLA or follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Twitter.

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Media Contact: Traci Rockefeller Cusack at 916-213-4373 or traci@trockcommunications.com