CLA New Lawyers Section Presents 32nd Annual Jack Berman Award of Achievement

December 2024

It’s one of the most notable awards presented by California Lawyers Association (CLA). The Jack Berman Award of Achievement is a prestigious honor which was first established in 1992 by the New Lawyers Section (NLS) in memory of Jack Berman, a young attorney who performed outstanding service to both the public and legal profession before he tragically died in a shooting in San Francisco.

The 2024 Award was granted to attorney Michael Nordon in Los Angeles on Saturday, November 2 at the Treehouse Hotel’s Exchange Restaurant. NLS executive committee leaders and members joined Nordon and his guests for the intimate evening celebrating his remarkable volunteer work.

“He is really committed to pro bono,” says Willie Mincey, NLS Chair, who presented the award at the celebration event. “He is obviously fully committed to his firm, but he still shares hundreds of hours of his time and service to others. When you are working in the legal environment, you don’t always have that ability.”

Nordon is a litigation associate at Manatt, Phelps & Phllips, LLP, representing many of

California’s largest health care payors and providers at all stages in their litigation and regulatory matters. He has also represented large corporations in complex environmental, entertainment, employment ,and business disputes.

Since joining Manatt in 2018, he has devoted more than 1,300 hours of pro bono work to clients in life-changing legal proceedings including adoptions, foster care approval hearings, immigration matters and impact litigation. Most recently, he helped secure asylum for a single mother from Mexico who fled her home country after a lifetime of persecution at the hands of a powerful and dangerous Mexican criminal organization.

NLS Chair Mincey notes that the evening gave CLA members a rare opportunity to spend quality time with their award winner, saying, “We got to know his story, how he came to be, what drives his career, and where he wants to go.”

CLA’s New Lawyers Section is among the largest in the organization with 10,000 members statewide. The Section’s Executive Committee is almost entirely new with the exception of Mincey, the 2024-2025 Chair, and Vice-Chair Breana Inoshita.

“We are ready to chart a new adventure for our Section,” explains Mincey. “We are one of the largest organizations in the country to assist new lawyers. It starts from the core and the members we have assembled.”

Mincey notes that working as a new attorney can be challenging and intimidating, particularly when meeting well-established and nationally recognized lawyers. NLS wants to provide a space where new lawyers can feel welcome and comfortable when connecting with new people.

“ We want to be all inclusive. We want to make certain that things like event costs are not a barrier,” Mincey says. “We also want to showcase both the work that the legal community is doing and hold activities like volunteer service opportunities.”

Participants at the awards ceremony shared how much they enjoyed the chance to meet their recipient, as well as to talk with colleagues face-to-face. Many said they admired Nordon’s commitment and want to nurture new and young lawyers in their careers through such Section work as educational events and professional mentoring opportunities.

To learn more about NLS, visit: https://calawyers.org/section/new-lawyers/