September Is a Month To Remember

September 2022

By CLA President Jeremy M. Evans 

As I mark the halfway point of my two-year term as your president, it is an eventful and exciting time of transition for the California legal community. 

In August, we learned the news of Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye retiring from the bench. Justice Patricia Guerrero has been named the next Chief Justice of California. You can read the letter highlighting their backgrounds and accomplishments here. 

On the national front, the California Lawyers Association last month led the charge to support Resolution 402 in the American Bar Association House of Delegates at the Annual Meeting in Chicago, Illinois. Resolution 402 upholds the core ethical principles in the practice of law, namely, to not share fees or ownership with non-lawyers. Fee-sharing could be extremely financially beneficial, but without safeguards, it might place the consumer, our clients, in peril. You can read the press release here. 

In September, we have a busy month ahead with the 2022 California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting in beautiful San Diego, California. We are also introducing the first-ever statewide Black-Tie Affair Gala, all held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel. For both amazing events, you will not want to miss the only statewide gathering of lawyers that also brings together international bar associations and attorneys from across these United States and the globe. 

The Gala will celebrate leaders across California for their accomplishments while recognizing outgoing and incoming leaders in the legal community, and, most importantly, fundraising for a cause. We will enjoy great food, great company, and dancing with everyone dressed in their best. It was back in September 2021 that friend and colleague Judge Rupert Byrdsong, President of the California Judges Association, and I discussed putting together a statewide gala to highlight attorneys, and the industry, and to celebrate getting together in a break from the pandemic. The event is sure to be a rousing success and one you will not want to miss. Make sure to grab your favorite bow tie, dress, tux, and ticket today. The funds raised from the event will benefit the California Judges Foundation and California Lawyers Foundation, focusing on education, civics, and access to courts and legal resources. The California Lawyers Association Annual Meeting (9/15-17/2022) and the Gala (9/17/2022) will indeed be an affair to attend and remember. We truly hope to see you there. 

In other news, I serve on the Blue Ribbon Commission on the Future of the Bar Exam. The California Lawyers Association voted against a non-exam pathway to licensure and will be issuing a letter reconfirming our commitment to having an exam and to revitalizing a California-specific exam that also tests ethics, civility, negotiation, and dispute resolution skills. Twenty-five local and affinity bar associations across California issued similar letters against a non-exam pathway. A special thank-you to bar leaders across California, the California Lawyers Association Governmental Affairs Committee, and our Board for strenuously researching and demonstrating effective leadership, as always.   

Finally, while in Chicago for the ABA Annual Meeting, I was elected to the Executive Council of the National Conference of Bar Presidents (NCBP) for a three-year term. The role will provide great exposure for the California Lawyers Association and a place to share ideas and collaborate with bar association presidents across America. I look forward to building relationships and serving our wonderful members in our beautiful association. 

In closing, thank you again for being a member.