Strengthening Local Roots and Global Reach: A Message from CLA President Terrance J. Evans

Dear CLA Friends and Family:

 It is an honor and a privilege to be the new President of the California Lawyers Association.  I want to thank each and every one of you for your support.  Special thanks to my beautiful family, everyone at CLA, and my colleagues at Duane Morris LLP for your continued support.  I also want to thank all of the affinity and regional bar associations who have been instrumental in my personal growth and development. It is my goal to do everything possible to support all of our members and friends in the legal community and grow this great organization.

 One of my first official duties as President of CLA was to represent us at the 200^th Anniversary Celebration of the Law Society of England and Wales.  The President of the Law Society of England and Wales invited me along with the leaders of the 100 largest bar associations in the world to participate in international discussions regarding the Rule of Law, Free Speech, Pro Bono, Democracy, and the Future of the Legal Profession.  Bar association leaders from more than 70 countries around the world participated in the program.

 I participated in numerous discussions with leaders from around the world. I met several bar association leaders from Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, Central America, South America, North America, and the Caribbean.  Several of these international leaders told me that they closely follow the work of CLA and our 18 sections.  Some of these leaders told me that they strategically have at least one member of their organization join CLA so that their entire organization can learn and benefit from that membership.  Some of these leaders also told me that their respective countries have modeled their policies on artificial intelligence and data privacy on information that they have learned from CLA webinars and publications. These conversations helped me better understand the international influence and reach of our great organization.

During my term as President, I will work tirelessly to strengthen our ties locally and internationally.  I will also work to help us build a pipeline for the next generation of legal talent.  If there is anything that I can do to help you personally or our organization generally, please feel free to reach out to me.  I am here to serve.  Thanks again for this wonderful opportunity to serve the California legal community.