Organizational Structure

CLA is comprised of two divisions: Member Experience and Operational Support.

The Member Experience Division is comprised of the following departments:

Sections
The Sections Department is comprised of two teams. Each team includes a Sections Department Head, and all Section Managers. Every Section Manager is assigned to 2 or 3 sections, providing Section Volunteer Leaders with strategic guidance consistent with CLA’s mission and goals. The Section Managers’ work includes facilitating Executive Committee meetings and sub-committee meetings, coordinating publications and awards, planning educational programs, conducting special projects, and supporting networking events.

Services/Education
The Services/Education Department handles a wide range of tasks related to membership and event registration. Examples of responsibilities include: processing and maintaining CLA memberships; education program registrations; and MCLE designations and tracking. The Services/Education team also handles payment processing, provides written responses to members, and delivers telephone support for inquiries, registration and payment issues, or other questions or concerns. Another key area of responsibility is in education; the department oversees the webinar offerings across CLA and provides active management of the section- revenue-generating CLA online training catalog. Further education services include the construction of MCLE-based training bundles and packages and the analysis of content performance to identify courses the members are most interested in attending in order to promote those offerings.

Marketing and Communications
Our Marketing and Communications Department is here to help promote CLA and its Sections. The Marketing and Media Relations Department assists with recruitment, graphics design, press releases, content creation, and utilization of all marketing channels, to name a few areas. The Marketing Events document lists the timeline for marketing events.

Ways that CLA marketing assists sections:

• Graphic design – save the dates, flyer creation, social media graphics, web banners, email banners or graphics.
• Email Marketing (organic)
• Social Media Marketing (organic and/or paid)
• Paid ads (if budgeted and approved)
  • Social media, Google Ads, Law360, The Recorder, etc.
• Localized marketing tactics where research is done to identify marketing opportunities where the event is taking place. For instance, if local organizations are willing to cross- promote the event, or if law schools would be willing to share information about the event/webinar to their students.

CLA Marketing Campaigns:

• The Brand Ambassador Recruitment Campaign
  • A recruitment campaign where member leaders recruit legal professionals through social media and email efforts by using talking points inspired by action words like empower, advocacy, community and belong.
  • A CLA branded toolkit was created with talking points for members to draw inspiration.
• Section Competition Recruitment Campaign
  • Members work to showcase their section’s greatness, networking and events. The goal is to grow the section with new members. The section that recruits the most will earn a table at the AM Leadership Soiree.
• Affinity Bars Recruitment Campaign
  • A recruitment campaign where CLA partners with CA affinity bars and their members are marketed to join CLA.
• Former Member, Never Member and Solo and Small Firm Recruitment Campaign
  • An ongoing summer email marketing campaign targeting former members, never members, and solo and small firms. Messaging highlights the many benefits of joining CLA.
• New Lawyers – Lapsed Membership
  • Email marketing campaign where new lawyers that didn’t renew are targeted after their free plan expired.
• Digital Marketing Ads to former members and never members – Paid
  • Social media – Meta, X, LinkedIn and Instagram
  • Google Ads – retargeting
  • Law360
  • The Recorder
  • Legal Perspectives (Digital Publication)
• Event Sponsoring
  • CLA sponsors events pertaining to law firms, law schools, etc. throughout the state to help boost brand awareness and partnership efforts.
• Print Marketing
  • The Daily Journal
  • SJCBA
  • CAPA Ads
• Email Marketing
  • Monthly emails sent June – September to former/dropped members in a major marketing effort to rejoin.

• The Operational Support Division is comprised of the following internal support departments:
  • Finance and Operations
  • Human Resources
  • Information Technology
  • Committees
  • Business Development
  • Meetings & Events