From the Section Chair

By Robert M. Bodzin

It’s hard to believe I am typing out my last "From the Section Chair" piece for California Litigation. Being a part of the State Bar’s largest section has been incredible, and I highly recommend becoming an active Litigation Section member. I started working on Litigation Section projects after attending a trial symposium where I learned a great deal about the art of jury selection and cross-examination. I subsequently became a volunteer on trial seminars and got an upfront view of how these events were planned, managed and executed. Within a few years I was speaking at Litigation Section panels and ultimately became co-chair of the "Best Practices for Litigation and Trial" seminars.

I provide this brief retrospective because I strongly want to encourage our members to become active in the Litigation Section. As described in my last article, our Section has greatly increased the number of webinars we sponsor, providing our members with more high-quality and low-cost MCLE. These additional webinars also create new opportunities for members to be involved both behind the scenes and in front of the camera.

One of the most exciting recent developments is the creation of a new Food Law and Litigation standalone subcommittee. The creation of this subcommittee follows our Section’s sponsorship of the UCLA Law School full-day seminar, "Beyond Labeling: The Role of Litigation in Broader Food System Reform." As one of the speakers at the UCLA event last April, I am excited that the Litigation Section is supporting the broader effort to provide a forum for practitioners in this dynamic and ever-changing area of the law. Food-litigation lawyer Christopher Van Gundy will lead this subcommittee. Further details about the new subcommittee will be available after the Annual Meeting.