CLA eNews

The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court is recruiting for a bankruptcy judge in the Southern District of California based in San Diego. Applications are due February 9, 2023.  Read more

My wife and kids tease me that the title of this practice is corny – and it is. Still, I like it. If you don’t nourish the things that nourish you, they wither away like a plant in dry stony ground. Read more

Early in my career as an association leader, I learned a valuable lesson: Always have a member or member-led committee or board between me and a final decision. While lobbying on a tough issue in the North Carolina Legislature, I took a stand on a matter and was met with success. But the process of achieving victory was bumpy, and I should have considered the impact on one of my key members. That was an epic failure on my part. I may have won on the issues, but I had to repair and build back trust with some of my association members.  Read more

Suppose you are a client who hires a lawyer to defend you against allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace. It is unlikely you would take out an ad in the newspaper to advertise the allegations. Suppose further that your case goes to trial and you prevail on a statute of limitations defense. Again, it is unlikely you would take out an ad to let the world know about your victory – particularly since winning on a statute of limitations defense hardly constitutes vindication in the eyes of the public. But would you be okay with your lawyer advertising her victory on your behalf by including a description of the representation (with your name on it) on her firm’s website? For most people, the answer would be no. Read more

I am writing from Edinburgh, Scotland, having just left London, England, and Cardiff, Wales, for leg one of the California Lawyers Association’s A Week in Legal London program. It is the 34th year of the program, sponsored by the Litigation Section every two years. It is the first time a President has joined the program.  Read more

Since March 2020, the only thing that has been certain is that we have been living in uncertain times. From the COVID-19 pandemic, protests, remote working, and home-schooling kids to participating in Zoom court and everything in between, we have had to pivot, learn new technology, adjust to new work environments, and adapt to new ways of creating boundaries between our personal and professional lives — just to name a few of the ways we have been impacted. Read more

Lawyers and judges took time out of their busy Annual Meeting schedules last month to educate and engage about 90 fifth graders from Rice Elementary School in the Chula Vista Elementary School District. The interactive program was designed to underscore the importance of civic engagement to maintain a vibrant and healthy society. Read more

The 2022 Annual Meeting and first-ever Gala last month were a massive success. Attendance, content, networking, legal icons, and charitable giving sum up an amazing week in beautiful San Diego, California. The 2023 Annual Meeting and Gala will be back in San Diego next September at the same hotel, the Hilton Bayfront. Read more

Celebrating recovery from addiction and mental health challenges is a key feature of National Recovery Month. This September marks the 32nd year of this event. National Recovery Month serves to highlight successful recovery from the insidious nature of addiction and mental health concerns. It is also a time to educate and inspire people in all walks of life to take a look at what is going on in their lives and to explore change. Read more

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. Read more