CLA eNews

When people think of high-profile hacks, their minds don’t usually drift to the legal world. However, recent security breaches at several large firms, including Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, have highlighted the vulnerabilities law firms face. Read more

I often tell the legal students I mentor that I know how lucky I am to be where I am today. Read more

The CLA’s Diversity Outreach Advisory Committee (DOC) is preparing to launch a video project to capture pathways of diverse attorneys into their practice. The videos will feature diverse law practitioners, judges, and possibly law students across the state of California. Read more

A recent federal court holding reminds us of the importance of engaging and properly utilizing expert witnesses in litigation, especially in malpractice actions against lawyers. Read more

As a person who is quite easily distracted and who can be chaotic without a concerted effort, I know the struggle to hold a full-time job and have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Read more

CLA, in partnership with Legal Aid Association of California, and in collaboration with the newly independent California Access to Justice Commission, hosted two convening meetings on September 11. Read more

With Chip ending his one-year term as board chair and Emilio entering the second year of his presidency, we wanted to share with you our perspective on a challenging but remarkable year – and what it means for you and the larger legal community. Read more

Earlier this year, the section formerly known as the International Law Section officially changed its name to the “International Law and Immigration Section.” Recently I, along with the Section’s Chair, Josh Surowitz, invited foreign bars with whom CLA has Friendship Agreements to attend our Annual Meeting. These bar-to-bar “treaties” between CLA and overseas bars include agreements with bars ranging from Japan to Mexico to Europe. These events, among others, have caused me to reflect on the tremendous potential the California Lawyers Association has to attract immigration practitioners and lawyers who live, work and practice law in various locales around the world. Read more

Working from home orders and quarantine mandates mean that attorneys have had to adapt their practices to a new normal. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached the United States around March of this year, law practices in many areas of the country were forced to go remote. This (sometimes bumpy) transition raised many concerns for lawyers, top among them being how to get paid by their clients. Read more

After the State Bar of California was de-unified, and the brand-new California Lawyers Association (CLA) was created, its inaugural leaders began mulling a big question: how can we best mobilize our 100,000 members to give back to the profession and our communities? Read more