CLA eNews

The U.S. Court of Appeals of the Ninth Circuit has appointed Cuauhtemoc Ortega as Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California. Read more

California reportedly is home to the largest marijuana industry in the world, with nearly $3 billion in sales in 2019, according to market researchers. The state legalized medical cannabis in 1996, and then, in 2016, voters passed Proposition 64 and legalized recreational cannabis. Lawyers have been involved with the industry since the beginning, a practice area that only continues to grow. Read more

Here is the setting: A pandemic has changed the way we live and decimated our economy, coupled with protests calling for racial justice. Meanwhile, everyone seems to have a different opinion about how to solve these overwhelming challenges. Read more

The scope of state and county emergency orders for addressing COVID-19 are beginning to change with a gradual, and welcome, reopening of businesses. And under the steady and impressive leadership of our Chief Justice and the Judicial Council, the courts have continued to function and now are beginning the process of reopening fully for business. Read more

The death of George Floyd and others shows us how far removed we still are from justice for all in the 21st century. It is critical to safeguarding the rule of law, preventing discrimination, and ensuring fairness in the administration of justice, that all are treated with full respect and with full protection of our constitutional rights. Read more

In addition to being the C.E.O. and Executive Director of CLA I am also an attorney. The death of George Floyd has affected me and turned my attention to the meaningful policy interventions that lawyers can champion to help reduce the likelihood that others suffer the same fate. But this month’s piece is less about those policy interventions than it is the personal cry of a mother, a wife and a sister to Black men. Read more

ABC10 News interviewed C.E.O. Ona Alston Dosunmu for its May 28 report on the gradual reopening of courts in the Sacramento area. Read more

As of May, law firms have begun to gradually reopen offices across the state that were closed during shelter-in-place orders. If your law firm is ready to take that step, the California Lawyers Association wants to make sure you have the information you need to keep you, your employees and your clients safe. Read more

In July of 2018, after receiving a report on the legal market landscape, the Board of Trustees of the State Bar of California convened a task force to review issues of access to legal services through innovation (ATILS). After more than a year of study, consultation, public input and debate, the ATILS Task Force presented its Final Report and Recommendations to the Board of Trustees. Read more

If you’re wondering how to develop a sense of inner strength and calm, even as stress threatens to send you spinning, look no further than the example set by Navy SEAL Commander Mark Divine. Read more