CLA

Law practice management software (LPMS) is growing at an accelerated rate among law firms looking to improve business competitiveness, productivity, and profitability. According to the American Bar Association (ABA) 2022 Tech Report, the adoption growth of LPMS is clear—with a notable increase in solo and small firms.  Read more

CLA member leaders (i.e., Committee/Section Officers and Appointed Members) are invited to a virtual workshop to review CLA’s revised Appointment Policies and Procedures (eff. 01/19/2023). Leaders of CLA’s DEI Committee will discuss how the policy affects your Sections/Committees, offer insight into how the DEI Committee can provide support, and answer any questions fellow member leaders may have. Read more

1 Hour MCLE; 1 Legal Ethics Our panel of ethicists who are also active litigators will discuss some recent ethics opinions, rules and cases of importance to litigators.  We will consider when demand letters cross the line and become extortion, joint representation, receipt of evidence from former employees, ethical obligations prior to taking a default, advising clients of the risks of litigation before filing, witness perjury, sanctions, settling before withdrawal and withdrawal from representation. Speakers: Alison Buchanan, Carole Buckner, and… Read more

The California Lawyers Association (CLA) submits these comments in response to the request for input on alternatives for a proposed new Rule of Professional Conduct, rule 8.3. In our comments below, we address (1) issues that are common to both Alternative 1 and Alternative 2; (2) issues that are unique to each Alternative; and (3) overarching concerns, as addressed in CLA’s February 17, 2023 letter on the initial proposal for new rule 8.3, which remain unresolved by the revised proposal.  Read more

Coinciding with the start of Mental Health Awareness Month and Well-Being Week in Law, the California Lawyers Association (CLA) has declared that the time for attorney wellness is now. CLA is the nation’s largest voluntary bar association representing nearly 80,000 attorneys. Read more

Some F-words get a bad rap, if you know what I mean. But I am here to tell you about one of the best F-words that I know. It’s foundation, as in the California Lawyers Foundation (CLF). Read more

The month of May invites many reasons to celebrate—Mother’s Day, graduations, warmer weather, and summer vacations knocking at the backdoor. May also invites the opportunity to celebrate personal wellness—something that many of us forget, let alone celebrate.  Read more

Attorneys, more than any one group of professionals or section of the American workforce, understand that it is not always the best argument, legal standard, or fact that wins out. In life, this principle of “best does not always win” applies as well. Often, it is not the smartest, most attractive, or even the most prepared person who wins. It is the person who is most consistent and stays the course. It is also the one most willing to be responsive to a change in circumstance or circumstances in general. Read more

It is officially Spring! I may sound redundant when I say it is my favorite season of the year. Fall comes in a distant second, and I assume that is because I do not care for pumpkin spice products.  Read more

CLA’s Real Property Law Section held its annual Real Property Law Retreat in Sonoma, California, the weekend of March 24-26, 2023. For the first time, this retreat was co-hosted with the Women in Commercial Leasing Law Symposium.  Read more