2022 ACBA Installation and Distinguished Service Awards Night Program

n o i t a l l a t s In THE ALAMEDA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION'S

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS NIGHT

APRIL 7, 2022 | 5:30 - 8:00 PM BRAZILIAN ROOM, TILDEN PARK, BERKELEY

SCHEDULE RECEPTION BEGINS

5:30 PM

BUFFET OPENS

6:00 PM

VIRTUAL PROGRAM OPENS

6:15 PM

PROGRAM BEGINS

6:30 PM

Welcome - President Pamela Ross, Jr., All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. Introduction of ACBA Board of Directors - Judge Charles Smiley, Presiding Judge, Superior Court of California, County of Alameda 2021 Recap - Past President Vincent Tong, TONG LAW 2022 Outlook - President Pamela Ross, Jr., All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. Distinguished Service Awards - President Pamela Ross, Jr., All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. Bench Officer: Commissioner Michael Bishay Barrister: Jason Leong Community Organization: Law Libraries Consortium Law Firm: Levy, Vinick, Burrell and Hyams Government Attorney: Veronica Rios Reddick Attorney: Janice Cho Final Thank You - President Pamela Ross, Jr., All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc.

FIRST SHUTTLE TO BART LOADS

7:45 PM

BAR LAST CALL

8:00 PM

EVENT ENDS

8:30 PM

BENCH OFFICER MICHAEL SUPERIOR

BISHAY COURT

OF

CALIFORNIA,

COUNTY

OF

ALAMEDA

Commissioner Michael Bishay joined the Alameda County Superior Court in 2018 and has been a part of the family law bench since that time. Prior to his current assignment, Commissioner Bishay served as the Supervising Judicial Officer of the family law division in the San Bernardino County Superior Court. Before becoming a judicial officer, Commissioner Bishay was a certified family specialist with his own practice and worked as an FBI Analyst/Contractor.

Anyone who has been in Commissioner Bishay’s department knows he approaches each case and litigant with kindness and compassion, with the goal of helping the family appearing in front of him.

Commissioner Bishay has worked closely with the Legal Access staff on the Family Law Day of Court Program and the Family Status Conference (FLSC) Clinic. During the development of the FLSC clinic, Commissioner Bishay offered to host this new clinic in his department on top of his normal caseload, and has continued to collaborate with clinics staff to make the clinic work remotely over the last year and a half.

Commissioner Bishay continues to make assisting SRLs who desperately need help a priority in his department and supporting Legal Access’ programs that help low-income litigants in the county.

Outside of the courtroom, Commissioner Bishay always offers his expertise and time to support the training of family law attorneys.

In addition to presenting at ACBA and Legal Access trainings, Commissioner Bishay has recently participated in family law and domestic violence trainings for CEB, the Court and ACFLA. Finally, Commissioner Bishay has invited new attorneys to shadow him at settlement conferences and learn from an expert on how to settle cases.

WE WOULD BE SURPRISED TO HEAR THAT COMMISSIONER BISHAY HAS TURNED DOWN A REQUEST TO BE INVOLVED IN A TRAINING!

BARRISTER JASON

LEONG

JASON

LEONG

LAW

OFFICES

Jason Leong has been a leader among the Alameda County Bar Association since he joined in 2017. He has been an active member of the ACBA Criminal Law Section and the ACBA Barristers Section and has served on the Executive Committees for both Sections, including two consecutive terms as the Chair of the Criminal Law Section for 2020 and 2021.

Jason regularly helps organize MCLE programs and social programs, collaborating frequently with members of other ACBA Sections, and was honored to work alongside other members of the Alameda County criminal justice community and the Alameda County Superior Court's justice partners to address the new and unique challenges of the COVID pandemic and its impact on the courts and the criminal justice system.

Jason graduated from the UC Berkeley Philosophy program at the age of 19, finishing his degree two years after high school. He then enrolled in and received his law degree from UC Hastings College of the Law as one of the youngest members of his class. Jason was admitted to the State Bar of CA in 2013, and has served in all three branches of government, working for the California State Legislature; on the judicial staff of the Hon. Edward Chen and Hon. Stuart Hing; as a Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Eastern District of California; and as a Deputy District Attorney for the County of Madera where he worked directly and alongside the elected District Attorney on several high profile cases.

Outside of the Bar Association, Jason has previously been a member of the Kennedy and Earl Warren Inns of Court, and is a current member of the Rotary Club of Alameda, proudly adhering to the motto "Service Above Self". He is honored to be nominated for this award and hopes to continue serving to enhance the legal community and profession. We are honored to present the Distinguished Service Award to Jason Leong.

THE ACBA RECOGNIZES JASON’S DETERMINATION, DEDICATION, AND TIRELESS VOLUNTEERISM.

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION ALAMEDA

COUNTY

LAW

LIBRARIES

CONSORTIUM

For more than 35 years, public libraries in Alameda County have offered a space for community members to get free legal help through the Lawyers in the Library (LIL) Program. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, libraries recognized the need to keep this space open and responded quickly to help get LIL to be one of the first Legal Access Alameda clinics to resume services.

Every week, through seven different library locations in Alameda, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, Livermore, Oakland and Pleasanton, volunteer attorneys are on the phone answering a wide range of legal questions, including COVID-related issues in employment and landlord/tenant law.

Fielding these hundreds of requests from the public are librarians who schedule appointments and connect patrons who have come to rely on the program’s continuity.

Also in 2020, Legal Access established a new partnership with both the public libraries and the Alameda County Law Library, sponsored by the Alameda County Assessor’s Office, to offer advice to county homeowners through the Property Transfer Clinic. Homeowners can get advice on issues such as understanding the assessment process, transferring their homes to family members, and how the newly enacted Prop 19 affects them.

Alameda County libraries are essential in providing regular, accessible, and free legal resources for residents, particularly lowerincome and underserved groups. During the pandemic, libraries have been an indispensable part of the support system for community members dealing with everyday as well as extraordinary challenges. As hubs of information, these public libraries’ support of the LIL and PTC Programs — in addition to their numerous educational offerings — have helped democratize access to legal services in our county.

PATRONS, NO MATTER THEIR INCOME, CAN COUNT ON THESE LIBRARIES TO PROVIDE THEM WITH THE LEGAL ANSWERS AND RESOURCES THAT THEY CAN’T OTHERWISE FIND.

LAW FIRM LEVY,

VINICK,

BURRELL

AND

HYAMS

Levy, Vinick, Burrell & Hyams (LVBH) is an all women owned boutique specializing in Plaintiff’s Employment Law. Their website reads, “our fondest hope is to become unemployed someday… we dream of a day when workplace fairness, non-discrimination, and equal treatment are so deeply engrained in the American workplace that there is zero need for our services.” LVBH is highly respected for its collective experience and highly successful litigation track record. Every partner is a Super Lawyer, and a shining example of excellence in the profession. The firm has clearly defined expectations for client representation; taking a Civil Rights clientcentered approach; doing what is in the best interest of the client which in some cases may mean settling a winnable case. Their firm takes a similarly innovative approach to working with each other as a true team, playing to each other’s strengths, and jumping in when others need help.

LVBH supports the legal community in many ways from being active leaders on legal association boards, to being an ACBA Leadership Firm, and forging cross pollination relationships with Women Lawyers of Alameda County resulting in collaboration of The Coffee with Judges Series. It was the firms idea to bring together multiple local bar associations to create the Annual Bay Area Women’s Retreat, as well as a multitude of collaborative MCLEs. LVBH is a firm leader for equity and inclusion from the make-up of their firm to the way they interact with their clients, each other, and the legal community.

For all of these reasons and more, the ACBA is honored to present the Distinguished Service Law Firm Award to Levy, Vinick, Burrell & Hyams.

LVBH LEADS BY EXAMPLE THROUGH VOLUNTEERING, EDUCATING AND COORDINATING PROGRAMS AND SERVICES THAT IMPACT LAWYERS, CLIENTS AND THE COMMUNITY.

GOVERMENT ATTORNEY VERONICA ALAMEDA

RIOS

REDDICK

COUNTY

DISTRICT

ATTORNEY'S

OFFICE

Veronica is at home in the Bay Area. She grew up in Contra Costa County, attended UC Berkeley for undergrad, UC Hastings for law school, and is now in her twelfth year as a Deputy District Attorney with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. As a Deputy District Attorney, she’s handled thousands of cases ranging from misdemeanor to felonies and from arraignments to trials. In January 2021, Veronica was assigned to staff the collaborative courts which offer an alternative to traditional prosecution of criminal cases.

Veronica first joined the ACBA at the suggestion of a judge who embraced her goal to bring more attorneys of color into positions of leadership and influence. She is a member of the Criminal Law Section where she has coordinated and spoken on many panels. Veronica is also a member of ACBA’s Racial Justice Working Group whose goal is to bring critical issues related to the pursuit of racial justice to the forefront of the legal community.

Veronica also sits on the Board of the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association, serving as the Judicial Endorsement Chair. She is also serves on Contra Costa County’s Internal Bias Committee, is a member of Women Lawyers of Alameda County, facilitated and moderated Continuing Legal Education for Continuing Education of the Bar. Lastly, Veronica recognizes the importance of mentorship, consequently, Veronica is a mentor to 9 students through Oakland Promise, Centro Legal’s de la Raza’s Youth Law Academy and Women’s Law Society Alumni Mentor Program of University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

VERONICA REFLECTS, “IN THE SPIRIT OF ALLYSHIP, THE ACBA BRINGS TOGETHER PEOPLE WHO DON’T USUALLY CROSS PATHS TO THINK ABOUT AND ADDRESS IMPORTANT ISSUES FACING OUR COMMUNITY.”

ATTORNEY JANICE LAW

CHO

OFFICE

OF

JANICE

CHO

After five years as a supervising attorney at Bay Area Legal Aid, in 2011 Janice Cho opened her own law practice specializing in family law and immigration issues.

Janice understands that many of her family law clients are in crisis, need immediate highquality representation that they can trust, or need to establish personal and financial security in the wake of family separation.

Janice’s immigration practice focuses on family-based petitions, VAWA's, U-Visas, and Naturalizations and Citizenship applications.

With this background it is not surprising that Janice has been an enormous presence with Legal Access Alameda (formerly VLSC) and the Alameda County Bar Association (ACBA).

Janice has been a VLSC/Legal Access Board member since 2014, and served as Board President for 4 years. She is also a rock star volunteer who was named Volunteer of the Year—Rising Star for her pro bono service in 2012.. Janice was instrumental in developing and championing our Family Law Day of Court (FLDOC) program and mentoring new family law volunteers including non-family law attorneys and paralegals, through the FLDOC program.

Janice has also be generous with her time training other attorneys. She was a presenter at the Legal Access family law training series in 2013 and 2014, and at the 2020 and 2022 virtual family law boot camps..

Janice’s firm, the Law Office of Janice Cho has been a Guardian of Justice, Legal Access' highest level of supporter, since 2014! Her firm is also an event sponsor of many ACBA events.

In addition to the Legal Access Board, Janice is also the President of the Board of Directors at Training and Organizing Resources for Community Health (TORCH) and has served on the ACBA Family Law Executive Committee. Janice has also joined the ACBA Board in 2022! Thank you for all you do Janice, we’re proud to have you on our team.

JANICE HOLDS A SPECIAL PLACE IN THE HEARTS OF STAFF, VOLUNTEERS, AND CLIENTS. SHE SUPPORTS OUR PROFESSION THROUGH TRAINING, MENTORING, PRO BONO, SERVICE ON BOARDS, AND SPONSORSHIP OF EVENTS.

DID YOU KNOW THAT THE ACBA OFFERS FREE STREAMING OF PAST CLE PROGRAMS? WATCH AT YOUR CONVENIENCE! For the foreseeable future, the Alameda County Bar Association will hold all MCLE programs virtually. Not only are we livestreaming 20-30 CLEs and social events each month (free as always for ACBA members), our back programming is also available for self-study credit.

If you already know your ProLearn account details, log in first.

ProLearn works best with Chrome. Contact cailin@acbanet.org if you have questions or if you want to know the status of a particular webinar. Usually programs are available starting 1 week after the program date. https://acbanet.prolearn.io/home

ALAMEDA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION 548 Market Street, PMB 22692, San Francisco, CA 94104-5401 www.acbanet.org

2022 ACBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Executive Committee PAMELA ROSS JR., PRESIDENT All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. Pamela Ross is the founder and CEO of All for the Family Legal Clinic, Inc. She previously served as the Chair of the ACBA Family Law Section and regularly volunteers with Legal Access. She has been selected to the California Rising Stars list by Super Lawyers since 2016. Since 2017 she has been selected as one of the Top 10 Family Law Attorney’s under 40 in Northern California

by NAFLA. In May of 2015 she was honored by VLSC as their Volunteer of the Year and in March of 2014 she was honored by Assemblyman Bill Quirk’s office as the District 20 Woman of the Year in Law. ALICE CHENG, PRESIDENT-ELECT Law Offices of Vanessa Candelaria, P.C. Alice is a family law practitioner and an active member of the ACBA Barristers Section, and was its 2017 and 2018 Executive Committee Chair. Alice was the 2017 recipient of the ACBA Distinguished Service Award for Barrister. Alice also speaks Cantonese and basic conversational Mandarin.

Yen Chau, VICE PRESIDENT Donahue Fitzgerald LLP Yen Chau is a partner in Donahue Fitzgerald’s Employment and Litigation practice groups, and co-founder if it's Woman's Affinity Network. Yen is a valued advisor to the firm's clients, providing her expertise in employment advice, counseling, and litigation.

Directors Brenda Aguilar-Guerrero, Director Meyers Nave Brenda Aguilar-Guerrero chairs Meyers Nave’s statewide Eminent Domain and Inverse Condemnation Practice Group and has been representing public entities on complex eminent domain and inverse condemnation matters for more than 25 years. She has assisted clients with large, complex multibillion-dollar infrastructure projects requiring hundreds of acquisitions, as well as smaller scale projects throughout the state for a variety of clients.

Brenda likes to get involved at the initiation of a project to ensure that her clients are following all state and federal regulations and laws. She attends project meetings, obtains rights of entry, drafts and/or reviews acquisition documents, works with consultants/clients to execute acquisition strategies, reviews appraisals for legal compliance, and negotiates with property owners; assists in drafting staff reports, resolutions of necessity and notices to property owners; prepares complaints and all documents required to file the condemnation action(s); obtains orders for prejudgment possession; and handles all litigation through the filing and recording of Final Orders of Condemnation.

2022 ACBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Maria Bee, Director Oakland City Attorney’s Office Chief Assistant City Attorney Maria Bee oversees both the Affirmative Litigation, Innovation & Enforcement Division and the General & Complex Litigation Division (defense) of the Oakland City Attorney’s Office. She is a member of the City Attorney's Executive Team. Ms. Bee has 25 years of experience in the legal community, both as a practicing attorney and as a fighter for justice for the most vulnerable populations. Ms. Bee first worked in the City Attorney's Office from 2000 to 2006 as a Deputy City Attorney prosecuting civil hate crimes lawsuits and handling various litigation matters including dangerous conditions of public property, breach of contract and alleged constitutional violations. From 2006 to 2014, Ms. Bee served as the Chief of the Victim Services Division of the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office. In this role, she was responsible for providing critical services to victims of crime in San Francisco. In 2014, Ms. Bee returned to the City Attorney’s Office as a supervising attorney in the Litigation Division. In 2016, she was assigned to head the newly established Affirmative Litigation, Innovation & Enforcement Division, which focuses on social, economic and environmental justice for Oakland residents. In 2018, Ms. Bee was promoted to Chief Assistant City Attorney overseeing all litigation matters (both affirmative and defense). Ms. Bee received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in French History from the University of California, Berkeley. She graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law and began her legal career as an associate at McCutchen Doyle, Brown & Enerson, where she handled general commercial litigation cases. Ms. Bee is a member of the Charles Houston Bar Association and chairs the Alameda County Bar Association’s Lawyer Referral Service committee. She also also serves as Chairperson of the Board of Directors of La Casa de Las Madres, an advocacy program for survivors of domestic violence.

Vincent Brown, Director San Francisco City Attorney’s Office Vincent Brown works for the San Francisco City Attorney's Office. Previously, he joined the Oakland City Attorney’s Office in May 2017 as a Deputy City Attorney in the Real Estate Unit.

Prior to joining the Office, Mr. Brown worked as an associate attorney at Downs Pham & Kuei LLP in San Francisco and at Goldfarb & Lipman LLP in Oakland. In addition to his real estate experience, Mr. Brown has provided guidance to tax exempt organizations on issues concerning nonprofit governance. Mr. Brown earned his Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, Berkeley and received his law degree from University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

2022 ACBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Janice Cho, Director Law Office of Janice Cho Janice Cho has been practicing law since 2004, with expertise in family law and immigration law. Ms. Cho earned her Bachelor’s Degree, with honors, from the University of Chicago. She later received her Juris Doctorate degree from Northwestern University School of Law. After law school, Ms. Cho began her career working exclusively in the area of family law and immigration law. She has supervised family law and domestic violence legal clinics, provided technical assistance to non-profits and pro bono attorneys, provided trainings on family law and immigration law, and regularly serves as Judge Pro Tempore in Alameda County. Ms. Cho personally guides her clients through the nuances and complexities of family law and immigration law and has substantial experience litigating contested family law trials and hearings. She is dedicated, formidable, practical, and ethical and will provide you with an unparalleled level of client service to achieve the results and resolution that you need. Ms. Cho was selected as a 2021 Super Lawyer in Northern California - an honor given to only 2.5% of the lawyers in California. Ms. Cho is proficient in Spanish and conversational in Korean.

Mario Moya, Director Law Offices of Mario Moya Jo-Anna Nieves, Director Nieves Law Firm, APC Jo-Anna Nieves formed the Nieves Law Firm, APC in order to help those accused of crimes navigate the complex and challenging legal process of the criminal justice system. Jo-Anna is the former Chair of the ACBA Barristers Section Executive Committee and former Chair of the ACBA Judicial Appointments Evaluation Committee. She also volunteers as a mentor for El Centro Legal de la Raza’s Youth Law Academy and is a member of the Earl Warren Inns of Court. She has been named a Super Lawyers Rising Star every year since 2016 and her firm has been recognized as one of the fastest growing law firms in the nation by Law Firm 500.

Peter Shelton, Director Peter Shelton Law Peter Shelton is the owner of Peter Shelton Law, an estate planning and inheritance litigation firm in Berkeley. Peter is certified by the California State Bar as a Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust & Probate Law, and is a Past-President of East Bay Trusts and Estates Lawyers (EBTEL).

He has been named a Super Lawyer every year since 2015.

Kristin Smith, Director Wood, Smith, Henning & Berman, LLP Kristin Smith practices employment law in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. She has over 14 years of experience handling employment matters from wage and hour cases to discrimination and wrongful termination. She has litigated state, federal, and administrative employment actions. Ms. Smith has managed non-litigation transactions and alternative dispute resolution proceedings as well as advised clients on day-to-day human resource issues, compliance, policy updates, and employee trainings.

2022 ACBA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Byron Toma, Director Office of the General Counsel, BART Byron Toma is an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at BART where he works on transactional matters including public contracting, free speech, governmental transparency, and public health and safety issues. He also serves on the legal staff assigned to the Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority where he works on marketing, real estate, environmental and telecom issues. Prior to working at BART, Byron served in county counsel’s offices, city attorney’s offices, and a DA’s office. He holds a JD from Santa Clara University (SCU) School of Law and an LLM in environmental law from Golden Gate University School of Law. Vincent Tong, Past President Tong Law Vincent Tong is the owner of TONG LAW, an employment and business law practice in Oakland. He is an active member of the ACBA and its Barristers and Labor and Employment Sections, and served as the Chair for the Barristers section in 2015. Vincent currently serves as a member of the California Employment Lawyers Association’s Executive Board. He is a member of the Earl Warren American Inn of Court, Asian American Bar Association, Filipino Bar Association of Northern California, and California Lawyers for the Arts. Vincent has been selected for inclusion in the Northern California Super Lawyers Rising Stars List since 2015, and was the 2016 recipient of the ACBA Distinguished Service Award for New Lawyer.

Ryan Knutson , Barristers Chair Knutson Law Offices (KLO) Ryan Knutson grew up in the Vacaville/Fairfield area and has lived in the bay most of his life, except for multiple years spent abroad living in Mexico on study/work abroad, Chile and Peru.

He attended Sonoma State University for his undergraduate studies, graduating cum laude and international merit scholar in 2012 with a BA in History, Spanish, and Latin American Studies. Ryan attended law school at Golden Gate University School of Law in San Francisco, CA, graduating with a Juris Doctorate in December 2015 and a focus in public interest law.

Ryan began his practice in July 2016 as Staff Attorney and Program Coordinator for the Legal Counsel for the Elderly/ Civil Rights program at La Raza Centro Legal in San Francisco, CA. Ryan opened Knutson Law Offices in 2019 to serve the needs of families and individuals in the areas of estate and special needs planning, trusts and estates, civil litigation and real estate, Social Security Disability, health insurance eligibility and appeals, and discrimination with a specific focus in mental health law and policy. On mental health law, discrimination and abuse of the mentally ill and the myriad legal issues affecting their families, Ryan works to make a significant impact in achieving compassionate care, an end to abuse and violence, and effective trust and property planning for the future.

THANK YOU TO OUR EVENT SPONSORS! DINNER SPONSOR Kazan Mcclain Satterley & Greenwood DRINK SPONSOR Candelaria PC PROGRAM SPONSORS ADR Services, Inc. JAMS Donahue Fitzgerald COMMUNITY SPONSOR Law Office of Janice Cho Judicate West FRIEND OF THE ACBA Fried & Williams LLP TONG LAW Bonjour Thorman Burns & Dahm

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