CWL Newsletter January - February 2019

CALIFORNIA WOMEN LAWYERS N E W S L E T T E R JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2019 1

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Letter from the CWL President Amee A. Mikacich

D

ear CWL Members,

Happy New Year!

We are off to a busy start to what I believe will be a very exciting year. In the spirit of innovation and positive change, CWL will, for the first time, combine its Annual Conference and Dinner into one event. Please mark your calendars for September 19 and 20, 2019, when we will go to our state capital in Sacramento for the Annual Conference and Dinner at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel.

The Annual Conference is a full day of professional development, networking, inspirational speakers, and outstanding panels. Our accredited MCLE programs will motivate, educate and entertain you in a multitude of ways on important topics that are both relevant, and timely.

The Conference will be followed by our Annual Dinner.

For those who have attended in the past, you know that this dinner is not just another routine professional dinner.

You will be enlightened, inspired, and proud to be in the company of so many talented and influential women and their supporters.

The Conference and Dinner will be kicked off on Thursday evening, September 19th, with a reception featuring light appetizers, cocktails and collegiality. This will be an opportunity to see all of your friends and colleagues in a fun, festive setting.

As always, we look forward to our award-winning programming, presentations, receptions, and educational events throughout the year. Please look for future editions of this outstanding newsletter for more current information.

Again, best wishes for a happy and healthy 2019.

Sincerely, Amee A. Mikacich

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NEWSLETTER JANUARY - FEBRUARY #12 2018-19 CWL Board Officers CWL President Amee Mikacich CWL President-Elect Jessica L. Rowe Immediate Past President Renee Galente Stackhouse First Vice-President Naomi Dewey Second Vice-President Michelle Ialeggio Secretary Summer Selleck Treasurer Nicole Sugnet Editor Jodi Cleesattle Assistant Editor Vanessa Henderson Editorial Designer David Blue Garrison Additional Photography Pexels, Pixabay and Stocksnap

CWL was chartered in 1974. It was organized “to advance women in the profession of law; to improve the administration of justice; to better the position of women in society; to eliminate all inequities based on sex; and to provide an organization for collective action and expression germane to the aforesaid purposes.�

The purposes are limited to purposes meeting the requirements for exemption provided in Section 2370le of the Revenue and Taxation Code and Section 501(c) (6) of the Internal Revenue Code as the statutes may be amended from time to time.

Thank you to all the authors in this issue for sharing with us their time and expertise. If you have an idea for a future article, please contact Vanessa Henderson at the CWL office at newsletter@cwl.org Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these articles are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CWL. For more information on CWL or this newsletter, please contact the CWL office at 916.930.9020 or visit the website at www.cwl.org.

Editor’s Note Jodi Cleesattle The new year is underway, and our thoughts turn to resolutions – the plans and goals we set for ourselves for the new year. I have friends training for marathons, starting new business ventures, making career moves. Providing even more inspiration, at least three high profile female Senators and one female Representative have announced their bids for the 2020 presidency. I personally haven’t set any goals quite that lofty, but I do have some career aspirations that I hope to make happen this year. And I hope to make sure that each issue of CWL News brings you great articles about interesting people, programs, and events.

In this issue of CWL News, we celebrate the new year by checking in with some of California’s top women lawyers – including judges, elected officials, law firm partners, and public interest lawyers. They share their goals of improving the criminal justice system, promoting equal access to justice, helping crime victims, electing women legislators, serving the legal community through the state’s voluntary bar association, mentoring other women, learning new skills, expanding their practices, and more.

We also introduce the winners of this year’s top honors for judges and attorneys. We’re pleased to honor California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye as the winner of the Rose Bird Memorial Award, and we’ll present her award at our annual dinner in September. Our other judicial award winner is Orange County Superior Court Judge Maria Hernandez, whom we’ll honor with the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award in May. We’re honoring Eileen Decker of Los Angeles with the Judith Soley Lawyer as Citizen Award and Merrianne Dean of San Diego with the Fay Stender Award. In this issue, we give you just a brief introduction to each of these award winners. Watch for longer profiles and more details about the awards presentations in later issues of CWL News.

Also in this issue, we hear from the co-hosts of CWL’s A Seat at the Table podcast, who share their stories of interviewing legal luminaries.

We take a look back at CWL’s advocacy efforts in 2018, reviewing the amicus briefs we joined and the state legislation we supported.

And we profile our numerous committees, so you can decide how you can get more involved in CWL. We hope you find something in CWL News that gives you inspiration – it’s never too late to make a new year’s resolution.

- Jodi Cleesattle

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CWL Member News CWL is proud of the work its members do on behalf of our organization and the profession, and we believe in sharing your achievements. Please help us share your news. In this edition, we’re thrilled to share the recognition given to several CWL members.

CWL MEMBERS ON THE BENCH Four CWL members were appointed to the bench in late 2018.

Past president WENDY BEHAN, a partner at Casey, Gerry, Schenk, Francavilla, Blatt and Penfield LLP in San Diego, was appointed to the San Diego County Superior Court in December. She served as president of CWL from 2014 to 2015.

Past CWL board member AUDRA IBARRA, an appellate attorney and counsel at the California Apellate Law Group in San Francisco, was appointed to the Santa Clara County Superior Court in December, the first Filipino-American judge in the county. She previously served as CWL affiliate governor for the Santa Clara County Bar Association’s Women Lawyers Section and served on CWL’s executive committee.

CWL member WENDY MCGUIRE COATES, a partner and appellate counsel at Fisher Phillips in San Francisco, was appointed to the Contra Costa County Superior Court in December. She served on CWL’s Amicus Committee until her appointment to the bench.

Past CWL president ANGELA DAVIS was appointed in November as a Los Angeles County Superior Court Commissioner. Davis, who served as president of CWL from 2006 to 2007, was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California.

JESSICA ROWE CWL president-elect Jessica Rowe, a shareholder with Aaron Riechert Carpol & Riffle APC in Redwood City, was awarded the Elinor Falvey Award from the Women Lawyers Section of the San Mateo County Bar Association in May 2018. The award honors individuals or organizations who advance the interests of women through service to women lawyers, law-related achievements, or service or achievement in areas of special concern to all women such as equal employment opportunity, domestic violence, child advocacy, child care, education or service to families.

MARY LUROS CWL member Mary Luros, who represented Napa Women Lawyers on the CWL Board of Governors for several years, was elected to the Napa City Council in November after a hardfought race. Luros is a partner with Hudson & Luros LLP in Napa, where she practices estate planning, business law, and real estate law.

M.C. SUNGAILA CWL member M.C. Sungaila, a partner with Haynes and Boone LLP in Costa Mesa, has been elevated to chair of the Board of Overseers for the RAND Institute for Civil Justice. She previously served as vice chair.

The institute supplies government, private decision-makers and the public with objective, empirically based, analytic research on legal issues and brings together representatives of different interests to debate alternative solutions to policy problems. The board – which is comprised of senior corporate officials and general counsels, senior partners of major law firms (both plaintiffs’ and defense lawyers), consumer and labor organization executives, senior members of the judiciary, and leading academic scholars – advises the institute’s staff on the development of new research projects, consults researchers on issues of impartiality and autonomy in reporting results, and helps to build support for the institute and its mission.

Let us lift you up. Tell us when you’ve won an honor or award or attained a special achievement.

Contact us at newsletter@cwl.org.

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Join the CWL Newsletter Committee Like what you’re reading? Want to get involved with CWL? CWL is looking for newsletter committee members for the 2018-2019 year. Committee members are responsible for securing content for the magazine and proof-reading articles.

CWL is also looking for writers who would like to submit original content for the newsletter.

Please email newsletter@cwl.org if you are interested in participating.

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Ready for 2019 New Year’s Resolutions from Top Women Lawyers

BY JODI CLEESATTLE

With a new year comes new year’s resolutions.

Many of us resolve to eat better and exercise more.

Maybe we set a goal to spend more time with family or friends. Or vow to take steps toward a professional goal.

We wanted to know what some of California’s top women lawyers have on their agendas for 2019. Do they have a specific career goal for the new year? Are they planning to run for office? Joining a new board or committee? Heading up an important project? Planning to step up their rainmaking game? Paying it forward by mentoring others? Upping their pro bono hours?

From legislators to district attorneys and judges to Super Lawyers, we asked women in California what resolutions they’ve made to advance their career, improve the legal profession, improve their community, or promote women.

Here’s what they shared:

Cristina Arguedas Arguedas, Cassman, Headley & Goldman, LLP, Berkeley Arguedas is a criminal defense lawyer who was part of the “Dream Team” defending O.J. Simpson on doublemurder charges and has defended corporate officials at companies such as Enron and British Petroleum. She has been named one of the 10 best lawyers in the Bay Area by the San Francisco Chronicle and Northern California Super Lawyers, one of the 50 most influential women lawyers in the United States by the National Law Journal, one of the 100 top lawyers in California by the San Francisco Daily Journal and The Recorder, and one of the five most promising women lawyers in the country by Time magazine.

Increase my digital/computer skills. I make the same commitment every year because there is always more to learn. When I started my practice I would read a file that I took out of my briefcase. Now I need to have that same ease and be just as facile with digital discovery. That’s where the evidence is, so it has to be understood and mastered.

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Diana Becton Contra Costa County District Attorney Becton has spent most of her professional career as a judge, lawyer, and manager. She was sworn in as Contra Costa County’s District Attorney in September 2017, after serving 22 years as a judge in Contra Costa County Superior Court, where she was elected as Presiding Judge. She is the Immediate Past President of the National Association of Women Judges, the nation’s leading voice for women in the judiciary, and she currently serves as the Chair of the California State Bar Council on Access and Fairness. As DA, she leads a prosecutorial office of approximately 200 lawyers, investigators, and staff. She is the first woman and the first African-American to serve as Contra Costa County District Attorney since the office was established in 1850.

I have joined Code for America’s “Clear My Record” initiative, pledging to dismiss or reduce thousands of old marijuana convictions, which will help to remove significant barriers to employment, education, and housing. I also hope to establish the first Conviction Integrity Unit in Contra Costa County to investigate wrongful conviction claims of actual innocence and review cases where there is a significant integrity issue. Our office also will work in partnership with the Vera Institute for Justice to analyze our data to learn whether prosecutorial decisions lead to racially neutral or disparate consequences.

Vera will propose management protocols we can use to address these issues going forward. We are working on establishing Neighborhood Courts, a community based, pre-charging diversion program to resolve low-level misdemeanors and quality of life crimes, as well as Impact Justice, a restorative justice, pre-adjudication diversion program for youth. Our office also will continue to work with criminal justice partners to encourage treatment of mental illness and drug addiction. We will host our second Community Academy – a program designed to strengthen community relations and provide residents a better understanding of our criminal justice system – in March.

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Joyce Dudley Santa Barbara County District Attorney Dudley was elected and sworn in as District Attorney of Santa Barbara County in June 2010. She has prosecuted well over 1,000 cases including murder, arson, robbery, burglary and all varieties of theft crimes. She also serves as chair of the Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).

My resolution this year is to focus on public safety and justice by supporting the mental health and well-being of our First Responders. The First Responders of our county have recently encountered an unprecedented number of deadly natural disasters and familial violence. Our county needs our law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, and emergency room staff to continue to perform with compassion and precision. Many of our First Responders were no doubt traumatized by what they experienced in the past few years. Given what many have already endured, and what others will endure, in their traumafilled professions, I believe we need to de-stigmatize and culturally normalize ongoing, proactive and responsive mental health services. As our county’s chief law enforcement official, it is critical that I fully support the sound decisions of our First Responders. Therefore, I believe it is incumbent upon me, as the District Attorney, to ensure that they are appropriately equipped to have long and illustrious careers in keeping our public safe and our justice system equitable.

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Hon. Tamila Ipema Judge, San Diego Superior Court President, National Association of Women Judges

Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher California State Assembly Member (D-80th San Diego) Gonzalez Fletcher was elected in May 2013 and is the first Latina in California history to chair the Assembly Appropriations Committee. She also chairs the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace, and she coauthored the nation’s toughest rules to close the gender pay gap. A former labor leader and organizer, she has authored legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave, automatically registering voters, and subsidizing diapers for parents in need.

Work harder. Love more. Listen closer. Be heard. Elect women. Live more fully. Hug my kids. Smell the roses.

Appreciate my husband. Learn to say no. And, as always, do the greatest good for the most amount of people.

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Judge Ipema was appointed Judge of the San Diego Superior Court in 2009 and previously served as a Superior Court Commissioner in both San Diego and Los Angeles. She has been active in the National Association of Women Judges for several years, chairing the first Color of Justice and MentorJet program in San Diego in 2011 and has continued coordinating the annual program, which seeks to inspire girls and minority students to consider legal and judicial careers. She serves on the Judicial Council’s Access and Fairness Advisory Committee, the Racial and Ethnic Fairness Advisory Subcommittee, and the Collaborative Courts Subcommittee, as well as the San Diego Superior Court’s Education Committee. Before taking the bench, she served as a judicial research attorney and supervising research attorney for the Los Angeles Superior Court, as an Assistant District Counsel for the Immigration and Naturalization Service, and as an immigration defense attorney.

“Global Judicial Leadership” is the 2019 theme for the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ). NAWJ is the leading voice for women in the judiciary. We are policy makers, role models, and leaders in our community.

My goal is to continue giving back to my community by educating both women and men, adults and children, about human rights, gender bias, and violence against women. I believe we keep our Constitution alive by protecting and advancing equal access to justice for all, and encouraging others to do the same. As a judge, and a proud member of NAWJ, I believe we can all work together to find solutions to the ills facing women and other vulnerable members of our community. We do not need to make a huge difference in life, any action we take no matter how small matters, and we can change a life in the process. As Mother Theresa said, “You can do no great thing, only small things with great love.”

Jackie Lacey Los Angeles County District Attorney Lacey has spent most of her professional life as a prosecutor, manager and executive in the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office. Sworn in in December 2012 and re-elected in 2016 without opposition, Lacey is the first woman and first African-American to serve as Los Angeles County District Attorney since the office was established in 1850. She leads the largest local prosecutorial office in the nation, with a workforce of approximately 1,000 lawyers, 300 investigators and 800 support staff employees.

In 2019, I want to devote more time to exploring new responses to age-old criminal justice issues, such as mental health and implied bias. I am pleased that so many people have taken an interest in justice system reform.

My resolution is to listen to these new voices and, in consultation with other career prosecutors, develop ways to address serious challenges, such as the growing number of people with mental illness within the criminal justice system, and implement reforms that will reduce the number of people behind bars for nonviolent crimes. I want to do more to protect consumers from financial fraud through prosecution and public education. I also want to prosecute serious and violent crime wherever it may occur, including in our jails and prisons. In addition, I hope to challenge myself and my staff to recognize and address implicit bias in our daily lives.

Neda Mansoorian Founding Partner, Oleander Law Partners, Los Gatos Past CWL President (2013-2014) Mansoorian is the managing partner of Oleander Law and leads its crisis management and negotiations practices.

She has represented clients, including public companies, CEOs, public officials, and other executives, in sensitive matters involving business disputes, extortion, high-asset dissolutions, wrongful terminations, embezzlement, torts, and workplace discord and harassment. She also assists executives in negotiating dignified and discreet separations and transitions, in the employment context. She has been named among the Top 100 Lawyers and Top 50 Female Lawyers by Northern California Super Lawyers since 2016 My 2019 resolution is to expand my crisis management/ negotiations practice to include mediation. A few years ago, following many battles as a trial lawyer and litigator, I realized I preferred helping clients avoid or resolve litigation, rather than endlessly wade in it for years. With that epiphany, I set about pivoting my practice to pulling clients out of chaotic situations and placing them on paths toward peace of mind. I have since been fortunate to strategically advise companies, individuals and co-counsel in sensitive matters involving business and employment disputes, extortion schemes, emotionally-charged interfamilial and partnership disputes, embezzlement investigations, and torts matters. In 2019, I am now ready to stretch my boundaries again, as a neutral mediator, to help all sides of a dispute reach finality and resolution. This year, I hope others will consider getting out of their comfort zones and taking a leap toward growth and fulfillment.

Let’s do this together.

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Heather Rosing Shareholder and Chief Financial Officer, Klinedinst PC, San Diego President, California Lawyers Association Kelly Robbins Principal, Robbins Family Law, San Francisco Past CWL President (2015-2016) Robbins is a Family Law Specialist certified by the State Bar of California. She has solely focused on family and divorce law for eighteen years, with an emphasis on highasset property division and support. She has experience handling business valuations, asset tracing, and complex custody issues, including international jurisdictional cases.

She is also a past president of the Queens Bench Bar Association and is a member of the California Lawyers Association’s Family Law Section Executive Committee.

Rosing, a certified specialist in legal malpractice law, chairs her firm’s professional liability department as well as serving as the firm’s Chief Financial Officer. She was selected the inaugural president of the California Lawyers Association, formed in 2018 as the first all-attorney statewide bar association in California. She also serves as president of the board of directors of the California Bar Foundation, and she previously served on the State Bar Board of Trustees.

I’m very excited for 2019. Women in law have made great strides in recent years – more equity partners, more judges, more elected positions. I feel we are now poised to expand our presence in the field of law and combat gender bias even more. In terms of my personal 2019 My new year’s resolution was to ‘worry less,’ and I’m resolutions, in addition to the usual (exercise more, lose sticking to that so far. My new year’s action plan includes weight!), I have been thinking about how to even further diving into my second year on the Family Law Executive support our profession, and, in particular, the newer and Committee of the California Lawyers Association where I younger attorneys. It’s a tough market out there, with more am an Education Chair, responsible for webinars. We try competition, less jobs, and a low bar passage rate. I was to offer at least three each month, including a Lunch with honored to have been selected the inaugural president of Your Honor, where judges around the state can speak on a the California Lawyers Association (CLA), which, pursuant topic of interest to them. Our San Francisco Superior Court to legislation, includes the 16 former State Bar sections and Family Law Presiding Judge Monica M. Wiley addressed the California Young Lawyers Association (CYLA), which “Civility Matters, Seriously;” CWL former board member, is all lawyers eight years or less in practice in California. now Commissioner, Erin Childs, of San Luis Obispo, held One of the highlights of my position is working with CYLA a lunch webinar on the “Top Ten Things Your Family Law leaders and learning more about the latest generation of Judge Wishes You Knew.” Other topics have been “Divorce lawyers, in terms of what they need and what they want.

Privacy” and “Family Law and the Evidence Code,” among And half of this CYLA population is women, many who many others. I’ve also re-joined my Lawyers Club Inn of – even in today’s day and age – may be driven out of Court and am thrilled to connect each month with local the profession by the perceived conflicts between work attorneys from varied practice areas. I continue to mentor and home. It is my resolution in 2019 to continue to build young attorneys interested in a career in family law, and to CLA, and, in particular, our CYLA, to ensure that we are enjoy my colleagues, clients and family all along the way. providing adequate resources and support to our law students and new lawyers. My father was a lawyer, my brother is a lawyer, and I’m a lawyer, and I believe we are an honored and noble profession. Unless we aggressively mentor and embrace the next generation, though, we will surely see a drop off in applications to law schools and an attendant decline in the profession. We must stand up together to embrace young lawyers and provide them with the resources and the confidence to succeed.

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Lisa Smittcamp Fresno County District Attorney Smittcamp was elected District Attorney in June 2014 and sworn into office in January 2015, the second woman elected as District Attorney in Fresno County. Known Sánchez, the first Latina elected to a leadership position as a strong advocate against violence against women in the U.S. Congress, has served in the U.S. House of and children, she led her office to join forces with law Representatives since 2003 and currently represents enforcement agencies and non-profit organizations to California’s 38th Congressional District in suburban east form the Fresno County Human Trafficking Task Force that Los Angeles County. She served as Vice Chair of the House meets monthly to discuss investigations and cases involving Democratic Caucus in the 115th Congress (2017-2019), both sex and labor trafficking. She has dedicated two the fifth-highest ranking position in House Democratic prosecutors and one DA Investigator to this unit, who not Leadership. She serves on the powerful House Committee only prosecute these cases, but do outreach on education on Ways and Means, where she is a steadfast advocate and awareness. for protecting seniors’ Social Security and Medicare, In 2019, it is our mission to continue to seek justice for ensuring U.S. workers and their employers get a fair victims of crime and to be an essential influence in all that is deal in trade agreements, and reforming the tax code positive in our beloved community. We will continue to fight to create an even playing field for the middle class. She gang and gun violence by collaborating with our local, previously served as a Ranking Member on the House state and federal law enforcement partners. By combining Ethics Committee, as a member of the House Judiciary Committee and the Select Committee on Benghazi, and as resources, we aim to prevent as much of their illegal activity as possible, and also stand ready to prosecute the crimes chair for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus. they commit.

My professional resolutions for the New Year are to mentor more women (especially those in the Congressional The protection of women and children continues to be a priority. Continuing the fight against domestic violence, freshman class). I want to help them learn how the House child abuse, sexual abuse of women/children, and the war works and navigate the process. Like many of the current against human trafficking are at the forefront of our goals freshmen, I also never served in elected office before I came to Congress. I want to help answer questions on how for 2019. We engage in community activities to increase awareness of these crimes and advise on how best to to do a job that requires so much time while still finding prevent them, as education and awareness are the keys to quality time to spend with their families and self-care time prevention. for themselves.

We remain dedicated to partnerships with our local school I also want to pass some important legislation I have long districts and educational leaders to ensure that we do our championed that will help America’s working families, role to keep our children out of the criminal justice system including a retirement security bill, and legislation that by encouraging school attendance and literacy. Assisting would help family caregivers. and implementing a new reading program and purchasing books for minors serving time at our Juvenile Justice Campus was one small way for me to show my support of the betterment of their futures.

Linda Sánchez U.S. Representative (D-CA, 38th)

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Patricia Sturdevant Expert witness and consultant; retired public interest lawyer Past CWL President (2011-2012)

Renee Galente Stackhouse Partner, Stackhouse APC, San Diego Immediate Past President, CWL; President, CWL Foundation Stackhouse has successfully represented clients in civil matters ranging from business disputes to construction defect and personal injury cases, while also growing a significant criminal defense practice. She also has a strong military defense practice, and is recognized for her understanding of military processes and protocols, and the nuances involved in representing service members in various matters. She is active in her local legal community, currently serving on the San Diego County Bar Association board of directors, and she previously served on the board of Lawyers Club of San Diego and as president of San Diego La Raza Lawyers Association.

In addition to my law practice, I am launching an education provider company, MSheLE (www.mshele. com), to provide resources to help empower women lawyers to overcome obstacles to success in their careers.

I am bringing together high caliber speakers to provide focused and relevant MCLE webinar programming that can be enjoyed from the privacy of an office or home. I was recently asked, “Why is this your responsibility to do?”

My response: “Because no one else currently is, and it’s needed.”

Sturdevant, who serves as president of Consumer Action, a San Francisco-based consumer education and advocacy organization, has had a long career in the private sector and public service, most recently with the California Department of Managed Health Care. There, she served as Assistant Chief Counsel of the Enforcement Division and later as Assistant Chief Counsel for the Help Center.

Before joining the State, she was a consumer protection lawyer in private practice and served as executive director of the National Association of Consumer Advocates. She was honored with the California Lawyer Attorney of the Year Award for extraordinary achievement in health care in 2008 and the Ronald M. George Public Lawyer of the Year Award in 2009, and was recognized by the Daily Journal as a Top Woman Lawyer for 2012.

My top priority for the coming year is to continue to work to end deep childhood poverty and family poverty in California by enhancing the collaboration between CWL and the National Council of Jewish Women in support of A Stronger California’s lobbying efforts. Spearheaded by Equal Rights Advocates, this historic collaboration of the Legislative Women’s Caucus and women’s organizations eliminated the Maximum Family Grant in CalWORKS in 2017 and last year succeeded in improving the plight of CalWORKS families by obtaining an increase of $360 million in the budget to provide a 10 percent increase in grants effective April 1. This year, our work will be guided by the recommendations of the Task Force on Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty, and once again, as with State Senator (and Fay Stender Award winner) Hannah-Beth Jackson’s Equal Pay Act, will provide a model for the rest of the country to emulate.

Jodi Cleesattle serves on the CWL Board of Governors as District 9 Governor, representing San Diego and Imperial counties, and is editor of CWL News. She is a Deputy Attorney General in the San Diego office of the Department of Justice, where she works in the Employment and Administrative Mandate Section.

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CWL Announces Winners of 2019 Annual Awards

BY ANA M. STOREY

California Women Lawyers is pleased to announce the

2019 winners of our four signature awards – two honoring judicial officers and two honoring attorneys.

Plans are still being made, but some of the awards will be given at CWL’s annual conference and annual dinner in September in Sacramento, while others will be given at special receptions throughout the state.

Rose Bird Memorial Award

Hon. Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye Chief Justice, California Supreme Court The Rose Bird Memorial Award is presented annually to a Northern California judge who is courageous and compassionate, exhibits brilliance and excellence, demonstrates a devotion to public service, and inspires the women lawyers of California.

The award’s namesake, Rose Bird, was the first female California Supreme Court justice and the first female Chief Justice. This year’s award winner, California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, is only the second woman, and the first of Asian descent, to serve as chief in the court’s 170year history.

Cantil-Sakauye was first appointed to the bench as a judge of the Sacramento MunicipalCourt in 1990. In 1997, she was appointed as a judge of the Sacramento County Superior Court, then was elevated to the Third District Court of Appeal in 2005. In 2010, she was nominated to the California Supreme Court to succeed retiring Chief Justice Ronald M. George and was sworn in as Chief Justice in January 2011.

Cantil-Sakauye, who chairs both the Judicial Council and the Commission on Judicial Appointments, has devoted considerable time and energy to developing civics education within California. She also has taken a leadership role in voicing concern about the chilling effect that immigration arrests at courthouses have on the health of the judicial system.

CWL presented the first Rose Bird Memorial Award to Supreme Court Associate Justice Joyce Kennard in 2001.

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Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award Hon. Maria D. Hernandez Superior Court of California, County of Orange

The Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award honors a Southern California judge each year, recognizing excellence as a jurist and longstanding vigorous service and inspiration to the women lawyers of California.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Maria Hernandez will receive the 2019 Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award. Currently serving in a felony panel assignment, she most recently served as Presiding Judge for the Orange County Juvenile Court for eight years, where she supervised judges, court staff, and court budgets, and lobbied in Sacramento for critical juvenile justice funding.

During her nine-year tenure in the juvenile court system, she created groundbreaking collaborative courts for youth at risk, including young girls who fell victim to human sex trafficking. She is recognized throughout the state as a pioneer in the area of prevention of human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of young girls, working tirelessly to implement programs to identify and provide appropriate interventions for victims and ensure justice in our court system.

Judge Hernandez began her career in public service by working as an attorney with the Orange County Public Defender’s Office. After many years of handling serious criminal cases, she was appointed as a Commissioner in Orange County Superior Court in 2006 and appointed as a Judge in 2009.

Judith Soley Lawyer as Citizen Award Eileen M. Decker

Eileen Decker, vice president of the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners and former U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California, will receive CWL’s 2019 Judith Soley Lawyer as Citizen Award.

The award, named for a longtime CWL board member who was killed by the husband of a client, recognizes attorneys who have made a significant contribution to their community, extending beyond the practice of law, to devote time and effort to the public good and values through the tradition of public service and involvement, and who demonstrate a commitment to the mission of CWL.

Fay Stender Award Merrianne Dean, Esq.

Longtime San Diego probate and estate planning attorney Merrianne Dean will be honored with CWL’s 2019 Fay Stender Award.

The award, named for Bay Area attorney Fay Stender who passed away in 1980, is given to a feminist attorney, who, like Stender, is committed to the representation of women, disadvantaged groups and unpopular causes, and whose courage, zest for life and demonstrated ability to effect change as a single individual makes her a role model for women attorneys.

Dean has devoted her career to providing legal services to Decker has built a unique body of work and experience some of society’s most vulnerable individuals, doing so with addressing public safety and civil society issues at the the utmost compassion and empathy. She has more than local, state, national, and international levels, as well as two decades of courtroom experience litigating probate across all three branches of government. In addition to and trust disputes, financial elder abuse matters, and her current position as an LAPD Commissioner, Decker conservatorships. She also serves as a court-appointed teaches cybersecurity, privacy law, and comparative attorney and guardian ad litem, representing the interests national security at the law schools at University of of developmentally disabled and elderly individuals who Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, are the subject of conservatorships before the probate and Pepperdine University, and also serves as a Fulbright court. Dean has worked collaboratively to improve the Specialist for the U.S. Department of State, traveling services provided to the public by the court and the overseas to lecture and consult on issues of importance attorneys who practice there, and has volunteered many to foreign institutions and governments. She previously hours mentoring new attorneys, both informally and served as Deputy Mayor for Homeland Security and Public through bar association programs.

Safety under Los Angeles mayors Antonio Villaraigosa and Eric Garcetti. Over many years, Decker has served as an enthusiastic mentor to countless students and new lawyers looking to make a difference.

Hon. Tani G. CantilSakauye

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Hon. Maria D. Hernandez

Eileen M. Decker

Merrianne Dean, Esq.

Ana M. Storey serves on the CWL Board of Governors as District 7 Governor, representing Los Angeles County, and as an at large member of the Executive Committee.

She also chairs CWL’s Awards Committee. She is executive director of the nonprofit law firm LevittQuinn Family Law Center in Los Angeles.

CWL N E W S L E T T E R

Looking for a Way to Get More Involved in CWL? Join a Committee!

If your New Year’s resolution includes a commitment

to increase your professional networking, hone your leadership skills, or just make your voice as a woman be heard, you can keep that resolution by getting more involved in California Women Lawyers.

CWL has more than a dozen committees that focus on everything from advocacy for women (the amicus and legislative committees) to planning and organizing programs and events (the annual conference and annual dinner committees). Other committees seek to promote women to the bench (the judicial and judicial evaluation committees), help in-house women lawyers network (the In-House Counsel Network committee), spotlight deserving women with awards (the awards committee), and promote women for speaking opportunities and leadership positions (the Gender Equity Task Force).

CWL encourages members to join one or more committees.

You’ll get to know members throughout the state and have fun working on projects that make a difference. And you’ll gain insight into what CWL does and how it works if you’re ever interested in seeking a seat on the Board of Governors.

So, take a look at these committees, and decide which ones you want to join.

Affiliates Committee Co-Chairs: Michelle Kazadi and Jaclyn Smith The Affiliates Committee ensures that the CWL Board of Governors reflects the diversity of the State of California and includes the perspective of women from different geographic locations.

Bar associations or sections that share CWL’s mission of advancing the interests of women in the legal profession and in society can qualify to serve as affiliate organizations with a voting Affiliate Governor on CWL’s board. CWL currently has 14 affiliate organizations, as well as three sister bar associations that do not meet the membership requirements of affiliates but send a non-voting liaison to CWL board meetings.

The Affiliates Committee oversees the certification process for affiliates and works to support the affiliate and sister bar organizations. The committee meets by conference call as needed, primarily during the recertification period.

“This committee is a great way to get your feet wet on the board,” co-chair Michelle Kazadi said. “It does not require a huge time commitment, and in this role you get a sense of the breadth of CWL’s membership and reach throughout the state.”

Kazadi, who also serves as CWL’s affiliate governor from the Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, added that the committee’s goal for 2019 is to make the affiliate recertification process seamless and painless.

For more information or to get involved, contact Michelle Kazadi at michelle@michellekazadi.com or Jaclyn Smith at jaclyn.sara.smith@gmail.com.

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Amicus Committee Co-Chairs: Anna-Rose Mathieson and Nicole Sugnet

Annual Conference Committee Chair: Naomi Dewey

The Amicus Committee supports CWL’s advocacy role by vetting amicus curiae briefs related to CWL’s mission to secure the equal treatment of women and other classes of persons under the law.

The Annual Conference Committee takes on the task of organizing CWL’s full-day annual conference, which features top-notch speakers, break-out sessions on a variety of practical topics, and ample opportunities for networking.

Committee members review briefs submitted to CWL for consideration, conferring via email about the briefs and whether to recommend joining. If the committee votes to join, it forwards its recommendation to the CWL board or executive committee for approval.

Committee members brainstorm to create an agenda addressing cutting-edge issues, recruit speakers for the keynote lunch presentation and each break-out session, and coordinate with the Awards Committee for the presentation of awards.

“Being a member of the amicus committee is a great way to stay up to speed on interesting litigation happening around the country, and it’s a relatively low-commitment way to help out CWL,” committee co-chair Anna-Rose Mathieson said.

Last year’s conference had a line-up of sessions on building your professional brand online, women in the boardroom, women entrepreneurs, in-house counsel, courtroom tips from the bench, sexual harassment, rainmaking and networking, and opportunities in state and local government.

She said she would love to have CWL take the lead in drafting amicus briefs as well, if members are willing and interested in researching potential cases and drafting the briefs.

For more information or to get involved, contact Anna-Rose Mathieson at annarose.mathieson@calapplaw.com or Nicole Sugnet at nicolediane@gmail.com.

Although the annual conference is traditionally held in the spring, this year CWL will hold the annual conference in conjunction with its annual dinner at the Kimpton Sawyer Hotel in Sacramento in September.

For more information or to get involved, contact Naomi Dewey at nonidewey@gmail.com. article continues on next page...

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Annual Dinner Committee

Awards Committee

Chair: Jessica Rowe

Chair: Ana Storey

The Annual Dinner Committee, always helmed by the president-elect, plans the gala event that features an inspiring keynote speaker, the presentation of awards, and the swearing-in of the new president and board of governors, plus the silent auction that funds CWL scholarships.

The Awards Committee is a hard-working, but fun-loving committee tasked with helping CWL select the women who are honored each year with four signature awards – the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award, the Rose Bird Memorial Award, the Judith Solely Lawyer as Citizen Award, and the Fay Stender Award.

The committee, which meets by conference call or email about once a month, plans the dinner’s theme, conducts outreach to potential speakers, coordinates sponsorships, and works with CWL’s association management company to hammer out the details that make the annual dinner run smoothly.

The committee also plans and hosts the ceremonies honoring the award winners, including judicial receptions in Northern and Southern California and presentations at the CWL annual conference and annual dinner.

Committee chair Jessica Rowe, CWL’s president-elect, said she’s excited that this year’s annual dinner will be held in conjunction with CWL’s annual conference, which traditionally has been held separately in the spring.

“The annual dinner will be a super fun event this year,” Rowe said. “It’s the 100th anniversary of women’s right to vote in America. We’re holding our annual conference in the state’s capital, with a theme of entering elected office, and we already have two female candidates that have announced or are about to announce their bid for POTUS! This is going to be an exciting, organic, inspiring event. Planning will be the most rewarding lead up to the culmination of this awesome event.”

For more information or to get involved, contact Jessica Rowe at jrowe@arcr.com.

Committee members begin the year reviewing nomination packages and gathering information about the nominees, then present recommendations to the CWL board for a vote at the first board meeting of the year. The committee, which meets via conference call about seven times per year, spends the rest of the year planning and coordinating the award ceremonies, securing sponsorships, and promoting the events.

“Our committee seeks to use the award ceremonies as opportunities to educate event guests and the greater public about the histories and achievements of our award namesakes,” co-chair Ana Storey said.

The committee also may take the lead on the preparation of nomination packets of CWL members or programs for outside awards as appropriate.

Storey added that she invites CWL members to join the Awards Committee to help promote the achievements of women lawyers.

“What’s better than being directly involved in learning about and honoring the work and achievements of California’s amazing women lawyers and judges,” she said.

For more information or to get involved, contact Ana Storey at astorey@levittquinn.org.

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Communications Committee

Gender Equity Task Force

Chair: Jodi Cleesattle

Chair: Beth Mora

The Communications Committee is responsible for producing CWL’s digital magazine, CWL News, which is published six times a year.

Seeking a co-chair

CWL News aims to provide timely, interesting information about upcoming CWL events; news coverage of CWL events, programs, and advocacy; information about accomplishments and interesting activities of CWL members; news coverage of select CWL affiliate events and projects, to foster the sharing of ideas for programs among CWL affiliate organizations; information about leadership opportunities, professional development, and advice regarding balance and work-related issues; and information about issues consistent with CWL’s mission of advancing the status of women in the law and society.

“The magazine highlights all of CWL’s activities and also includes articles by and about prominent women attorneys and articles about issues that affect women attorneys,” committee chair Jodi Cleesattle said. “We hope CWL members and other readers find inspiration in the articles they read and photos they see in CWL News. And we hope more members get involved in writing for the magazine.”

Committee members write and solicit articles, cover events, and help edit CWL News – all using a user-friendly digital platform.

For more information or to get involved, contact Jodi Cleesattle at jcleesattle@gmail.com.

The Gender Equity Task Force was recently formed to promote gender equity in the practice of law, including in the terms and conditions of employment; recognitions and awards; access to and participation in the courts; as authors and speakers; as members serving on boards, committees and in other leadership roles; and in countless additional settings.

The task force will recommend CWL members for speaking opportunities and work to encourage publications and programs to give equal time to women’s voices. The task force is launching a CWL Speakers Bureau this year, aimed at promoting CWL members as speakers and media news sources in their practice areas and other areas of expertise.

“The Gender Equity Task Force is excited to implement the CWL Speakers Bureau this spring,” chair Beth Mora said. “The Speakers Bureau is a dynamic program which provides CWL members the ability to promote themselves and their CWL peers as speakers for CLE speaking opportunities and/or press inquiries.”

Mora, who seeks a co-chair to lead the task force, said she also hopes to promote bias-free communication, encouraging the use of gender-neutral language (such as referring to a “chair” or “chairperson,” rather than “chairman”), parallel language (using equivalent terms such as using “women,” not “girls” when referring to men as “men,” not “boys”), and the use of inclusive email tag lines (noting one’s personal pronouns as “she/her,” “he/him,” “they/them,” or other personal pronouns).

The task force plans to meet by telephone every two months, as well as in person at CWL board meetings and other venues when needed.

For more information or to get involved, contact Beth Mora at bmora@moraelaw.com. article continues on next page...

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In-House Counsel Network Committee Co-Chairs: Sophia Román and Sorcha Byrne CWL established the In-House Counsel Network (IHCN) in 2013 to bring together women working as in-house lawyers throughout the state for networking and events designed especially for them. IHCN’s agenda includes advancing women in law and business, improving gender pay equity, improving diversity in corporate legal and executive departments, providing leadership training, and providing educational, networking, and community service opportunities The IHCN Committee coordinates the network and events, sponsoring the Puzzle Series – a four-part series of programs that brings together women in-house counsel to share ideas and common goals and discuss issues that affect women in in-house legal departments – and a fall retreat.

“We hope to have an amazing year filled with wonderful speakers, events, and our annual retreat,” committee cochair Sophia Román said.

Membership in the IHCN Network is limited to in-house lawyers providing legal services or serving in corporate executive positions solely for the company that employs them. Members include corporate counsel of public, private, large and small companies in a variety of industries and in-house counsel at non-profit organizations and educational institutions.

For more information or to get involved, contact Sophia Román at Sophia_roman@gap.com or Sorcha Byrne at sorcha813@gmail.com.

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Judicial Committee – So, You Want to Be a Judge Program Chair: Melissa Marsh The Judicial Committee plans and organizes CWL’s awardwinning, annual So, You Want to Be a Judge program.

The program – which typically features the governor’s judicial appointments secretary, the chair of the State Bar’s Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (the JNE Commission), and a judge or two – aims to offer insight and advice about California’s judicial appointment process and to encourage women and diverse candidates to seek appointment to the bench.

Committee members meet by phone and email to plan the program, which usually alternates between Northern and Southern California.

For more information or to get involved, contact Melissa Marsh at melissadmarsh@gmail.com.

Judicial Evaluations Committee

Legislative Committee

Co-Chairs: Naomi Dewey and Mika Domingo

Chair: Sabrina Ashjian

The Judicial Evaluations Committee, which works to promote and achieve better representation of women on the bench, looks forward to working with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office this year to learn the new governor’s requirements and preferences for judicial appointments and to share that information with interested applicants.

CWL’s Legislative Committee advocates for laws in California on issues that most affect women, including legislation aimed at ensuring reproductive justice, including reproductive choice, maternity care, access to reproductive care, and protecting privacy; preventing violence against women and children, including domestic violence, human trafficking, gun violence and sex crimes; supporting human rights and equality; and providing court funding and access to justice.

The committee functions similarly to the JNE Commission, evaluating judicial applicants and assigning ratings of Exceptionally Well Qualified, Well Qualified, Qualified, Not Qualified, or Decline to Rate. The CWL evaluation – which includes a letter to the Governor’s Office – serves to highlight promising women candidates for the bench.

“We help build a more diverse bench,” committee co-chair Mika Domingo said. “Our meticulous work requires us to probe into a person’s legal journey and elicit responses to understand why she is best suited for the bench. We are investigators, researchers, and reporters. We engage with each applicant and respondent to gather the most relevant information to allow us to present the best recommendation to the Governor’s office.”

The committee meets as needed to consider applications seeking CWL’s evaluation. Applicants submit a packet containing their resume, writing sample, and email addresses of professional references, including judges, opposing counsel, and other professionals listed in their judicial application. For each applicant, the committee reviews the packet and sends out an electronic survey to references on and off the applicant’s list. The committee communicates with survey respondents to gather additional information as needed, and then conducts a telephone or in-person interview with each applicant. The committee synthesizes all the information gathered, prepares a report recommending a rating, and presents a summary report to the CWL Board of Governors for a vote on the recommended rating. The committee then drafts a letter to the Governor’s Office regarding the applicant.

The committee develops a legislative agenda of priority bills, approved by the CWL board of governors, that the committee tracks and supports throughout the legislative cycle. Committee members draft letters of support, make calls and in-person visits to legislators, attend legislative committee hearings, and use social media to voice support for key bills.

Committee members also attend “lobby days” in Sacramento, partnering with like-minded organizations to advocate for CWL’s legislative priorities.

“This is a chance for you to make a real difference on topics you are passionate about, committee chair Sabrina Ashjian said. “It’s such a rewarding feeling to see bills we’ve advocated for signed into law and witness the impact the legislation has on the lives of women and families across California. We’d love to have you join us.”

Ashjian, who said the committee has monthly conference calls, said their goal is to have the governor sign into law all the bills on CWL’s legislative agenda.

For more information or to get involved, contact Sabrina Ashjian at sabrina.ashjian@gmail.com. article continues on next page...

For more information or to get involved, contact Naomi Dewey at nonidewey@gmail.com or Mika Domingo at mika@msdomingolaw.com.

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Membership Committee Chair: Shelly Aronson Seeking a co-chair The Membership Committee works to attract and retain members to help CWL maintain its status as the leading voice for women lawyers in California.

The committee, which meets by conference call monthly or quarterly as needed, is tasked with increasing CWL’s membership, updating membership information, reaching out to lapsed members, attending events such as attorney swearing-in ceremonies statewide to attract new members, and communicating the benefits of CWL membership to potential new members.

Chair Shelly Aronson, CWL’s affiliate governor from Orange County Women Lawyers, is seeking a co-chair for the Membership Committee, as well as members with ideas on how to strengthen and grow CWL. And, Aronson adds, “I’ll provide a Starbucks gift card to the first new committee member who contacts me.”

For more information or to get involved, contact Shelly Aronson at shellyaronsonlaw@gmail.com.

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You can sit with us.

An Interview with Summer Selleck and Ariel Brownell Lee

BY RENEE N.G. STACKHOUSE

When I hear “A Seat at the Table” it brings several references to the forefront of my mind immediately.

I think of powerhouse District Attorney Nancy O’Malley speaking at the CWL Annual Conference in 2016, fist raised in the air saying, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” I think of Shirley Chisholm, the first African-American woman elected to Congress saying, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” And then my brain makes the huge leap to the movie Mean Girls (2004) and the infamous quote “You can’t sit with us!” For those who haven’t seen the movie, it’s a coming-of-age high school film that focuses on (you guessed it!) mean girls, the trials and tribulations of trying (too hard) to be popular, and the ultimate freedom in being true to yourself.

The CWL Foundation’s A Seat at the Table podcast – available online at http://cwlseatatthetable.blogspot.com – brings all of these concepts together, highlighting strong leaders who’ve fought to sit at the table and quashing that mean girl attitude. Everyone is welcome to have a seat at our table.

I recently had the privilege to sit down with the ladies who bring A Seat at the Table to life – Summer Selleck and Ariel Brownell Lee. I enjoyed our conversation. I hope you will, too.

Renee: When and how did A Seat at the Table get its start?

Summer: The first podcast aired in 2016, but the concept began in 2015. I was having lunch with another CWL board member, Amelia Burroughs, and we started talking about how it would be fun to interview women and learn from them. We, as CWL board members, get so much energy from our events, retreats and meetings. We were trying to think of ways we could share that energy with the members. We thought the best way to do that would be to set up a podcast. I presented the idea to the Foundation since it’s in line with the Foundation’s mission to educate lawyers and undertake projects to publicize ways CWL has advanced women in the profession.

Renee: How did you pick the name?

Summer: Nancy O’ Malley says it all the time, “If you’re not at the table, you’re on the menu.” It seemed like the right title. The whole point was that if you’re not able to come to our board meetings, or our events, you can still share in the information.

You’re still invited to the table. We want everyone to have a seat at the table.

Renee: Where is the podcast recorded?

Summer: Before the podcast became an official concept, I wrote Nancy O’Malley and asked if I could interview her. I wasn’t even sure what I was interviewing her for, I just knew she would be a great interview. When I went in to talk to her, I brought all the equipment I had to record the interview. I am not a professional podcaster, so my equipment was very basic. Nancy looked at me and said, “I think we can do one better.” She offered the Alameda District Attorney’s recording studio for CWL Foundation’s use because she supported the history project and wanted it to be a quality recording with a professional sound engineer. We really appreciate that Renee: How did Ariel get involved in the podcast?

Summer: I had a couple different co-hosts in the beginning, but there were a lot of issues with getting them to the podcast consistently because of where they were located across the state. Ariel and I are friends, CWL board members together, and we have really good chemistry. It seemed like a good fit, so I extended the invitation for her to become my co-host.

Ariel: I loved the idea of the podcast from the beginning. I wanted to get involved and so when the opportunity for the co-host role opened up, I was excited and happy to jump in and join.

Renee: How did you two meet originally?

Summer: I have this etched into my brain. I was standing in the clerk’s line in the family law courthouse in Contra Costa County. I don’t practice family law. Ariel was in front of me and asked if I needed help. Ariel walked me through my questions, she told me she had an office right by the courthouse and could help when needed. article continues on next page...

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Ariel: We started talking more and more. We both have lost parents. Talking about that was a bond for us. I invited Summer to my wedding, and our friendship just picked up. I realized she was someone who would come 50 percent of the way for me, and I was happy to do the same.

Ariel: And for those who don’t have children, they’ve made similar comments about how it’s protecting people in court or representing certain people…. It always comes down to a personal connection between human beings instead of a “thing.”

Summer: We’re a support system for each other in law and outside of the practice of law, too.

I really enjoyed finding out that [Alameda County Superior Court] Judge [Tara] Flanagan played in the Rugby World Cup. It was such a fun fact and cool way to get to the personal side of her.

Ariel: Absolutely. I’ve watched Summer become a mom this past year and continue with her law practice. I’m about to have a baby, and I am watching and learning from her.

It’s incredible to be able to share those experiences.

Renee: How do you translate your friendship and shared experiences to A Seat at the Table?

Summer: You think you know other women, but you don’t until you hear their stories. Ariel and I have learned that we’re really all alike. That’s the fun part of the podcast.

In about an hour we get to just jump in and get to know someone on a personal level that would take knowing them several years professionally to get to that place with them, if ever. They’re allowing themselves to be vulnerable and showing that being vulnerable is a strength, not a weakness. That intimacy translates to all the people listening.

Ariel: I agree with Summer, we are all more alike than we know. I also believe that our friendship sets the tone for the podcast and puts people at ease. It helps us cut past the “Where’d you go to law school?” questions to talk about the meat of why the person is doing what they’re doing and what their journey was like.

Renee: What has been your favorite moment recording so far?

Summer: We interviewed Marge Randolph, the Senior VP of Human Resources for Disney. I was sharing that I was reducing my fee for a client. She looked at me and said, “What? Are you not a good attorney?” And I said, “No, I am!” And she got me thinking, why would I discount myself? Why would I undervalue myself? It was an incredible moment.

If I get a second favorite, it’s when we ask, “What’s your biggest accomplishment in life?” So many women respond without pause that it’s their children. That is the coolest thing. These women are such powerhouses and superheroes. They’ve argued in front of the Supreme Court; they’ve accomplished so much. But it’s their children of which they are most proud.

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Summer: Louise Renne shared a story that both she and her husband argued in front of the Supreme Court. She said something to the effect that, he did it once and lost, she did it twice and won. It was so great. There are so many favorite moments.

Renee: What’s the goal for Seat at the Table?

Summer: To meet the most amazing women in the world and have a chat with them. California is so big that it is hard to reach everyone. This is something you can listen to on your phone, computer, or drive home, and it allows us to bring everyone into one conversation. It’s unifying.

Ariel: We need to preserve knowledge, to get these voices and stories recorded.

Summer: It’s also important that we have this podcast to help us reach out to other states that aren’t as progressive as we are in California, so that women in the legal profession feel like they count and that they are important enough to ask for that big account, job, or raise. We want to empower them.

Ariel: And to educate and reach people outside the legal profession, as well. I’ve had friends come up to me who aren’t lawyers, but they took the time to listen to the podcast and enjoyed it and were empowered by it.

Renee: Why should people listen to A Seat at the Table?

Summer: RBG, HRC … they are awesome women. But there are so many unsung sheroes around us. Their stories are just as interesting. We love getting the opportunity to share those stories.

Ariel: It’s inspiring. It’s universal. And the podcasts are in easily digestible 45-minute to one-hour sessions that stand alone. It’s a great way to refill your fuel tank.

Renee: What can we expect this year from A Seat at the Table?

Summer: We are committing to recording and airing one podcast a month this year. Our goal is to roll them out on the second Saturday of each month. It’s an aggressive

goal and a huge endeavor, especially with Ariel about to have a baby in the middle of it. But we’re both committed to making it happen, using our voices and providing a platform.

Thank you, Summer and Ariel, for all your work on Seat at the Table.

If you know of someone who should be interviewed, please email SATT@cwl.org. You can find past recordings at www. cwlseatatthetable.blogspot.com.

Renee N.G. Stackhouse is the immediate past president of CWL and a partner with Stackhouse APC in San Diego.

MEET THE PODCAST HOSTS Ariel Brownell Lee

Summer Selleck

Ariel Brownell Lee practices family law at her own boutique Summer Selleck is a solo practitioner at S.C. Selleck Law in firm in Walnut Creek, and she practices primarily in Contra Walnut Creek, where she practices primarily in the areas of estate planning and probate.

Costa and Alameda counties.

Her deep passion is protecting and advocating for the Born and raised in Sacramento, Lee received a Bachelor rights of diverse classes, and she is deeply involved in her of Science degree, with a criminal justice major and community while continuing to build her solo practice. Over psychology minor, from Sacramento State University, the course of her life, she has worked zealously defending where she graduated cum laude. After graduation, Lee the rights of the LGBTQ community in numerous campaigns. took a year off to teach eighth grade science and work She continues to promote tolerance and diversity in both as a file clerk at a local Sacramento law firm. She then attended law school at University of California, Davis, King the legal profession and the community, and she positively Hall School of Law, where she developed a strong interest touches the lives of others through community engagement and outreach campaigns designed to build relationships, in family law. educate the community and create a broader social Lee’s practice is dedicated to resolving family conflict, impact. with heart. She recognizes that divorce, separation, and custody fights are deeply personal and require a personal, Selleck was born and raised in the Bay Area. She received her B.A. in history from the University of California, Los caring approach.

Angeles, her Masters in Education from Pepperdine She serves as CWL affiliate governor representing the University, and her J.D. from Western State University.

Contra Costa County Bar Association’s Women’s Section, She is secretary and an at-large governor on CWL’s board and she also serves as president of the CCCBA Women’s of governors, and she also currently serves on the board of Section. She is a delegate of Contra Costa for the directors of the Contra Costa County Bar Association. She California Conference of Bar Associations. holds an appointed position on the Contra Costa County Lee was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2018.

Advisory Council on Aging.

Selleck was named a Super Lawyer Rising Star for 2017 and 2018 and was named to Diablo magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2018.

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NANCY E. O’ MALLEY SCHOL ARSHIP The CWL Foundation proudly announces that the application period for the Nancy E. O’Malley Scholarship is now open. The scholarship was founded in 2016 to honor CWL Past President Nancy O’Malley (2009-2010) for her dedication and commitment to promoting California Women Lawyers and protecting all women and children in our society. The scholarship is awarded annually to a law student whose prior and current activities, and future plans demonstrate a commitment to issues affecting women and/or children in the community. Everyone who meets the requirements may apply.

The scholarship amount is $5,000 (one awarded).

The online application is available here, and the deadline is February 15, 2019 at 5:00 pm PST. The eligibility requirements and application details are below: To be eligible, students must meet the following requirements: • Current membership in CWL • Be currently enrolled in a law school accredited by the Committee of Bar Examiners of the State of California; • Be in the top fifty percent of their law school class currently; • Demonstrate financial need; and • Demonstrate a commitment to issues affecting women and/or children in the community.

To apply, please submit the following materials: • A Personal statement addressing your commitment to issues affecting women and/or children. Be sure to address how your commitment will continue after law school graduation.

• Current resume listing at least two references; • Completed online application; • Certified law school transcript; • Letter of good standing from current law school; and • Minimum of one letter of recommendation (maximum of three letters). At least one letter of recommendation must be from someone with personal knowledge of the applicant’s dedication to issues affecting women and/or children in the community.

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Questions may be addressed to info@cwl.org with “Foundation Scholarship� in the subject line.

To be considered for a Scholarship this year, all application materials must be received by February 15, 2019.

The scholarship recipient will be honored at an event at or near their law school in April 2019 and will also receive a travel stipend and ticket to the 2019 CWL Annual Dinner.

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Gender Equity Task Force Launches CWL Speakers Bureau

BY BETH MORA

CWL’s Gender Equity Task Force is launching

a Speakers Bureau aimed at connecting knowledgeable women with speaking opportunities, and CWL invites members to apply.

The Gender Equity Task Force is charged with finding solutions to level the playing field for women and men in the profession. As part of that mission, the Task Force is charged with helping increase the opportunities for women’s voices to be heard.

Why a Speakers Bureau?

Speaking or publishing on a matter often lends credibility to an attorney’s expertise in a subject area, and speaking opportunities also provide networking and businessbuilding benefits by giving the speaker exposure to an audience of potential referrals and clients.

Men vastly outnumber women as speakers on legal issues in the media and in CLE presentations. While many organizations have identified this problem and have adopted policies – whether written or implied – to ensure diversity of speakers and writers in their programs and publications, the disparity persists.

CWL’s Speakers Bureau aims to help close the gap by providing third parties with instant access to women speakers.

How It Works: CWL is often approached by members, organizations, and media seeking a diverse perspective for CLE presentations, panelists, and news stories.

In response to this demand, CWL’s Gender Equity Task Force is developing the Speakers Bureau, a directory of volunteer CWL members who have legal expertise in various areas of law and are willing to be contacted as subject-matter experts. CWL will direct inquiries to Speakers Bureau members who match the subject of the inquiries, and the directory also will be available online.

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How to Apply: To be included in CWL’s Speakers Bureau, members should complete the CWL Speakers Bureau Questionnaire, available online here. The Gender Equity Task Force will review applications and update the Speakers Bureau quarterly.

Because only the CWL president or her designee is authorized to speak on behalf of CWL, Speakers Bureau members will be required to acknowledge that they will not be speaking on behalf of the organization.

There is no guarantee that a member may be contacted to serve as a speaker, panelist, or media news source, but CWL will work to promote the Speakers Bureau as a go-to resource.

Sign up now to increase your visibility and promote your expertise.

Beth Mora serves on the CWL Board of Governors as District 3 Governor, representing Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Mora, principal of Mora Employment Law in San Ramon, chairs the Gender Equity Task Force.

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Amicus Year in Review

CWL signs on to full docket of amicus briefs in 2018

BY NICOLE SUGNET

CWL joined a number of amicus briefs in important cases in 2018, all of which furthered our mission to secure the equal treatment of women and other classes of persons under the law.

Several of the briefs CWL joined were in support of lawsuits brought by states challenging the Trump Administration’s new rules that broadly exempt employers from complying with the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive coverage mandate. While certain religious organizations already could seek an exemption from the mandate on religious grounds, the Trump Administration’s proposed rules would, in addition, allow any employer to seek an exemption on religious or moral grounds. As the amicus briefs pointed out, no-cost birth control is essential to women’s health and to promoting educational and professional equality.

CWL joined four amicus briefs in cases challenging the interim rules allowing exemptions from contraceptive coverage. Federal district judges in California and Pennsylvania issued nationwide preliminary injunctions, and the Ninth Circuit partially upheld one such injunction but limited its geographic scope to the representative plaintiff states in that case – California, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland and New York. Appeals are still pending in the First and Third Circuits.

The cases are Massachusetts v. Department of Health and Human Services, No. 17-cv-11930 (D. Mass.), Appeal No. 18-1514 (1st Cir.); Pennsylvania v. Donald J. Trump, No. 17-cv-04540 (E.D. Pa.), Appeal Nos. 17-03679, 1703752 and 18-01253 (3rd Cir.); and California v. Health and Human Services, et al., No. 17-cv-05783 (N.D. Cal.), Appeal No. 18-15255 (9th Cir.).

Most recently, in January 2019, CWL joined briefs seeking preliminary injunctions against the final contraceptive coverage rules in the California and Pennsylvania cases.

The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted the preliminary injunction Jan. 13.

CWL signed on to amicus briefs in July and October 2018 in two of four cases seeking to enjoin the Trump Administration’s 2017 ban on transgender individuals serving in the military – Karnoski v. Trump, No. 1835347 (9th Cir.) and Doe 2 v. Trump, No. 18-5257 (D.C. Cir.).

The briefs point out that the Trump Administration’s justifications for the rules rely on fixed notions of gender and gender roles that are unsupported by the law. Federal district court judges issued preliminary injunctions against implementation of the ban, and the cases were appealed.

The District of Columbia Circuit issued a ruling dissolving the ban in one case in early January, but other nationwide injunctions are still pending.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to rule on the legality of the injunctions before the appellate courts have had a chance to rule on the matter. The Supreme Court lifted the injunctions Jan. 22, allowing the ban on transgender people serving in the military to go into effect while the lower court cases are pending.

CWL also joined three amicus briefs in gender discrimination cases filed throughout the country in 2018.

These cases highlight the various legal hurdles and genderbased stereotypes women still face when litigating such cases.

In Jock v. Sterling Jewelers, No. 18-153 (2nd Cir.), for example, CWL joined a brief challenging the district court’s determination that an arbitrator could not bind absent class members to a class judgment, despite the fact that the absent class members were bound by the same arbitration clause as the named plaintiffs. In effect, the court held that the employees bound by the arbitration clause could not pursue their claims as a class, either in court or in arbitration. The brief explained how the class procedure is essential to effective litigation of gender discrimination claims. article continues on next page...

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In Parker v. Reema Consulting Services, No. 18-1206 (4th Cir.), CWL joined a brief challenging a decision that rumors that a woman was “sleeping her way to the top” could not form the basis of a gender discrimination claim because, in the district court’s opinion, a man could have been subjected to the same rumor. The brief explained how such rumors are, in fact, based on and reinforce a stereotype that is detrimental to women.

In Tudor v. Southeastern Oklahoma State University, No. 18-6102 (10th Cir.), a unanimous jury found in favor of a professor who was denied tenure after undergoing a male to female gender transition, but the district court denied her claim for reinstatement. CWL joined a brief underscoring the importance of reinstatement in employment discrimination cases and arguing that the factors the court considered in denying reinstatement were improper.

CWL also signed on to a brief in Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees, Council 31, arguing that employees who enjoy union benefits – including antidiscrimination protections and greater pay equity – should continue to be required to contribute to the cost of securing such benefits. The Supreme Court issued an opinion by Justice Alito overruling its own decades-old precedent and seriously weakening unions’ ability to fund nonpolitical efforts to secure workers’ rights and benefits.

Copies of all of the amicus briefs CWL joined in 2018 can be found on our website. CWL will continue to join amicus briefs that advance our mission in 2019.

If you would like to join CWL’s Amicus Committee, or you’d like CWL to consider drafting or signing onto an amicus brief, please contact us at amicus@cwl.org.

Each of these employment cases are still pending.

CWL also joined two amicus briefs in cases pending before the U.S. Supreme Court relating to reproductive health Nicole Sugnet co-chairs the Amicus Committee and serves issues and union protections. In each case, unfortunately, the Supreme Court ruled against the positions supported by on the CWL Board of Governors as District 4 Governor, representing San Francisco and Marin counties. She is a CWL. senior staff attorney at the California Supreme Court.

In National Institute of Family and Life Advocates v. Becerra, CWL supported a brief arguing that the disclosures mandated by California’s Reproductive FACT Act requiring Crisis Pregnancy Centers to avoid misleading women and to inform them of the availability of low-cost or free family planning services provided by the state were reasonable and complied with the First Amendment. In an opinion by Justice Thomas, the Supreme Court found in favor of the crisis pregnancy centers.

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CWL Looks Back at 2018 Legislative Accomplishments

BY SABRINA ASHJIAN

CWL continued to advocate for important legislation

in 2018, supporting bills aligned with CWL’s mission and legislative priorities of ensuring reproductive justice, including reproductive choice, maternity care, access to reproductive care, and protecting privacy; preventing violence against women and children, including domestic violence, human trafficking, gun violence and sex crimes; supporting human rights and equality; providing court funding and access to justice; and addressing economic issues.

CWL members met with legislators and sent letters of support to explain our positions on the impact of the proposed legislation.

Some of the bills we supported include: SB 937. This bill would require employers to provide a lactation room or location to include certain features, including access to a sink and refrigerator. The proposed legislation also would prohibit an employer from discharging or retaliating against an employee for exercising her rights under these provisions. This bill passed both houses, but was vetoed by the Governor because he signed AB 1976 into law, which he deemed similar.

SB 224. The law currently establishes liability for sexual harassment when the plaintiff proves, among other things, that there is a business, service, or professional relationship between the plaintiff and defendant. This bill would expand titles to include “investor, elected official, lobbyist, director, and producer” among those listed persons who may be liable to a plaintiff for sexual harassment. The Governor signed this bill into law.

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AB 2282. Existing law prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of the opposite sex for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility, and performed under similar working conditions, unless the employer demonstrates that one or more specific factors, reasonably applied, account for the entire wage differential. Existing law also similarly prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees at wage rates less than the rates paid to employees of another race or ethnicity for substantially similar work. Existing law prohibits prior salary, by itself, from justifying a disparity in compensation under these provisions. This bill would authorize an employer to make a compensation decision based on an employee’s current salary as long as any wage differential resulting from that compensation decision is justified by one or more specified factors, including a seniority system or a merit system. The Governor signed this bill into law.

AB 2124. This bill would authorize and allocate funds for up to 11 District Attorney offices that employ a vertical prosecution methodology for the prosecution of human trafficking. This bill was passed by the Assembly, but then was held in the Senate.

AB 900. This bill would clarify human trafficking victims’ eligibility to receive compensation from the California Victim Compensation Board (VCB) for economic losses incurred as a result of their trafficking. Currently, human trafficking victims, like other victims of violent crime, are able to recover crime-related expenses, such as medical and mental health services or relocation costs, from the VCB. However, most trafficking victims – unlike other victims – cannot receive compensation for lost income suffered as a result of the crimes committed against them.

This bill would allow for such recovery. This bill passed both houses, but was vetoed by the Governor because of issues related to funding.

CWL also partnered again last year for a lobby day with A Stronger California, an organization dedicated to securing economic opportunity for women and families in California.

We plan to do this again in Spring 2019, so stay tuned for more information.

The Legislative Committee welcomes CWL members to join this committee and encourages member input to the CWL legislative agenda. If you are interested in working with the Legislative Committee, there are plenty of opportunities to get involved as members write letters of support, attend hearings, provide testimony, and meet with legislators across the state. Please contact the Legislative Committee at legislative@cwl.org.

Sabrina Ashjian serves on the CWL Board of Governors as District 5 Governor, representing Fresno, Inyo, Kern, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Mono, Monterey, San Benito, San Joaquin, Santa Cruz, Stanislaus and Tulare counties. Ashjian, who serves on the Cannabis Control Appeals Panel in Sacramento, chairs CWL’s Legislative Committee.

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Be a Part of the CWL Board of Governors Declare Your Intent to Run by April 30 Join the leadership of CWL by running for a seat on

District Governor seats that are up for election in 2019 are:

the Board of Governors. The deadline to declare your candidacy is April 30.

District 2 (one seat):

CWL’s Board of Governors is comprised of district governors from nine geographic districts, plus up to two at-large governors appointed by the president, affiliate governors representing each of CWL’s affiliate organizations, up to two judicial liaisons, and the immediate past president.

District 3 (one seat):

Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Tuolumne and Yolo Counties Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties

District governors serve two-year terms and may serve for up to three consecutive terms. They may serve additional terms after a one-year absence from the board. At-large, affiliate governors, and judicial liaisons serve one-year terms.

District 4 (one seat):

More populous districts are represented by more than one district governor. Five district governors represent District 7, which covers Los Angeles County, while two district governors each represent District 3 (Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties), District 4 (San Francisco and Marin Counties), and District 9 (San Diego and Imperial Counties).

District 8 (one seat):

CWL members are eligible to run in the district where they maintain either their place of residence or their principal business office.

CWL N E W S L E T T E R

San Francisco and Marin Counties District 7 (one seat): Los Angeles County Orange County District 9 (one seat): San Diego and Imperial Counties For questions, contact the CWL office at (916) 930-9020 or by email at info@cwl.org.

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Affiliate News OCWLA Starts the Year with RBG

WLALA Holiday Party

The Orange County Women Lawyers Association (“OCWLA”) kicked off the new year Jan. 4 with a viewing of “On the Basis of Sex,” the film featuring Felicity Jones as Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg during a span in her lifetime from law school through her first oral arguments.

The Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles celebrated the holidays Dec. 13 at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles, welcoming recently elected and appointed members of the Los Angeles judiciary, as well as new WLALA life members. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court was the keynote speaker, addressing nearly 125 attorneys who attended the Holiday Party.

OCWLA members met for a happy hour prior to the movie, and more than 40 attorney and judicial members showed up with significant others, daughters, and friends to watch the limited-release film. Members enjoyed watching the film with a group that understands the pressures of the legal profession and the impact it has on one’s personal life.

OCWLA members gather after a viewing of the film, “On the Basis of Sex.”

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Holly Fujie and keynote speaker Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Michelle Williams Court at the WLALA Holiday Party

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WLALA president Heather Stern and Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Laura Seigle at the WLALA Holiday Party

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2019 CWL Signature Events May 17 Southern California Judicial Reception Honoring Orange County Superior Court Judge Maria

Hernandez, Winner of the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award Orange County June – TBA Elect-to-Run Location TBA June 6 In-House Counsel Puzzle Program Session 1 Location TBA July TBA Reception Honoring Merrianne Dean, Winner of the Fay Stender Award San Diego July 25 In-House Counsel Puzzle Program Session 2 Location TBA August – TBA In-House Counsel Puzzle Program Session 3 Location TBA August 16 So, You Want To Be A Judge Location TBA

September – TBA In-House Counsel Puzzle Program Session 4 Location TBA

September 19 CWL Annual Conference Reception

Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, 500 J St., Sacramento September 20

CWL Annual Conference and Annual Dinner featuring the presentation of the Rose Bird Memorial Award to California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye CWL is merging its annual spring conference with its annual dinner this year, with a full day of educational programs and speakers, capped by an evening of inspiration and celebration at the annual dinner. The CWL Foundation Silent Auction, held during the reception preceding the dinner, features vacation packages, handmade jewelry, and other terrific auction items, with proceedings helping fund the Nancy E. O’Malley Scholarship. Featuring the presentation of the Rose Bird Memorial Award to California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye.

Kimpton Sawyer Hotel, 500 J St., Sacramento

November – TBA In-House Counsel Puzzle Program Retreat

CWL’s In-House Counsel Puzzle Program culmination, this retreat is invitation-only.

Location TBA

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Affiliate Events Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles BWL Annual Retreat June 28-30 Mexico Further details TBA For info: http://www.blackwomenlawyersla.org/events/ Contra Costa County Bar Association – Women’s Section For upcoming events, visit: www.ccba.org/attorney/sections/ women.php Fresno County Women Lawyers Monthly MCLE Luncheon Wednesday, Jan. 30, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

The Palms 7550 N. Palm Ave., #101, Fresno For info: www.fcwl.org Monthly MCLE Luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 27, 12 p.m.-1 p.m.

The Palms 7550 N. Palm Ave., #101, Fresno For info: www.fcwl.org Lawyers Club of San Diego Women of Color Reception Wednesday, Feb. 6 Further details TBA For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com Speed Mentoring Event Wednesday, Feb. 13, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.

California Western School of Law 350 Cedar St., San Diego For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com Bench Bar Luncheon Thursday, Feb. 21, 12 p.m.-1:15 p.m.

Westin San Diego, Emerald Plaza 400 W. Broadway, San Diego For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com Red, White & Brew Thursday, March 7, 5:30 p.m.

Stone Brewery World Bistro & Gardens – Liberty Station 2816 Historic Decatur Road, #116, San Diego For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com Equal Pay Day Event & Luncheon Tuesday, April 2 Further details TBA For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com

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Lawyers Club Annual Dinner Thursday, May 9 Further details TBA For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com San Diego Pride Parade Saturday, July 13 Further details TBA For info: www.lawyersclubsandiego.com Marin County Women Lawyers Status of Reproductive Rights Speaker: Amy Everitt, State Director, NARAL Pro-Choice California Wednesday, Jan. 30, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Piatti Restaurant 625 Redwood Highway, Mill Valley For info: http://mcwlawyers.org Orange County Women Lawyers Association OCWLA’s Monthly Book Club Meeting Monday, Jan. 28, 5:30 p.m.

Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly Mimi’s Café, 17231 E. 17th St, Tustin No host dinner and beverages For info: www.ocwla.org/events OCWLA’s Monthly Book Club Meeting Monday, Feb. 25, 5:30 p.m.

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constanine Mimi’s Café, 17231 E. 17th St, Tustin No host dinner and beverages For info: www.ocwla.org/events Queen’s Bench Bar Association So, You Want to Be a Lawyer? Service Day Panel Discussion, Speed Networking and Reception Thursday, Jan. 31, 3 p.m.-8 p.m.

Apple 250 S. Mathilda Ave., Sunnyvale For info: https://queensbench.org 2019 Induction Ceremony and Champagne Reception Tuesday, Feb. 19, 5:30 p.m.

Civic Center Courthouse, Fourth Floor Rotunda 400 McAllister St., San Francisco For info: https://queensbench.org

San Mateo County Bar Association Women’s Lawyers’ Section Section generally meets the 1st Monday of every other month.

For info: www.smcba.org/for-legal-professionals/sections/ women-lawyers

WLALA Special Education Law Program Thursday, Jan. 31, 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Landau Gottfried & Berger 1801 Century Park East, Suite 710, Los Angeles For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp

Santa Barbara Women Lawyers An Evening with Gloria Allred Thursday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m.

Lobero Theatre 33 E. Canon Perdido, Santa Barbara For info: https://sbwl.org/

How to Have Success in the Legal Profession and Maintain a Life Thursday, Feb. 7, 6 p.m.-8 p.m.

JAMS 1925 Century Park East, Suite 1400, Los Angeles For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp

Truckee-Tahoe Women Lawyers For upcoming events, visit: www.facebook.com/ groups/1591942794436357

Women in Government – Want to Be a Prosecutor?

Thursday, Feb. 28, 5:30 p.m.-7 p.m.

Gulp Sushi Alehouse 735 S. Figueroa St., Los Angeles For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles WLALA Winter Golf League Saturdays, Jan. 19, Feb. 9, March 2, March 30 Lesson 9:30 a.m., First Tee Time 11 a.m.

The Lakes at El Segundo 400 S. Sepulveda Blvd., El Segundo For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp WLALA Young Lawyers Section New Year Kickoff Mixer Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6 p.m.-9 p.m.

The Wellsbourne 10929 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp

WLALA 100th Anniversary Installation and Awards Dinner Saturday, Sept. 21 Intercontinental Hotel, Los Angeles For info: www.wlala.org/events/event_list.asp Women Lawyers of Alameda County For upcoming events, visit: https://wlaconline.org Women Lawyers of Sacramento For upcoming events, visit: https://womenlawyers-sacramento.org Women Lawyers of Ventura County For upcoming events, visit: www.wlvc.org

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Renew Your CWL Membership CWL is the only statewide bar association dedicated to the advancement of women in law and in society. Join CWL and make a difference - for yourself and the community.

What you can expect with your membership: •

CWL statewide network

•

Leadership training and opportunities

•

Annual (MCLE) Conference

•

Legislative advocacy for the advancement of women in law and society

•

Judicial evaluations

•

Lifelong friendships

• One-of-a-kind award winning programs including So, You Want to be a Judge?, Elect to Run and the In-House Counsel Puzzle Program •

Amicus activity

BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THE CWL LISTSERV CWL is all about connection, contacts and camaraderie! As the only statewide bar association dedicated to advancing women in the law and society, we are uniquely situated to connect our members and provide a strong network across a large distance.

Our Listserv allows professionals from around the state to network and exchange ideas, make referrals, discuss best practices, survey peers on various issues, or get information for appearances, depositions or trial in different locations. CWL will also share job openings and pertinent information it receives with its membership through this Listserv.

Our members, minus members of the judiciary, have been opted in to the Listserv. The default setting is that each member will receive a daily digest of emails sent. If you are an active member and are not receiving the digest and want to please let us know! Contact INFO@CWL.ORG. CEB DISCOUNTS FOR CWL MEMBERS CWL has partnered with CEB to provide free or discounted webinars to our members!

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ADVERTISE IN THE CWL NEWSLETTER!

Each digital issue of the California Women Lawyer’s newsletter is shared with over 4,000 people across the U.S. This digital publication connects industry experts to relative legislation news, valuable events for networking and professional development as well as opinion editorials from CWL leaders and members. Space is limited, ad space is determined first come, first serve. All ads subject to approval by CWL.

Quarter Page $250

Full Page Ad $500 • • •

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4.25”W x 5.5”H (Must Be Vertical) Full Color Interactive Links To Your Website, FB, etc.

Half Page Ad $375 • • •

4.25”W x 11”H (Must Be Vertical) Full Color Interactive Links To Your Website, FB, etc.

6 issue bulk rate available” ($2000, 1500, 1000)” CWL Affiliates receive a 15% discount on any advertisement.

GENERAL AD & LOGO SPECIFICATIONS PDF/300dpi Art Only Full-page display (vertical) 8.5”W x 11”H - full dimensions Half-page display (vertical) 4.25”W x 11”H - full dimensions Quarter page display (vertical) 4.25”W x 5.5”H - full dimensions Business card (horizontal) 3.5”W x 2”H - full dimensions Logos must be sent in an eps or vector file format.

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SUPPORTS CALIFORNIA WOMEN LAWYERS YOUR VOICE IN THE COURTROOM SINCE 1976.

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CWL N E W S L E T T E R

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS

Learn about all of our Annual CWL Sponsorship Opportunities HERE

CALIFORNIA WOMEN LAWYERS N E W S L E T T E R www.cwl.org

CWL N E W S L E T T E R