• President's Message by Jeannine Taylor
• WLALA Foundation Scholarship & Fellowship Awards
• Solo/Small Firm Mixer and Fundraiser at Fuego - June 6, 2024
• WLALA Young Lawyers Mixer - June 11, 2024
• Winning and Defeating Motions for Summary Judgment/Adjudication in Employment Matters - June 17, 2024
• Family Law Appeals - June 20, 2024
• WLALApalooza - June 25, 2024
• WLALA Awards & Installation Dinner - September 13, 2024
• Photos: WLALA 29th Annual Litigators Forum - May 8, 2024
• Photos: APABA Annual Installation Dinner
• Photos: WLALA Power Lunch Program - East LA Courthouse
• Photos: WLALA's Spring Golf League
• Photo: APABA 2024 Joint Unity Night - May 16, 2024
• Photo: IALA What's New in the Courts
• Photos: BWL's 2nd Annual 5K Run/Walk
• Photo: LACBA Criminal Justice Section Dinner
• Photos: Meet and Greet - Chief Judge Dolly Gee - May 23, 2024
• Photos: No Regrets, No Limits - May 29, 2024
• Photos: SCCLA Annual Installation Dinner
• Announcement: WLALA Past President Hon. Jessica Kronstadt and Justice Helen Bendix
• Announcement: WLALA Second Vice President/Treasurer Jennie Von Cannon
• Welcome New Members!
• Local Bar Calendar
• Power Lunch Program Sponsorships Available
• Contribute to the WLALA Newsletter - Deadline is June 26, 2024

Raising the Bar!

"When they go low, we go high!"

-- Michelle Obama, lawyer, author and former first lady

As we reach our halfway point of the calendar year, I’d like to extend my heartfelt thanks to WLALA’s board, allies, and sponsors, for championing our theme of Justice, Faith, and Power through our programming. In May, we showcased our unwavering commitment to these values:

• Justice: Our Litigator’s Forum Panel outlined a roadmap for protecting reproductive rights and enhancing reproductive justice.

• Faith: The "No Regrets, No Limits" program inspired participants to maintain faith in their capabilities and pursue their biggest goals.

• Power: Our Meet and Greet with Chief Judge Dolly Gee honored an icon of power, humility, and persistence.

Our fundraising and programming successes are undoubtedly attributable to the support of our partnering bar associations. We thank each of OUR CO-SPONSORING BAR ASSOCIATIONS for your trust in WLALA and are grateful for your shared commitment to promoting the full participation of women lawyers and judges in the legal profession:

• Asian Pacific American Bar Association
• Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance
• Beverly Hills Bar Association
• Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles
• California Asian Pacific American Judges Association
• Japanese American Bar Association
• Korean American Bar Association
• Korean Community Lawyers Association
• Los Angeles County Bar Association
• Latina Lawyers Bar Association
• Multi-Cultural Bar Association
• Philippine American Bar Association
• Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association
• Thai American Bar Association
• Vietnamese American Bar Association of Southern California

The collective strength of collaborating with our sister bars was reflected in this year’s Food From the Bar campaign, increasing our volunteer count four fold, from 13 to 48 (let’s hit triple digits next year!) We look forward to continuing annual partnerships with our sister bars, including:

• New Bar Member Swearing-In Ceremony
• Women's HerStory Month Fundraiser
• Food From the Bar Volunteer Day

For those looking to deepen their involvement with WLALA, don’t worry, there’s still time! Our marquee scholarship and fellowship fundraising event, WLALAPalooza, will feature a mariachi band, aerial artists, and a champagne-serving gown inspired by "Bridgerton." We also have our second annual fundraiser at Fuego for the Long Beach LGBTQ Center. Sponsorships are still available, and we welcome collaboration from all allies and partners.



For sponsorship inquiries, please contact us at info@WLALA.org and thank you for your continued support!

In your service,

Jeannine Taylor



WLALA President

WLALA Foundation Scholarship &

Fellowship Awards

In the past few weeks, WLALA Foundation has selected recipients for its 2024 scholarships and fellowships. Eleven talented women will be supported:

• 5 RBG law student scholarships, 
• 2 Beverly Reid O’Connell high school scholarships, 
• 1 Fran Kandel fellowship at Planned Parenthood of Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, 
• 1 Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law fellowship, and
•  2 Inner City Law Center fellowships. 

Join us to meet many of the scholars and fellows at WLALApalooza on June 25, 2024, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Bonaventure Brewing Company in downtown Los Angeles.

WLALApalooza is WLALA Foundation’s annual social and silent auction fundraiser that supports the scholarship and fellowship programs. This year’s event features live musical and performance entertainment, hors d’oeuvres, cocktails, and the popular silent auction on an outdoor pool level terrace. Bring your friends and support WLALA Foundation! Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at https://wlala.org/event/2024-wlalapalooza/.

Mariachi Rayos del Sol will be performing at this year’s WLALA Palooza. 

Mariachi Rayos del Sol is a mariachi education program that not only teaches students how to express themselves musically, but reconnects them to the music, culture, and language of their heritage. Reflecting the diverse community surrounding The Salvation Army Los Angeles Red Shield, the program attracts many second and third generation Latin-American students. The appreciation the students gain for the music and language bridges generational gaps between family members who do not speak the same language.

Join us at the Bonaventure Brewing Company on June 25, 2024. Limited tickets are available, almost half of them are SOLD. 

Please secure your tickets and sponsorships today!

WLALA 29th Annual Litigators Forum

Thank you to the Litigation Committee Co-Chairs Yanna Bouris Knobbe and Melody Saadian for organizing an informative and inspirational panel about reproductive rights. Also, thank you to panel moderator Amy Brantly and panelists Anna Pletcher and Dipti Singh for sharing your insights on this topic. Please see the link below to the Daily Journal's article about this year's Litigation Forum

APABA Installation Dinner

WLALA Power Lunch Program -

East LA Courthouse

Feminist Majority Foundation

WLALA's Spring Golf League

AAPI Joint Unity Night - May 16, 2024

IALA What’s New in the Courts

BWL's 2nd Annual 5K Run/Walk

LACBA Criminal Justice Section Dinner

Meet and Greet with Chief Judge Dolly Gee

May 14, 2024

Thank you to all the co-sponsoring organizations for joining us in celebrating this momentous occasion: APABA, APAWLA, CAPAJA, JABA, KABA, KCLA, PABA, SCCLA, TABA, VABASC, WLALA. And thank you to the event organizers Hon. Jana Seng, Janet Hong and Leana Taing.

No Regrets, No Limits: How to Achieve the BIG Goals (That Really Matter) - May 29, 2024

Thank you to the Career Development and Life Balance Committee Co-Chairs Rebecca Goodrich and Jessica Walker for organizating a tranformative event led by speaker LeeAnn Webster! Thank you to our event sponsor Dominium Law, APC and for McDermott Will & Emery LLP for hosting the event.

SCCLA Installation Dinner

LACBA Recognizes WLALA Past President

Hon. Jessica Kronstadt and Justice Helen Bendix in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month

Los Angeles Business Journal Recognizes

Jennie Von Cannon as one of the

2024 Women of Influence Honorees

Welcome to Our New Members

Nashla Abdala

Ganiatu Afolabi

Francesca Allegra-Garofalo

Faviola Amezola

Jessica Bina

Julio Bonilla

Anna Burbank

Mirna Champ

Debra Cole

Lilah Cook

Christa Culver Wasserman

Zhanna Dutpayeva

Diana Gama Salmeron

Bridget Gehan

Ashley Geilim

Amanda Ghibaduo

Karoline Gowman

Cindy Hickox

Piper Hinson

Aileen Huang

Maya Jones

Yael Massen

Rachel Morrow

Tara Murphy

Phu Nguyen

Nicole Nosratian

Melissa Ogunnubi

Anne Palmer

April Paredes

Jessica Park

Sonia Salinas

MiRi Song

Diane Tan

Ayano Wolff

Tamara Yeritsyan

Angelica Zamudio

As a proud co-founder of the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, WLALA invites our members to join the Buhai Center for a special evening celebrating the Buhai Center’s legacy of leadership, community, and family law justice. This event will honor former Executive Director, Betty Nordwind, and welcome the Buhai Center’s new Executive Director, Stacy Horth-Neubert, who is a dedicated member and former WLALA Board and Foundation President. 

This will be an amazing celebration honoring the Buhai Center and its marvelous female leadership. It is an event you won’t want to miss!

📅 Date: Tuesday, June 11, 2024

🕕 Time: 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

📍Location: Los Angeles Athletic Club

431 W 7th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014

WLALA is sponsoring this event and is offering a special “match” for WLALA members to attend. For each WLALA member who purchases a ticket, WLALA will donate an additional $50 to the Buhai Center (up to $1,000). Enjoy a great event and contribute to a great cause – it’s win-win!

Forward proof of registration to alyssadickersonlaw@gmail.com.  

We look forward to seeing you all there and continuing WLALA’s support of the Center. 

On June 11 and 12, NCWBA will host a quarterly membership program entitled How to Revive the Spark: An Introduction to Fun. Our member bar associations will present their programs designed to enhance camaraderie, bonding and networking.

Join fellow women bar leaders for an engaging NCWBA virtual membership meeting, where we'll explore ways to reintroduce enjoyment into our organizations. 

Please click below to reserve your spot in either the June 11, 2024 meeting

at 12:00pm ET or the June 12, 2024 meeting at 4:00pmET. 

If you have questions about any of the above events or programming, please email info@ncwba.org.

APPLICATION FOR NINTH CIRCUIT JUDICIAL CONFERENCE LAWYER REPRESENTATIVE 

The United States District Court, Central District of California, is currently accepting applications from qualified individuals interested in serving as Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference Lawyer Representatives. The selected Lawyer Representatives will be representative of the entire district and reflect the diversity of lawyers practicing before the Court. Interested persons should complete the application, which can be found on the Court’s website under the Lawyer Representatives section located in the “Attorneys” tab of the Court’s homepage. Additional information about serving as a Lawyer Representative can be found on the 9th Circuit’s website.

Please send completed applications no later than June 14, 2024, to LawyerReps_CACD@cacd.uscourts.gov

Apply for Judicate West's

D&I Scholarship Program

Judicate West’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee is excited to share an initiative we believe will make a significant impact on fostering diversity and inclusion within the legal profession broadly and the ADR sector specifically. We are offering a full scholarship for two individuals from underrepresented communities to attend the internationally top-ranked Mediation Training Program at Straus Institute at Straus Institute at Pepperdine University in Malibu.

Application deadline:

September 1, 2024

Selection notification:

October 30, 2024

Program participation:

Scholarship recipients can attend either of the biannual training dates, within three years of being selected.

Why Now?

In the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) community, there is an overall need to represent and reflect the people we serve. As a leading firm in this space, we want to positively impact this gap.

This scholarship award was created with the vision of fostering a more inclusive legal community of ADR practitioners. Our scholarship program aims to provide financial support to professionals who have demonstrated a passion for litigation, a dedication to inclusiveness, a strong interest in developing a career as an ADR practitioner, and a consistent commitment to excellence.

What's Covered?

The scholarship covers registration to the internationally top-ranked Mediation Training Program at the Straus Institute at Pepperdine University in Malibu, as well as lodging and meals for the duration of the five-day course. Recipients will receive world-class instruction and also gain access to invaluable mentorship and networking opportunities within their educational cohort as well as within our organization.

Who is Eligible?

Civil litigators who are active members of bar associations serving underrepresented communities, which include but are not limited to, individuals from minority racial and ethnic backgrounds, LGBTQ+ individuals, individuals with disabilities, and others who have faced unique challenges in their pursuit of higher education. Please visit the scholarship web page, to view complete eligibility criteria.

Check Eligibility

Applications

Applicants should prepare a resume; a personal statement of up to 1,000 words that showcases their motivation for pursuing this scholarship, provides an overview of their career goals, and discusses how this scholarship will help them make a positive impact on society; and a letter of recommendation from an officer or board member in the bar group in which they serve.

Apply Now

Selection Process

A selection committee, comprised of accomplished ADR professionals from various backgrounds, will meticulously review applications and select the winning candidate. The 2024 scholarship awardee will be notified by October 30, 2024.

Questions?

Rosemarie Drohan

Executive Vice President of Business Development

Judicate West

rosemarie@judicatewest.com

800-488-8805

WLALA Needs Mentors for Law Students

WLALA needs attorney mentor volunteers since our increased presence in the legal community has led to increased participation among local law schools. WLALA's Law Student Mentoring Program pairs law student members with lawyer members to encourage and facilitate the development of women law students. Mentors and mentees are matched based on interests and background where possible. The program is flexible; mentors and mentees choose when and how to stay connected with one another, whether through e-mail, telephone, in-person meet ups, or a combination. Many participants find that the one-on-one mentoring relationship becomes a long-term friendship.

WLALA Needs Volunteers For Committees, Sections and Liaisons

Did you know that WLALA is run almost entirely by volunteers? If you're interested in participating in WLALA Committees, Sections or acting as a Liaison, visit our website to find out more and sign up now!

Contribute to the WLALA Newsletter

If you are interested in contributing an article or sharing member news, please reach out to Communications Officer Leana Taing at WLALA.communications@gmail.com Everyone loves to read about accomplishments, appointments, and promotions! Also, please do not forget to share photos or videos taken at WLALA events. We would love to share them in the newsletter and on our social media! The submission deadline for next month's newsletter is June 26, 2024.

The Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles ("WLALA") promotes the full participation in the legal profession of women lawyers and judges from diverse perspectives and racial and ethnic backgrounds, maintains the integrity of our legal system by advocating principles of fairness and equality, and improves the status of women by supporting their exercise of equal rights, equal representation, and reproductive choice.

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