WLALA Newsletter: October 2020 |
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WLALA invites you to learn about Hon. Michelle DeCasas and Brigit Greeson Alvarez, both of whom were interviewed in the October President's Message. |
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President's Message
By Jessica Kronstadt
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Thank you to everyone who attended and made WLALA’s 2020 Awards Dinner such a success. Congratulations again to Hon. Virginia Phillips (Ernestine Stahlhut Awardee), UCLA Health and Johnese Spisso (Myra Bradwell Awardee), Hon. Karla Kerlin (Distinguished Service Awardee) and to all of WLALA Foundation’s scholarship, grant and fellowship recipients. Thank you also to California Women Lawyers for bringing together women and minority bar associations in the powerful tribute to Justice Ginsburg on September 24. WLALA would like to dedicate this month’s message to recognizing and honoring the enduring contributions and importance of LatinX Americans to the United States and celebrating the many heritages and cultures of Americans – from or with ancestors from Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain and Central and South America. The term “LatinX” is a gender neutral or non-binary alternative to relate to people of Latin American origin or descent.
To view the rest of the President's Message, please CLICK HERE.
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WLALA's Awards Dinner at the Jonathan Club in Santa Monica on September 25, 2020.
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September 25: The Day of Lead Like a Girl
by Jessica Kronstadt, WLALA President 2020-2021
On September 25, 2020, WLALA celebrated its Awards Dinner. Over the last seventy years, the date of September 25 has seen, well, a lot of history.
On September 25, 1957, 300 United States Army troops stood guard as nine Black students were escorted to class at Central High School in Little Rock, AR. In the wake of Brown v. Board of Education, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) attempted to register black students in previously all-white schools in cities throughout the South.
By 1957, the NAACP had registered nine black students to attend the previously all-white Little Rock Central High, Called the "Little Rock Nine", they were: Ernest Green, Elizabeth Eckford, Jefferson Thomas, Terrence Roberts, Carlotta Walls LaNier, Minnijean Brown, Gloria Ray Karlmark, Thelma Mothershed and Melba Pattillo Beals. After several segregationist groups threatened to hold protests at Central High and physically block these nine students from entering the school, then Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to support the segregationists. On September 23, Woodrow Wilson Mann, the mayor of Little Rock, asked President Eisenhower to send federal troops to enforce integration and protect the nine students. On September 24, the President ordered the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army—without its Black soldiers, who rejoined the division a month later—to Little Rock and federalized the entire 10,000-member Arkansas National Guard. On September 25, 1957, under the guard of the 101st Airborne division, nine brave students went to school.
To read the rest of this article, please CLICK HERE.
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Why WLALA? Because We Still Have A Long Way to Go To Achieving WLALA’s Critically Important Mission
by Stacy R. Horth-Neubert, WLALA Foundation President 2019-2021
At the WLALA awards event last week, I asked the question: Why WLALA? Why invest your time and energy -- and even your money – on WLALA? A look at WLALA’s mission is a good place to start in answering that question:
The mission of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles ("WLALA") is to promote the full participation in the legal profession of women lawyers and judges from diverse perspectives and racial and ethnic backgrounds, maintain the integrity of our legal system by advocating principles of fairness and equality, and improve the status of women by supporting their exercise of equal rights, equal representation, and reproductive choice.
I sure do wish we lived in a world where no organization had to advocate for those principles. A world that just embodied those principles. But alas, we still have work to do.
To read the rest of this article, please CLICK HERE.
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THE WLALA FOUNDATION CHARITABLE FUND CAMPAIGN STARTS ON OCTOBER 15TH!
We are SO EXCITED to announce the start of our annual Campaign for The WLALA Foundation Charitable Fund (formerly known as Annual Giving), which corresponds with the holiday season beginning on October 15th and lasting until the end of January.
The Fund is committed to supporting deserving law students and mission-aligned organizations in our community. Over the past 13 years, the Fund has raised over $240,000 and awarded 42 scholarships, 21 Public Interest Fellowships, and 6 WLALA/Inner City Law Center (“ICLC”) Fellowships. The Fund has also supported the Beverly Reid O’Connell Power Lunches for high school students, the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law, and the Downtown Women’s Center.
This year we need your help more than ever, as the challenges facing our communities are widespread and unique. Given the rising cost of tuition and the uncertainty due to the pandemic, we would also like to award more generous scholarships this year. Please give as generously as you are able and encourage others to do the same. Donations are tax deductible to the extent provided by law. Please visit the WLALA website to donate.
Relatedly, if you have contacts with organizations or individuals that may want to contribute to the Fund, please let us know! Any and all assistance is greatly appreciated as we work to meet our fundraising goals.
Many thanks,
Elizabeth Dyer and Susan Steinhauser
WLALA Foundation Charitable Fund Co-Chairs
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Get to Know the New Board: Kelsey Chandrasoma
Each month, WLALA will feature a 2020-2021 WLALA Board Member so you can get to know more about her role within WLALA, her professional experience and her personal interests.
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Kelsey Chandrasoma is a counsel in the Los Angeles office of O’Melveny & Myers, where she counsels clients through sensitive internal investigations, inquiries by federal and state enforcement authorities, and related litigation in the healthcare, retail, financial services, and other industries. Before entering practice, Kelsey clerked for the Honorable Beverly Reid O'Connell of the United States District Court for the Central District of California. Kelsey earned her J.D. from Pepperdine School of Law in 2014 and her B.A. from Santa Clara University in 2009. Kelsey regularly mentors law students as part of Pepperdine’s Preceptor Program. |
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Get to Know WLALA's Scholarship Recipient:
Selene Estrada-Villela
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I am currently a second-year evening student at Loyola Law School and a WLALA scholarship recipient this year. I chose the part-time program at Loyola so I could continue to work full-time as a social worker. Since 2015, I have been a social worker with child protective services. I have worked directly with predominantly Latino families to help them navigate the dependency system while ensuring the safety of children who have been victims of abuse or neglect. Advocating for children throughout this time has been the most fulfilling and challenging work I have engaged in thus far. I have now embarked on this journey to study law to continue challenging myself to consider the ways in which I can be an agent for social change. The field of public interest law needs individuals who have a background and working knowledge of complex family systems including issues affecting women and children. Individuals such as myself who are also committed to providing culturally responsive services to communities of color that have been historically underserved and oppressed. This Fall, I am participating in Loyola’s Civil Rights Litigation Practicum which includes an externship in the Spring with a civil rights organization. Upon graduating, I plan to work for an organization that focuses on the need to provide counsel to children. That said, I hope to one day be at the forefront of ameliorating the disproportionate number of Latino and African-American children who enter the dependency system. |
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Complimentary WLALA Membership for WLALA's Local Sister Bar Organizations
WLALA is offering one complimentary year of membership to WLALA's local sister bar organization members at APAWLA, BWL and LLBA. Offer is good until December 31, 2021. Membership will be good for one year after you register.
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WLALA Membership for New Admittees and Law Students is FREE
WLALA offers free memberships to New Admittees (those who passed the bar less than a year ago) and Law Students. Don't forget to pass the word along and join today and see what WLALA has to offer!
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COVID-19 News Updates
WLALA has created a COVID-19 page to inform our members of current news related to COVID-19. To view the page, please CLICK HERE.
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Public Counsel Remote Pro Bono Opportunities
The following is a list of current pro bono opportunities that lend themselves to working remotely. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
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Apply now for 2020 SCCLA Scholarships & Fellowships
APPLICATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY 5:30 P.M. (PST), MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
In furtherance of its commitment to support the next generation of leaders, the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA) awards several $1,000 scholarships and $2,000 fellowships each year to law students and this year, recent law school graduates, with a demonstrated interest in advancing the Chinese American and/or broader Asian Pacific American community. SCCLA invites current law students (including LLM students) and law school graduates from the class of 2020 to apply.
SCCLA awards scholarships based on an evaluation of (1) financial need, (2) academic accomplishments, and (3) active involvement and/or expected future contributions to the Chinese American and/or Asian Pacific American community, particularly in the Greater Los Angeles area. Scholarship recipients are expected to attend SCCLA's 2020 Virtual Scholarship Awards Ceremony, currently anticipated to be held in November 2020.
For more information and to apply, please CLICK HERE.
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Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowship Projects
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'We the People': 100 years of perspective on the 19th Amendment
Daily Journal, published September 17, 2020
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It is no secret that in 1776, when the Founding Fathers wrote the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, "We the People" did not include women. Sixty years later, 300 people, including abolitionist Frederick Douglass, attended the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.
Ratification was slow, but in 1916 the tide began to turn. The suffragettes held their first Presidential Nominating Convention, and the first woman was elected to Congress, Jeannette Pickering Rankin. The next year -- 129 years after the ratification of the Constitution -- only 10 states had granted women the right to vote. In 1919, Congress approved the 19th Amendment, and it was ratified on August 18, 1920.
To read the rest of this article, please CLICK HERE.
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A Message from ABA President Trish Refo and
ABA Standing Committee on Election Law Chair
Estelle Rogers
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Dear ABA Standing/Special Committee and Commission Chairs:
We are writing to let you know about an exciting new project called Poll Worker, Esq. and to ask for your help. The American Bar Association is partnering with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors to encourage lawyers, law students and other legal professionals to serve as nonpartisan poll workers for the upcoming 2020 election. Depending on the jurisdiction, tasks may range from staffing polling places to processing returned ballot envelopes and more. This is strictly a nonpartisan effort designed to help people vote and to help local officials ensure a safe and accurate election.
We are reaching out to you to urge your members, colleagues and networks to volunteer for this effort. Serving as a poll worker is integral to assuring a free and fair election this November, and lawyers are especially suited to help. With the added obstacle of a pandemic this year, finding people who are at lower health risk to assist as poll workers is even more important. States across the country are predicting a shortage of workers to serve for the November 3 General Election. Even states that vote primarily by mail recognize the particular challenge this year. This is an opportunity for lawyers, and soon-to-be lawyers, to step up and serve.
We need your help. We hope you will utilize all means of communication at your disposal to reach out to your communities and urge lawyers and law students to give their time and talent to Poll Worker, Esq.
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WLALA Webinar Recording's |
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WLALA webinars have been recorded and are available for purchase. To view all recordings, please CLICK HERE. Following the purchase, the recording will be sent via email. If MCLE credit applies, the materials will be sent after we receive zoom confirmation that the video has been viewed.
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iDepo will make a donation to WLALA if you schedule a court reporting or videotaped deposition with them as follows:
- $20 donation to WLALA for each court reporting services of at least 100 pages per day.
- $50 donation to WLALA for each videotaped deposition with at least 100 pages per day.
When scheduling, please email or call and mention Code WLALA. Email to [email protected] or call at 323-393-3768.
IDepo will send donations to WLALA within 90 days after receipt of payment of invoices.
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APAWLA Young Lawyers and Law Students (YLLS) is having an ongoing Resume Review Workshop. To participate you must be an active APAWLA member. Please send in a word copy of your resume and/or cover letter to [email protected]. You will be assigned an APAWLA board member who will review and suggest revisions in the document with track changes. The anticipated turnaround for feedback is one week. Please be sure to maintain prompt communication. This is an ongoing workshop open until the end of the pandemic.
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FALL 2020 EXTERNSHIP FOR LAW STUDENTS
The Healthcare Rights and Access Section of the California Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General (in Los Angeles, Oakland, and Sacramento) is looking for Fall 2020 Externs. The position will have a remote working arrangement for now but we anticipate the externs will join us in the office when we return in the future. This is a unique learning opportunity for law students interested in health law and its intersection with various practice areas (including privacy!). For example, our summer cohort assisted us with various projects including legal and factual research, and also writing multi-state amici. Please share with law students in your network!
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Upcoming Local Bar Events and News |
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Please join the J. Reuben Clark Law Society for a virtual conversation with Los Angeles County Registrar Dean C. Logan on Friday, October 9 from 2 p.m. - 3 p.m.
With over 25 years of experience in elections administration, records management, and public service, Dean is leading efforts to prepare the county for the November election. At this consequential time in which presidential, congressional, state, and local elections will be decided, the county must also navigate new challenges related to COVID-19 and help allay voter fears about health and safety and the security of the voting process. Come learn from Dean about the myriad ways you can cast your ballot, how the county will facilitate a safe voting process, and the strategies the county is employing to help increase voter registration and turnout.
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Meeting ID: 823 3375 9728
Passcode: 84602
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Dial by phone: +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 823 3375 9728
One tap mobile: +16699006833,,82333759728# US (San Jose)
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To view the rest of the local bar events and news, please CLICK HERE.
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Request for Attorney Mentors for WLALA Law Student Mentor Program
Over 100 mentorship opportunities now available! Has a mentor impacted your career?
Now is the time to pay it forward! WLALA has over 100 women law students seeking a mentor like you.
CLICK HERE to show your interest and share how much time you’d be willing to commit, no amount is too small and the rewards are unlimited!
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WLALA Networking Facebook Page
We are excited to announce that WLALA has created a Facebook page for members called WLALA Networking where you can connect with other members of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. You can join HERE. Please note that you must be a member to join. Before posting, please be sure to read the Rules and Guidelines here:
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New Members
Kristen Abajian, Priya Bahl-Sen (Bahl), Melissa Briggs, Caitlyn L. Brock, Vivienne Chen, Dyanne Cho, Tara C. Couture, Cheryl A. Cruz, Jill A. Davidson, Cassandra Dawn, Bichnga (Nga) Do, Hannah Donahue (Barnick), Lara Drino, Salin Ebrahamian, Tara Farkhondeh, Dara Garcia, Kyla A. Garcia, Olga Ginzburg, Layla Glassman, Vanessa Gomez, Sharee S. Gordon (Sanders), Natasha Gunasekara, Nina Huerta, Glen Jonas, Kathy Khommarath, Jennifer Khrimian-Manvelian, Gigi Kisela, Gigi Kisela, Casey Kovarik, Vivian S. Lee, Jennifer Leposavic Esq., Rachel L. Liebert, Hallie J. Lindsey, Kaycee R. Link, Christina Marcial, Nancy Beezy Micon, Clarissa Y. Park, Andrea Poma Hernando, Esther Remigio, Gerald T. Richards, Esther Ro, Brenda C. Robinson, Violeta Schultz, Elmira Tofanyan, Katie Vetter, Jennifer Waxler (Abrams), Kim Zeldin.
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WLALA Job Bank
Did you know that your WLALA membership allows you to access the WLALA Job Bank? The Job Bank has employment opportunities from different non-profit organizations and law firms.
The Office of the Attorney General is hiring for Deputy Attorney General III in the Healthcare Rights & Access section. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
The Office of the Attorney General is hiring for Deputy Attorney General III in the Facility Enforcement Team section. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is hiring for Senior Counsel. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Public Counsel is hiring for Staff Attorney for the Consumer Rights & Economic Justice Project and Staff Attorney for the Children’s Rights Project. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
The Los Angeles - Century City office and the San Francisco office of McGuireWoods seeks an Associate for the Labor & Employment Department. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
The Los Angeles office of Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck is seeking an attorney with 4-8 years of experience to handle a wide array of professional liability matters, including those involving attorneys, insurance agents/brokers, accountants and broker-dealers. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
The Los Angeles office of Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck, LLP seeks an attorney with 4-8 years of employment practices liability (EPL) defense experience. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Southern California Public Power Authority (SCPPA) is offering a rare opportunity for a top legal professional to join this unique organization as General Counsel. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Providence is calling an Associate Counsel III to their location in Seattle, WA or CA. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP, is seeking a highly qualified associate with four to eight years of solid patent litigation experience to join our Technology and IP Litigation business unit. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
The Los Angeles - Century City & San Francisco offices of McGuireWoods seek an Associate for the Labor & Employment Department. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
Fox Rothschild LLP has an opening in the Los Angeles office for a litigation associate. For more information, please CLICK HERE.
You must be a current member and logged into the website to view job postings. If you need help obtaining your username and password, please email [email protected]. To view the WLALA Job Bank, please CLICK HERE and click on the Search Openings link in the upper left corner of the page.
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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.
- WLALA Mission Statement
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The WLALA newsletter is a publication of the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles. Contents do not necessarily reflect the views of WLALA. To advertise and for rates, contact the WLALA Office at [email protected]. The newsletter welcomes articles, submissions and information about our members’ activities. For information about submissions to the WLALA newsletter, please contact Farah Tabibkhoei at [email protected].
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Thank You To Our Annual Sponsors
Exclusive Title Sponsor
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