• President's Message by Jeannine Taylor - Elevating the "Faith, Justice, and Power" of WLALA
• Site of WLALAPalooza Target of Anti-LGBTQ+ and Anti-Semitic Attacks by Secretary Brigit Greeson Alvarez
• Photos: WLALA and WLALA Foundation Board Retreat
• Photos: Private Screening of the Barbie Movie
• Photos: MCBA's Annual Summer Reception
• Photos: LLBA's Reception Honoring Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto the First Woman and Latina to Hold the Office
• Photos: WLALA Golf League 2.0
• SAVE THE DATE! WLALA Awards Gala, Justice|Faith|Power, September 29, 2023
• Become An Annual Sponsor for WLALA 2023-2024
• Volunteer for WLALA's Power Lunch Program
• Join WLALA’s Delegation at the Conference of California Bar Associations
• Limited Spots Still Available for WLALA Golf League 2.0
• Congratulations to Board of Governors Member Shaun Dabby Jacobs!
• Welcome New Members!
• APAWLA Gala - September 7, 2023
• CWL Gala - September 21, 2023
• MABA's Golf Tournament - September 23, 2023
• BWL Gala - September 30, 2023
• DWC Gala - October 8, 2023
• LLBA Gala - October 27, 2023
• ALIGHT Seeking Volunteer Attorneys for Survivors of Human Trafficking
• Teach Democracy Seeking Volunteers for Mock Trial
• Local Bar Calendar
• WLALA Resources
• Contribute to the WLALA Newsletter

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 to October 15): This month honors Hispanic and Latinx Americans for their contributions to U.S. culture.

Rosh Hashanah: means “head of the year” in Hebrew and is recognized by the Jewish faith as a time for reflection and repentance.

"Quisieron enterrarnos, pero no sabían que éramos semillas." (They tried to bury us, but they didn't know we were seeds.) In the 1990s the proverb was used by the Zapatistas, an indigenous people's movement in Mexico fighting for sovereignty. The quote comes from Greek poet Dinos Christianopoulos, who was marginalized by the Greek literary community in the 1970s because he was gay. It’s a reminder of our interconnectedness and like the seed, with a bit of sun and water, we will sprout when we are buried. 

Elevating the "Faith, Justice, and Power" of WLALA

With immense delight, I present the theme for our journey ahead – "Faith, Justice, Power." It encapsulates our mission to rekindle faith in our justice system, harness the power of unity, and cultivate a just world.

WLALA's longstanding reputation as a stronghold for justice, equality, and women's empowerment drew me in. It's a sanctuary for collective change, fueled by unwavering faith. I'm grateful to past President Janet Hong for her trailblazing leadership and acknowledge that I stand on the shoulders of remarkable women.

A shout out to our inspiring Executive Committee:

●      Noelle, a trusted counsel for many, and serves as an avid ally for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion;

●      Farah, who took a leap of faith and launched a flourishing solo practice amidst the pandemic;

●      Jennie, ascending to be WLALA’s first Taiwanese- or Chinese-American President;

●      Brigit, proudly leading her way to become our first Queer Latina President;

●      Leana, bringing her effusive joy and leadership experience as a former APAWLA President.

Our board recently came together for a private screening of Barbie, and related to the many ways that our feminine power shows up and is shaped by our diverse experiences and backgrounds. Just as Barbie discovered her strength, we have faith that our collective strength will be amplified by and through WLALA, advancing equality and fairness for all—making our version of Barbieland a reality.

The recent triumph of the U.S. women's track team highlights the power of unity, passing the baton of progress from one to another. Sha'Carri Richardson’s redemption journey resonates with our theme. Her mantra "I’m not back, I’m better" showcases the potential within all of us. Picking up the baton myself, I am determined to build upon our legacy. With unwavering faith and collective power, we'll shape a future embodying "Faith, Justice, Power."

In unity and faith,



Jeannine Taylor

President, Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles

Site of WLALAPalooza Target of Anti-LGBTQ+ and Anti-Semitic Attacks

By: Secretary Brigit Greeson Alvarez

Hard to believe the summer is already over, and even harder to believe that its end is marked by hate. Sorry, Not Sorry — where we held WLALAPalooza last July — has historically been a supporter of the LGBTQ+ community. Last Friday, three cars were set on fire with an accelerant and tires were slashed outside the restaurant/bar; the general manager believes this support explains why. 

This is not the first time that Sorry, Not Sorry has been the target of a hate crime. Apart from the most recent incident, the establishment was also the site of two prior hate incidents: once when the word “AIDS” was written on a pole outside the building, and another in which a swastika was drawn in marker on the building itself. 

One could call it coincidence. Or one could also call it what it is: a natural progression of the increasingly vitriolic rhetoric against Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities. I do not have the statistics on this, but my suspicion is that hate speech directly relates to hate crime. Our past President Jessica Kronstadt wrote eloquently on the root causes and impact of anti-Semitism earlier this year; I encourage our membership to revisit it. Of course, we all know this is not the first time that Jewish and queer communities have been simultaneously targeted by hate. 

Incidents like this are hard on targeted businesses and carry an even greater weight in the targeted communities. Because they are meant to create fear. Fear of being openly supportive of LGBTQ+ communities. And more importantly, for those of us who identify as LGBTQ+, fear of being out in Los Angeles.

I worry not much has changed since the 1990s. Back then, I also had concerns about my physical safety for being openly queer. Given the resurgence of hostility towards LGBTQ+ communities, the experiences I had as a college student are ones that I would not be surprised to experience today. Watching in shock while a flaming ignoramus screamed the “f” word from a speeding car as I walked home with friends from a bar much like Sorry, Not Sorry. Feeling unsafe with friends at a queer bar while Andrew Cunanan was at-large and questioning whether we could entrust the bouncers with our security. Exiting the train well before our stop, just as a precaution, because of uncomfortable stares directed at my girlfriend and I and being followed as we moved to another car. 

Perhaps this hits harder because now, as the mother of a second grader, I wonder about school age children in Los Angeles. How do they understand incidents like what happened at Sorry, Not Sorry? What do they make of the protests in Glendale that unjustifiably equate queer people with predators? What do they understand about books banned in Temecula for mentioning Harvey Milk? Did they hear about the Pride lifeguard towers vandalized at Ginger Rogers Beach? Are they aware of the upcoming California ballot initiatives seeking to restrict gender-affirming care for trans kids? And I am even more horrified about this: what will I tell my son if he is attacked for being perceived as LGBTQ+, attacked for defending his queer mom, or one of his LGBTQ+ friends is assaulted at school? 

I wish I knew the answer. Like most parents, I am kind of making this up as I go along. What I do know, and am comforted by, is that WLALA will not stand quietly aside. We will continue to leverage our resources in support of establishments that stand in solidarity with, along with those run by and for, LGBTQ+ communities, like the fundraiser we held last June for The Center of Long Beach. We will continue to develop programming that addresses the legal needs of queer communities, such as the name and gender marker change clinic conducted last year with Bet Tzedek. And we will continue to denounce homophobia and transphobia when it (re)surfaces. WLALA is here, some of us are queer, and we are all on the same page about confronting hate. So sorry, not sorry; silence is not an option.  

WLALApalooza fundraiser was held at Sorry Not Sorry! this past July. This annual fundraiser benefits law school, college and high school students through WLALA Foundation scholarships. Pictured above: Secretary Brigit Greeson Alvarez, First Vice President Farah Tabibkhoei, Immediate Past President Janet Hong and Past President Hon. Jessica Kronstadt.

WLALA and WLALA Foundation Board Retreat

These photos do not do justice to the powerful energy and unstoppable creative force in WLALA and WLALA Foundation. These women braved the heat and brought the brainstorming fire in regards to programming and community building! Stay tuned for our upcoming events!

Private Screening of the Barbie Movie

This event is an idea that emerged from the WLALA and WLALA Foundation retreat. Thank you Second Vice President Jennie Wang VonCannon and First Vice President Farah Tabibkhoei for turning this idea into a beautiful and pink-filled reality!

Pictured above: First Vice President Farah Tabibkhoei, President Jeannine Taylor, President-Elect Noelle Natoli and Communications Officer Leana Taing

Multicultural Bar Alliance's (MCBA)

Annual Summer Reception

The MCBA Annual Summer Reception with keynote speaker Hon. Karen L. Stevenson was a resounding success with participants from over 20 affiliate bar organizations in Southern California. Pictured above: Past President Hon. Jessica Kronstadt, Hon. Yvette Verastegui, Secretary Brigit Greeson Alvarez, MCBA Co-Chair and Board of Governors Member Hon. Holly J. Fujie, Board of Governors Member Hon. Laura A. Seigle, Board of Governors Member Hon. Jana Seng, Board of Governors Member Hon. Cathy Ostiller. Pictured below: Secretary Brigit Greeson Alvarez, Hon. Karen L. Stevenson, Board of Governors Member Hon. Laura A. Seigle, MCBA Co-Chair and Board of Governors Member Hon. Holly J. Fujie and Communications Officer Leana Taing.

LLBA's Reception Honoring Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto - the First Woman and Latina to Hold the Office

Diverse women bar leaders gathered for a joyous celebration of Los Angeles City Attorney Hydee Feldstein-Soto, the first woman and Latina to hold the office. Thank you to the Latina Lawyers Bar Association (LLBA) for organizing the event! Pictured below: (first row) MABA President Magdalena Casas, APAWLA President-Elect Esther Ro, Immediate Past President Janet Hong, Communications Officer Leana Taing, BWL President Jasmine Horton, (second row) IALA President Angela Zanin and LLBA President Cinthia Flores.

Relaunching of WLALA Golf League 2.0

Pictured above: Aya Ichida, Caroline Vincent, Candice Zee, Vicki Perkowitz, Kim Ostiller and Samara Cidrim. Pictured below: Valerie Bono, Jennifer Kutsunai, Debra Gray and Sherry Patterson.

Limited discounted rooms are available at the Omni Hotel. If you are interested in more information about the room block, please email info@wlala.org.

Volunteer for WLALA's Power Lunch Program

As you may know, WLALA sponsors a program called "The Honorable Beverly Reid O'Connell Power Lunch" with the LA Superior Court, which introduces high school kids to our judicial system. We're looking for attorney volunteers for two upcoming Power Lunch programs on October 5th at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse which will host the Bridge Builders Foundation and on October 12th at the Torrance Courthouse Courthouse which will host Gardena High School.

To volunteer for the October 5th at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, please go to https://wlala.org/event/oct-5-the-honorable-beverly-reid-oconnell-power-lunch/.

To volunteer for the October 12th at the Torrance Courthouse, please go to https://wlala.org/event/oct-12-the-honorable-beverly-reid-oconnell-power-lunch/.

The lunch will be from 12:00 to 1:30 p.m. Typically, we introduce the volunteers, as well as court room personnel (e.g., bailiff, court interpreter) to give the kids a sense of the different jobs in our judicial system and our personal educational backgrounds. Then we have about 30 minutes to coach the kids for a "Legal Jeopardy" game that tests their knowledge of various subjects. The Power Lunch ends with the Legal Jeopardy game.

For questions, please email info@wlala.org.

Join WLALA’s Delegation at the Conference of California Bar Associations

Please join WLALA’s delegation to the Conference of California Bar Associations from September 22-24, 2023, in San Diego. CCBA is a statewide organization comprised of regional, specialty, and affinity bar associations that proposes legislation to the California Legislature. The bar associations submit proposed legislation (resolutions) for consideration and debate at the Conference. CCBA takes the resolutions that pass at the Conference to the California Legislature to find an Assemblymember or Senator willing to author and introduce it as a bill. 

This year, three of WLALA’s resolutions that passed the Conference last year are working their way through the Legislature. WLALA also has resolutions that the Conference will debate and consider at the September Conference and Board of Governors Member Shaun Dabby Jacobs will be chairing the Conference and moderating the debate this year. 

To learn more about the upcoming resolutions and register for the conference, please visit ccba.law. Reach out to delegation chairs Board of Governors Member Mihret Getabicha at mihret.getabicha@gmail.com or Board of Governors Member Shaun Dabby Jacobs at shaun.jacobs@lacity.org. We look forward to seeing you in San Diego!

Shaun Dabby Jacobs selected as the Supervisor of the Appellate Division in the Civil Litigation Branch of the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office

The division handles appeals in the Supreme Court of the United States, the Ninth Circuit, California Supreme Court and the California Court of Appeal, defending the City primarily against police excessive force and false arrest claims, employment discrimination and retaliation claims, and dangerous condition cases. Shaun has worked as a Deputy City Attorney in the City Attorney’s Office since 2002, having served in the Civil Appellate Division since 2016, where she conducted 37 oral arguments in the Ninth Circuit and California Court of Appeal and was lead counsel in five published decisions in the Court of Appeal. Before that, she was a trial deputy in the Employment Litigation Division for seven years, and worked in the Police Litigation Unit for four years. She also tried 30 criminal cases to verdict during a three-year stint in the Criminal Division of her office. Shaun served on the board of the City Attorney Women’s Association and has served on the Office’s Equity Panel since its inception. Outside the office, Shaun has served on the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles Board of Governors since 2002 and is the current Chair of the Conference of California Bar Associations.  Shaun has taught legal issues in employment cases at LAPD’s Supervisor’s School, MCLE classes for the City Attorney’s Office, and various bar organizations.  Shaun received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 1996 and her B.A in political science and philosophy from U.C. Davis in 1992.

Congratulations Board of Governors Member Shaun Dabby Jacobs!

Welcome to Our New Members

Melodie Arian

Roksana Czech

Isela Guevara

Katie Hemming

Alana Johnson

Serapia Kim

Karin Lang

Ashly Villa-Ortega

Anabel Sanchez

Allison Scott

Tiffany Tai

Eden Yeh

Natalie Zakikian

ALIGHT is expanding to Los Angeles! It is a nationally-recognized pro bono program that connects survivors of human trafficking to attorneys throughout the country. In response to the high volume of requests and limited targeted legal services in Los Angeles, ALIGHT is seeking attorneys willing to volunteer their expertise in a unique way. Attorneys in all areas of law (e.g., family law, criminal defense, employment law, tax, corporate/IP, benefits, medical malpractice, etc.), will be able to sign up for discrete pro bono opportunities based on their expertise and bandwidth. There is a significant demand for family law and criminal law attorneys in particular. If you or your law firm are interested in collaborating on ALIGHT's expansion or joining their network, please contact ALIGHT at neysa@alightnet.org.

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 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.