BHBA Litigation Awards Dinner
February 2019
BEVERLY HILLS BAR ASSOCIATION
HONORS JUSTICE AUDREY B. COLLINS
AND ATTORNEY KELLI SAGER
AT 9TH ANNUAL “LITIGATION AWARDS DINNER”
Justice Collins to Receive “Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence” and
Sager to be Presented “Excellence in Advocacy Award”
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 5:30 PM, at
Four Seasons Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
The Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA), heralded for championing access to justice, an independent judiciary and the Rule of Law, honors two legal stalwarts at its 9th Annual “BHBA Litigation Awards Dinner” – Justice Audrey B. Collins, Associate Justice of Division Four of the Second District of the California Court of Appeal, and leading trial lawyer Kelli Sager, Partner of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP. The dinner is on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, at 5:30 pm at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills. Justice Collins, noted for her outstanding public service and dedication to advancing the legal profession, receives the “Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence,” named for the former California Supreme Court Chief Justice who retired in 2011 and was its first recipient. Sager, who has specialized in media and entertainment litigation for more than 30 years, receives the “Excellence in Advocacy Award,” which honors a trial lawyer whose case successes have resulted from expert legal skills, unique trial strategy and courtroom teamwork, and who also gives back to the community.
“The Beverly Hills Bar Association is pleased to recognize Justice Collins and Kelli Sager for their far-reaching impact in the legal field and exemplary record of public service,” says BHBA President LaVonne Lawson. “They are dedicated advocates of fairness and equal access to justice.”
Justice Collins was appointed to Division Four of the Second District Court of Appeal in 2014. In 1994, she was appointed U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California and served as Chief Judge from 2009 to 2012. Inspired by her family’s strong tradition of public service, Justice Collins sought a career in law. After serving as a Legal Aid Foundation staff attorney, she joined the District Attorney’s office and was the first African-American woman to become Assistant Bureau Director and Assistant District Attorney in that office. Justice Collins is a founding member of the Justice Vaino Spencer Endowment of Judicial Externships and the Association of African American California Judicial Officers. She is also a lifetime member of the Langston Bar Association, the Women’s Lawyer Association of Los Angeles, Black Women Lawyers of Los Angeles and California Women Lawyers. Among numerous accolades, Justice Collins received the UCLA School of Law Distinguished Alumna of the Year Award, the Los Angeles County Bar Association’s Outstanding Jurist Award, the Joan Dempsey Klein Distinguished Jurist Award from California Women Lawyers, the City of Los Angeles Hall of Fame Award, and the Friends of the Los Angeles County Law Library’s Beacon of Justice Award.
Kelli Sager represents television and radio broadcasters, cable companies, newspapers, magazines, motion picture producers, web publishers and internet companies and others in all areas of media and entertainment litigation, including privacy, defamation, access, internet law and copyright and trademark law. In particular, she has represented media companies and journalists, advocating for rights of access to government information and defending against claims that threaten to infringe upon important First Amendment rights, including defense against defamation and privacy suits, opposing the imposition of prior restraints and defending journalists against intrusive subpoenas. She is widely acknowledged for having prevailed in numerous cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal, the California Supreme Court and the California Courts of Appeal. Sager has been recognized among the top lawyers in her field by such publications as Chambers USA, Best Lawyers in America and the Daily Journal. She has served in leadership roles in many non-profit organizations, including chairing committees for the American Bar Association, International Bar Association, and Media Law Resource Center, and serving on committees for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal.
The Beverly Hills Bar Association, founded in 1931, is the fifth largest bar association in California with nearly 5,000 members. Its mission is to serve its members, to lead the legal profession and to advocate for justice in the community. Previous Beverly Hills Bar Association Litigation Dinner honorees include Former Chief Justice of California Ronald M. George; Presiding Justice Norman Epstein; The Hon. Christina A. Snyder; Judge Michael Nash; The Hon. Arthur Gilbert; The Hon. Stephen Reinhardt; Justice Laurie D. Zelon; Justice Lee Smalley Edmon; Roman Silberfeld; Tom Girardi; Marshall B. Grossman; Browne Greene; Thomas J. Nolan; Morgan Chu; William M. Shernoff and Daniel Grunfeld.
Tickets for the “Beverly Hills Bar Association Litigation Awards Dinner” are $320 per person ($345 after February 12). The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills is located at 300 South Doheny Drive in Los Angeles. For tickets and information call (310) 601-2422 or visit www.bhba.org.
WHO/WHAT:
Beverly Hills Bar Association 9th Annual “BHBA Litigation Awards Dinner” honoring:
Justice Audrey B. Collins, Associate Justice of Division Four of the Second District of the California Court of Appeal, who receives the “Ronald M. George Award for Judicial Excellence”;
Kelli Sager, leading trial lawyer and Partner of Davis Wright Tremaine LLP, who receives the “Excellence in Advocacy Award”
WHEN:
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 5:30 PM
WHERE:
The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills
300 South Doheny Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90048
TICKETS/INFORMATION:
$320 ($345 after February 12, 2019)
(310) 601-2422
visit www.bhba.org.
