President's Message

The telltale signs are all around us – the month of May is finally here.  No, it’s not the weather to which I refer.  At least, not the weather here.  I was just at a wedding in rural Illinois the last weekend in April, and it snowed.  Yes, it was April 27, and we had a full on blizzard with four to eight inches descending on us in the space of 24 hours, requiring us to, among other things, frantically try to locate a windshield scraper for a rental car we had obtained three days earlier in 70 degree weather.  P.S. the wedding pictures are a wondrous juxtaposition of blooming tulips, sleeveless dresses, and soft white snowflakes descending everywhere.  It really was magical, albeit cold.

So, how do we know it’s May?  At WLALA, we know it’s May again because we can see our jam-packed calendar of programs in a steady lineup of offerings as we head into summer.   There is just something about the month of May such that year after year, we see our speakers and committees gravitate toward May dates as they put on the finishing touches to bring their long-planned concepts into reality.  So I will tell you now and forever, save some time on your calendar in May to take advantage, because there is so much going on!

We started off May with a blockbuster symposium on the status of women in the legal profession, entitled “A Decade After A Call to Action: Where Are We Now.”  This program was the collaborative brainchild of the WLALA-LACBA Joint Task Force Co-Chairs Jessica Kronstadt and Gabrielle Brumbach, both of whom did a phenomenal job, with the assistance of many other volunteers, of lining up speakers and topics to cover many aspects of the past, present and future of women in all facets of the legal profession and legal industry.

If you missed that, don’t worry; there is plenty more to come.  On May 7, 2019, WLALA’s Diversity Committee will be offering a program on “Diverse Women and Battling Bias in the Legal Profession.”  Featuring speakers from in-house, academia, and private practice, this program will offer perspectives and insight galore, as well as 1 hour of Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession MCLE credit.

On May 15, 2019, WLALA’s Young Lawyers Section presents “Finding Your Voice: Effective Communication Strategies for Young Lawyers.”  With panelists from Big Law litigation, small firms, corporate law and government, to discuss how they effectively communicate with different audiences, from a courtroom to a boardroom, this is sure to be a program offering something for everyone to help them find and refine their voice.

And on May 20, 2019, WLALA’s Pro Choice and Reproductive Rights committee presents, “Reproductive Rights: Action & Advocacy Training for Attorneys.”  In this program, attendees will learn how to act to protect and defend reproductive rights, including by taking on pro bono work, learning how to submit federal comments for rules that impact reproductive health, and learning how to advocate for legislation supporting reproductive rights.

In the meantime, tickle your generosity bone and your fashionista bone and join us at a Food from the Bar event to raise funds and volunteer services for the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank, or our May 11, 2019 Shopping and Champagne event to shop the Carlisle Collection while raising funds for WLALA Foundation.

Yes, it really is May, and soon to be June.  We look forward to seeing you now, tomorrow and later.  Join us and don’t miss these amazing programming offerings and opportunities to be a part of our very active community.