President's Message

Jennifer Leland
WLALA President 2019-2020

October 2019

Thank you to everyone who attended WLALA’s Centennial Celebration on September 21! It was a wonderful way to say goodbye to summer and hello to the start of WLALA’s 2019-2020 board year. In case you were unable to attend, you can view photos of the event in this newsletter and watch the 100th anniversary video put together by the History Project Committee on WLALA’s website. The celebration of WLALA’s 100th anniversary also continues this month – on October 16, the National Association of Women Judges (NAWJ) will be holding a reception at Walt Disney Concert Hall to celebrate NAWJ’s 40th anniversary and WLALA’s 100th anniversary. Tickets may be purchased through the link on WLALA’s website. I hope to see you there!

As you may have heard me mention, one of my goals this year is to increase WLALA’s engagement within the legal community and among our membership. October is filled with opportunities to connect with one another. The Center for Women in Law is hosting the 2019 Women in Law Institute, an all-day, intensive workshop for law students, judicial clerks, and LLMs, on October 18.  Attorney volunteers with seven or more years of experience are needed to lead small group discussions. The WLALA Golf League will be playing at the beautiful Ojai Valley Inn Golf Course on October 19. The Career Mentoring Committee will be holding its first mentoring event of the year on October 25. We also have a terrific program planned by the Career Development and Life Balance Committee: Women on the Move: Planning for and Making the Most of Professional Transitions. Each of these events offers a different way to become more engaged in the community, meet other members of WLALA and grow your network. Details about these events can be found in this newsletter and on WLALA’s website.

On a more somber note, October is also National Domestic Violence Awareness Month. This month I encourage you to show your support for victims and survivors by supporting WLALA’s Domestic Violence Project and signing up to volunteer at the drop-in legal clinic in Santa Monica. The clinic is sponsored by the Domestic Violence Project in conjunction with Sojourn, which has provided support and services to women and children harmed by domestic violence since 1977. The legal clinic is staffed entirely by volunteer attorneys. No prior experience is necessary.  Go – even if only once. I guarantee you will make a difference in someone’s life.

Share
Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Email
Print