• President's Message by Janet Hong
• Dismantling Abortion Stigma, by Dipti Singh, General Counsel of Planned Parenthood of Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, Inc.
• Honoring Our Women Legal Trailblazers: Board of Governors Member Judge Holly Fujie
• WLALA and WLALA Foundation Accepting Applications for 2023-2024 Board Year
• WLALA Power Lunch Program
• Photos from WLALA's First Meet and Greet: Women of the Bench!
• WLALA Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of LA Law Library Beacon of Justice Gala
• WLALA Mentoring Program for Lawyers x Law Students
• Food From the Bar is Back: WLALA Volunteers on May 13th and 26th
• WLALA Membership Meeting -- May 9, 2023
• Perspectives on the Racial Justice Act -- May 18, 2023
• In the Post-Covid World, Does Telework “Work”? -- May 23,2023
• Strategies for Success in Business Development -- May 24, 2023
• Inclusivity, Intersectionality and Becoming a Better Ally in the Legal Profession -- May 26, 2023
• Igniting WLALA Golf League 2.0 -- May 31, 2023
• Save the Date! WLALA Foundation Summer Fundraiser -- June 15, 2023 
• Save the Date! WLALA Installation Dinner -- September 29, 2023
• Post-Roe Resources: Pro Choice and Reproductive Rights Committee of WLALA
• Member News
• Welcome New Members!
• California Employment Lawyers Association, Breaking Stereotypes: Forging Your Own Path as a CELA Attorney, May 10, 2023
• APABA Unity Night, May 17, 2023
• CWL 2023 Annual Conference, May 19, 2023
• Italian American Lawyers Association Presents Criminal Justice Leadership in Southern California, May 24, 2023
• Apply to Become a Lawyer Representative with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, June 2, 2023
• Italian American Lawyers Association Celebrates Pride Month with Discussion of Implicit Bias in the Courtroom, June 14, 2023

Growing up in one of the only Korean families in Culver City in the early 80s, church was where my siblings and I found culture: Korean language class, Taekwondo, art class, and yes, fan dancing. This future Division I basketball player delighted in glitter sprinkling over her outfit every time she thrust open her fan on beat. But my parents’ tireless efforts to teach us Korean tradition was coupled with a deep fear of discrimination. I remember reciting the news on KNX 1070 every morning on the way to school. We might look like we just came here, but damn, our English was impeccable. 

Despite the dominant narrative that that AAPIs are thriving, Southeast Asian Americans (SEAA) still struggle with socioeconomic insecurity. All SEAA ethnic groups have lower per capita incomes than average; one of every four Hmong Americans live in poverty. Despite the contributions from the AAPI community to this country, AAPIs still face otherness, xenophobia, racialized misogyny and gender stereotyping, and violence. What helps me deal with microaggressions is knowing my history, learning the various stories of AAPI resilience, and building coalitions of solidarity with other non-AAPI communities. This practice is something I hope future generations learn to lean on as a foundation from which to tackle these issues. 

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, I researched some online content for a refresher on AAPI history. Below are some excellent resources from PBS: 

Why Do We Say "Asian American" Not "Oriental"? (7 min) The word Oriental is hundreds of years old, so why do Americans no longer use it? And how did the word “Asian American” take its place? 

Queen Lili’uokalani - The First and Last Queen of Hawai’i (12 min) Queen Lili‘uokalani (1838-1917) was the first sovereign queen, and the last monarch of Hawai‘i, who assumed the throne in the midst of a government coup by American business owners supported by the U.S. military. After being deposed and placed under house arrest, she fought to preserve native Hawaiian rights and traditions.

Free Chol Soo Lee (1 hr, 30 min) Sentenced to life for a 1973 San Francisco murder, Korean immigrant Chol Soo Lee was set free after a pan-Asian solidarity movement -- which included Korean, Japanese, and Chinese Americans -- helped overturn his conviction. After 10 years of fighting for his life inside California state prisons, Lee found himself in a new fight to meet the high expectations of the people who believed in him. 

WLALA is co-sponsoring AAPI Unity night at Loyola Law School on May 17, 2023, at 6:00 p.m., a collaboration between APABA, APAWLA, and the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic. I hope you will join us for this panel and reception to discuss the future of DACA and its impact on AAPI communities, in the spirit of Access to Justice!

Dismantling Abortion Stigma

by Dipti Singh

Dipti Singh is the General Counsel of Planned Parenthood of Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley, Inc.

Many of you have likely been following the lawsuit anti-abortion extremists filed in federal court in Texas seeking to effectively ban access to mifepristone, one of two drugs used in the most common medication abortion regimen in the United States. The plaintiffs’ filings and lower court rulings are rife with bad science and law and misinformation. They also utilize charged and stigmatizing language referring, for example, to the health care clinicians who provide abortions as “abortionists.” There is obviously a lot to unpack in that case, but one issue that might not immediately come to mind is the role of abortion stigma. 

Abortion stigma is a set of shared societal or group understandings that abortion is bad, wrong, unacceptable, or shameful. These negative associations attach not only to the abortion itself but also to the people who provide and obtain abortions. Abortion stigma exists in all aspects of society, at the individual, interpersonal, and institutional levels.  

Abortion opponents weaponize stigma as a means to build and maintain barriers to abortion. These barriers can take a wide variety of forms, including through laws that restrict, ban, or criminalize abortion and organizational policies that result in people feeling that they are doing something shameful or wrong when they obtain an abortion. Abortion stigma is reflected at the individual and interpersonal level, when we shy away from saying or talking about abortion in certain spaces, consider some reasons for seeking abortions more compelling that others, find a certain number of abortions more acceptable than others, or wonder about the reasons people seek abortions later in pregnancy. Abortion stigma can also be at play when we wear abortion positive shirts to a rally, but not to school pick up or work events. Abortion stigma could be the reason we pause when we hear that a person of financial means in a stable relationship obtained one or more abortions. Abortion stigma also intersects with other types of oppressions and stigmas, for example, anti-trans stigma.  

Each of us has internalized abortion stigma. If we are going to break the cycle of abortion stigma, we each have to become more aware of our individual roles in perpetuating it. It is through this work that we can move towards changing our thoughts and behaviors to dismantle abortion stigma. As you fight to maintain and expand access to high quality, affordable abortions, without struggle, shame, or fear, I hope you will reflect on your own internalized abortion stigma. 

I encourage you to explore and move towards correcting your personal abortion stigmas by taking a training my colleagues at Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley, Inc. created. They have designed the online module to help you better understand abortion stigma and its impacts; help you identify abortion stigma when you encounter it; and provide you with the tools to dismantle and overcome abortion stigma.

Honoring Our Women Legal Trailblazers:

Judge Holly J. Fujie

WLALA Board of Governors Member Judge Holly J. Fujie recently reflected on her decades of involvement with WLALA. The words below are her own and only lightly edited. For more background on Judge Fujie's distinguished career, see the link to her biography below.

I became a WLALA member shortly after being admitted to the bar in 1978. Joining then was a no-brainer, since I recently graduated from U.C. Berkeley School of Law at a time when there were few women in the profession. When I joined my then-large and venerable law firm, Adams, Duque & Hazeltine (now long disbanded), they had never had a woman partner. The women associates were assured when I started that “someday there will be!” I was also the only minority attorney in the firm. 

I do not remember attending many WLALA events when I first joined, as I was busy keeping my head above water in the practice. After meeting a few WLALA officers, however, I was asked to join the Board in the early 1990s. It was my first Board membership, and I remember being extremely flattered by the invitation and eager to become more involved. One of my first Board assignments was as Co-Chair of the Development Committee, which was charged with running the Summer Reception & Silent Auction (the precursor to WLALAPalooza). I remember how hard everyone worked on the event, but I most fondly recall the organized chaos and the immense fun of “Basket-Making Day” where we met at someone’s home to put together dozens of gorgeous and tempting baskets of items for auction, with themes running from Sports to Babies to Pets to Spa Days, and where I was inspired to start my now 30+ year tradition of donating antique jewelry to the auction each year from my collection. Working on this event was a perfect introduction to the incredible Sisterhood that was and continues to be WLALA -- tons of enthusiastic WLALA members and friends coming together to bring about a great result for the organization. From that point on I was hooked. I have been hooked on WLALA ever since. 

So many of the great leaders in the profession I know are women I met through WLALA, and many, like Michelle Williams Court, Karla Kerlin, Melissa Widdifield, Cathy Ostiller and Nicole Bershon, are now cherished colleagues of mine on the Los Angeles Superior Court. I have been very happy to see WLALA and its leadership become more diverse through the years. I was privileged to serve on the WLALA Nominations Committee when the first API President of WLALA, Helen Kim, was elected, and am now delighted to serve under the amazing Janet Hong as President with Jennie Wang VonCannon on her way up the ladder. 

After having gotten a taste for bar involvement through WLALA, I have gone on to serve as a Board member and lead too many organizations to count, from Chair of the Board of Bet Tzedek Legal Services to President of the California State Bar to Chair of the State Bar Council on Access & Fairness to President of the California Asian Pacific American Judges Association, and I credit WLALA’s leadership training for that involvement, which has enriched my life immeasurably. WLALA’s emphasis on mentorship has also led me to serve as a mentor to students, lawyers and judges at points throughout their careers, and their professional success has given me incredible personal satisfaction. My involvement with WLALA also significantly contributed to my own decision to apply to the bench, and WLALA’s endorsement was, I believe, a substantial factor in my appointment. 

I have enjoyed all aspects of my involvement with WLALA, but I am particularly honored to now serve as WLALA’s liaison to the Sister Bars, as I have long served on the Board of one of the Sister Bars, the Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance, and also as WLALA’s liaison to the Multi-Cultural Bar Alliance of Southern California, on which I serve as Co-Chair. WLALA is the richer for its ever-strengthening connections to the diverse organizations that make the Los Angeles legal community one of the most vibrant and influential in the country.

Receiving WLALA’s Distinguished Service Award and, incredibly, the Ernestine Stahlhut Award, count without a doubt as two of the highlights of my life, but an even more lasting source of joy has been the many lifelong friendships I have made through WLALA. WLALA has made me into the leader I am today and I am incredibly grateful for the immeasurably significant role WLALA has played in my life and in my career as a lawyer and now as a judge.  

WLALA and WLALA Foundation Accepting Applications for the 2023-2024 Board Year

WLALA and WLALA Foundation are now accepting 2023-2024 Board of Governors applications. WE NEED YOU to promote the advancement of women lawyers and judges from diverse perspectives and racial and ethnic backgrounds, to maintain the integrity of our legal system by advocating principles of fairness and equality, and to improve the status of women by supporting the exercise of equal rights, equal representation, and reproductive choice! The application deadline is May 31, 2023.

WLALA Power Lunch Program

Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell -- a long-time board member of WLALA -- created the Power Lunch Program to provide civic education, judicial mentorship and exposure to the judicial branch to local high school students. As part of the Power Lunch Program, students come to courthouses and have lunch with judges, lawyers, courtroom staff and members of law enforcement. Approximately 75 students attend each lunch and hear presentations about the Constitution and our legal system. Later, the students break into smaller groups for personal interactions with judges and lawyers. Photos below from last month's Power Lunch held at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse.

Meet & Greet: Women of the Bench!

WLALA held its first ever Women of the Bench event on April 20th at Everson Royce Bar in downtown Los Angeles. The sold out event welcomed over 75 attendees and provided an incredible opportunity for newer and more seasoned practitioners, as well as law students, to chat with local judicial officers.

Taking a moment to celebrate their commitment to the advancement of women in the legal profession (from left to right): WLALA Board of Governors Member Judge Jana Seng, Judge Nicole M. Heeseman, Judge Lynn Hobbs, Judge Julie Fox Blackshaw, Judge Jessica A. Uzcategui, Judge Pamela Villanueva, WLALA Board of Governors Member Holly Fujie, Judge Yvette Verastegui, Judge Michelle Kazadi, and WLALA Board of Governors Member Michelle De Casas.

At left, anticipating a successful evening (from left to right): WLALA Board of Governors Member Judge Jana Seng, President Janet Hong, and WLALA Board of Governors Member Judge Michelle De Casas.

Below, already planning next year's Meet and Greet (from left to right): President Janet Hong, Past President Jessica Kronstadt, President Elect Jeannine Taylor, WLALA Foundation President Jennifer Leland, and Communications Officer Brigit Greeson Alvarez.

The crowd listens attentively to WLALA Board of Governors Member Judge Jana Seng as she invites attendees to guess which "fun facts" correspond to each judicial officer, including which judge is also a stand-up comedian.

WLALA Celebrates the 20th Anniversary of

LA Law Library Beacon of Justice Gala

Past President Angela S. Haskins (left) shares a moment with the evening's honoree, Isabelle R. Gunning, Mayor Tom Bradley Professor of Law/ Director of Critical Race, Gender and Sexuality Studies Concentration at Southwestern Law School.

A mini-WLALA reunion at the Gala (from left to right): Andrea Sheridan Ordin, Board of Governors member Shawn Dabby Jacobs, Board of Governors member Leana Taing, Board of Governors member Judge Laura Seigle, and past President Angela S. Haskins.

WLALA Needs YOU to Mentor a Law Student

WLALA needs attorney mentor volunteers like YOU 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.

Fifteen Years of Food from the Bar

WLALA Volunteer Days: May 13th and 26th

SIGN UP HERE TO VOLUNTEER WITH WLALA ON MAY 13TH

It is May, and that means it’s Food from the Bar time – time to donate and volunteer at the Los Angeles Regional Food Bank to help alleviate child hunger in Los Angeles. WLALA has been a leader in Food from the Bar since the campaign began 15 years ago. The campaign will run through May 31. For those new to WLALA, Food from the Bar is an annual “friendly competition” among law firm and legal offices to raise funds, donate food, and volunteer at the Feeding America-affiliated, Los Angeles Regional Food Bank.

This year, the Food Bank has brought back Friends and Family Volunteer Days – at which children as young as five years old can participate in the volunteer activities, sorting produce and packing food. Friends and Family Volunteer Days will occur on Saturday mornings from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 pm. on May 6, 13, and 20. While you can volunteer on any of these days, we’ve created a sign up for WLALA members to volunteer together on May 13. If you would like to volunteer with other members of WLALA and their friends and family, please REGISTER HERE. Hope to see you there!

If Saturday volunteer sessions are inconvenient for you, we have also organized a weekday volunteer opportunity to be held on Friday, May 26th from 1:00 to 3:30 p.m. at the Los Angeles Volunteer Center- 1701 E. 41st Place, Los Angeles, 90058. If you are interested in volunteering on May 26th, please REGISTER HERE. The minimum age for this session is 18. 

If you cannot volunteer, you can still support the campaign by donating online at WLALA’s Food from the Bar donation page. (Thank you to Luci-Ellen Chun for being the first WLALA member to make an online donation this year.) Or you can write a check made payable to Los Angeles Regional Food Bank and send it to Kay Burt at WLALA. All amounts – no matter how large or small – will have an impact. Every $1 donated translates into up to four meals that the Food Bank can provide.  All contributions are welcome -- no matter the amount -- as many small contributions add up to big impact for hungry children in our community.

If you have any questions or would like further information about how you or your office can get involved, please reach out to WLALA’s Food from the Bar liaison, Kathleen M. McDowell, at Kathleen.mcdowell@mto.com.

WLALA Town Hall on Bylaws:

We Want to Hear From You!

Please join us for the upcoming Town Hall Meeting to modernize WLALA's bylaws. Attendees will also have the opportunity to ask questions and share concerns regarding the proposed changes with WLALA's Executive Committee.

Tuesday,

May 9, 2023

6:00 p.m.

To view the current bylaws, CLICK HERE.

To view the updated bylaws, CLICK HERE.

To view the bylaws PowerPoint, CLICK HERE.

Zoom information will be sent via email after registration.

Defense Practice and Prosecution Perspective on the Racial Justice Act

WLALA Criminal Justice Section Presents:

The California Racial Justice Act (“RJA”), codified in Penal Code section 745, prohibits the State from seeking or obtaining a criminal conviction or imposing a sentence based on race, ethnicity, or national origin. It provides those who have been harmed by racial bias and discrimination in the criminal legal system the right to seek relief. Please join us in the presentation of this landmark legislation, which will define the RJA, its legislative intent and remedies, how Appellate Courts have interpreted RJA thus far, defense recognition of and preparation of RJA claims, and prosecution perspective and discovery as it relates to the RJA.

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles is a California State Bar approved MCLE provider. This program is approved for 1.0 hour of general Elimination of Bias CLE credit.

In the Post-Covid World, Does Telework “Work”?

WLALA-LACBA Joint Task Force Presents:

Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles is a California State Bar approved MCLE provider. This program is approved for 1.0 hour of Competence Issues CLE credit.

Strategies for Success in Business Development

WLALA Business Law Section Presents:

Join us for a moderated discussion with expert legal recruiters regarding how to build your legal practice and set yourself up for success, particularly in the current uncertain legal landscape.

Inclusivity, Intersectionality and

Becoming a Better Ally in the Legal Profession

WLALA In-House Counsel Section Presents:

This seminar will explore how to be a consistent, effective ally – someone who supports equality, stands up for the rights of others, and can be a powerful voice alongside underrepresented individuals or groups. In this seminar, you will learn about:

• The neuroscience of in-group and out-group bias
• Intersectionality and valuing the multiplicity of identities held by an individual (i.e., the “whole self”)
• Creating space so teams can thrive with a diversity of backgrounds, approaches and knowledge to find common ground
• Techniques for holding yourself and others accountable for words and actions
• How to amplify the voices of those who may be underrepresented

Cooley LLP is a California State Bar approved MCLE provider. This program is approved for 1.0 hour of general Elimination of Bias CLE credit.

Igniting WLALA Golf League 2.0

Ready to begin or up your golf game? We welcome you to our golf seminar and 19th hole reception. WLALA Golf League 2.0 is perfect for beginners and those returning to the game of golf. WLALA Golf League started 10 years ago at The Lakes in El Segundo. Over 200 women lawyers or legal related professionals golfed with us in multiple league series. Learn from this dynamic panel as they discuss how golf affects careers and receive advice on golf etiquette, rules, equipment, and lessons. We will reveal survey results and plans for the new WLALA Golf League 2.0. 

More experienced players golf with our Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) affinity group (WLALA SCGA). We encourage players ready to donate or trade their beginner clubs to connect with our new golfers at this seminar.

WLALA SCGA Members

WLALA Board of Governors Member

Judge Holly J. Fujie

Receives One of LACBA's Highest Honors

LACBA’s 2023 Philip H. Lam Diversity Impact Award goes to WLALA Board of Governors Member Honorable Holly J. Fujie of the Los Angeles County Superior Court for her long and distinguished history of increasing inclusion and diversity in the practice of law. Judge Fujie was appointed to the bench in 2011 by former governor Jerry Brown. Prior, she served as shareholder at Buchalter Nemer, APC where she practiced corporate civil litigation for 20 years. Judge Fujie, who is of Japanese descent, was the first Asian-American to serve as President of the California State Bar Association during her term in 2008-2009.

Welcome to Our New Members

Nicole Adekoya

Justine Barraza

Ashley Bustamante

Claudia Diaz Martinez

Vanessa Dingillo

Susan Donjuan Lanzas

Lydia Engel

Katherine Hikida

Alissa Joe

Ashley Kim

Louisa Kirakosian

Juilee Lavekar

Brenda Martinez

Fallon Martinez

Sabrina Medler

Free Pierre

Elizabeth Potts

Mia Randazzo

Maira Rios

Tallin Moyer

Nadia Salcedo

Shannon Saul

Michelle Sugihara

Kinga Tabares

Katrina Torrealba

Alison Worthington

Please send completed applications no later than June 2, 2023, to LawyerReps_CACD@cacd.uscourts.gov.

We Need YOU!

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!

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.