WLALA's Executive Committee with Supervisor Holly Mitchell (from left to right): Jeannine Taylor, Noelle Natoli, Mary McKelvey, Supervisor Holly Mitchell, Janet Hong, Jennie Wang VonCannon and Farah Tabibkhoei
As we enter the month of February, I pause to ponder the enigma and many faces of “love” and to explore its place in all aspects of my life—including the practice of law, professional relationships, and my leadership roles. We are all familiar with the romanticized version of love—the heart-pounding evocation of emotion that allows us to soar to great heights or send us crashing to new depths of grief or pain. But there are so many other facets of this thing called love. Authentic love is fearless, wise, and true; and the power of this love lies in its ability to unify.     
Paid Family Leave: Join the Movement

presented by WLALA's Legislation Committee
Dessert Tasting Fundraiser & Virtual Social

presented by WLALA's Young Lawyers Committee together with Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance (APAWLA)
On Wednesday, February 16, 2022, from 5:00pm to 6:00pm, WLALA and APAWLA will hold a virtual dessert tasting and social event with desserts provided by Cottage Confectionary.
All proceeds will go to the WLALA Foundation Charitable Fund and APAWLA Giving Circle. Click below to make your tax-deductible donations to these worthy organizations:
Volunteer to Support Our Immigrant Communities, Including Afghan Refugees

presented by WLALA's Public Interest Law Committee
27th Annual Litigators Forum: The Future of Litigation As We Emerge From Covid-19

presented by WLALA's Litigation Section
Save the Date! WLALA's 27th Annual Litigators Forum will be on March 16, 2022. Look for an email with details.
Charitable Fund Campaign Surpasses Goal:
A Thank You to Our Generous Sponsors
Thanks to your generous contributions, WLALA Foundation's Charitable Fund reached its goal to raise over $30,000 so that WLALA fellows and scholars can continue sowing the seeds of justice in our community. We reached our goal and even surpassed it, raising $36,796.
 
We are so grateful to every donor. The 2022 Charitable Fund Campaign highlighted a number of inspiring women who have contributed to our community as WLALA fellows and scholarship recipients. Indeed, over the past 14 years, WLALA Foundation has awarded nearly a quarter of a million dollars to scholars, fellows, and community partners. The Charitable Fund sows the seeds of justice by supporting these public interest-minded high school and law students with scholarships and initiating lasting legal programs through the summer fellows. Past recipients provided legal support to women veterans, immigrants, the unhoused, those re-entering society after incarceration, and promoted initiatives to raise awareness on topics of healthcare, educational equity, and intimate partner violence. Thanks to you, WLALA’s impact will also grow this spring as the WLALA Foundation selects its 2022 scholarship and fellowship recipients.
 
All of your donations directly benefited the Charitable Fund’s efforts – 100%. While the Charitable Campaign formally ended on January 31, donations are welcome year-round.
Hon. Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship
The WLALA Foundation is pleased to offer the 2022 Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded annually to a woman high school senior who is (a) interested in the field of law or public service and (b) who was inspired in this career choice by the WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program, the WLALA organization, or by a WLALA leader.

Judge 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 visit courthouses to have lunch with judges, lawyers, courtroom staff, and members of law enforcement.

The recipient of the Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship will receive up to $5,000 and be announced publicly at the WLALA Installation Dinner in September, which recipients are required to attend.

To be eligible, an applicant must meet the following requirements:
  • Be a woman high school senior;
  • Interested in the field of law or in public service;
  • Inspired to pursue this career choice by:
  1. the WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program;
  2. the WLALA organization; or
  3. a WLALA leader.

To apply, please submit all of the following information/materials:

  • Your contact information (name, email address, and phone number);
  • A personal statement addressing where you have applied to college and/or where you have been accepted into college, your career goals, and how you were inspired to pursue this career by the WLALA Foundation’s Power Lunch Program, the WLALA organization, or a WLALA leader. Your personal statement must be typed, double-spaced, and a maximum of three pages;
  • Your high school transcript, including grades for fall semester 2021; and
  • A minimum of one letter of recommendation and a maximum of three letters of recommendation.

Email your completed application to: info@wlala.org (please include “2022 Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship Application” in the email subject line) or mail your completed application to Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles, Attn: 2022 Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship Application, 634 South Spring Street, Suite 617, Los Angeles, CA 90014.

All applications must be emailed or postmarked no later than April 30, 2022.

Questions about the WLALA Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell Scholarship should be directed to Kay Burt at info@wlala.org.
RBG Equality Scholarships 
“[I]f you want to be a true professional, you will do something outside yourself… something to make life a little better for people less fortunate than you." - Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

The WLALA Foundation is pleased to offer 2022 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg Equality Scholarships, tuition scholarships to law students who plan to follow in the footsteps of Justice Ginsburg by fighting for social justice, equality and inclusion, and have a demonstrated commitment to issues affecting women, children, minorities, or other historically marginalized groups.

As it did last year, the WLALA Foundation will award one-time tuition scholarships of a minimum of $5,000 for the 2022-2023 academic year to law students whose prior and current activities, and future plans demonstrate a commitment to issues affecting women, children, racial minorities, or other historically marginalized groups. The scholarships will be announced publicly at the WLALA Installation Dinner in September 2022, which recipients are required to attend.

To be eligible, students must meet the following requirements:

  • Be currently enrolled in an accredited law school, and plan to be so enrolled in the 2022-2023 academic year;
  • Upon graduation from law school, plan to practice law in Los Angeles County or engage in legal work that affects Los Angeles County; and
  • Be in the top fifty percent of their class.
Coming Soon: Fran Kandel Fellowship
The WLALA Foundation Fran Kandel Public Interest Fellowship enables law students to work with an organization or individually to develop and implement a project in the field of public interest law, in the spirit of Fran Kandel. The application period will be open soon!
Member News
Last month, the Honorable Magdalena Reyes Bordeaux was appointed to the Riverside Division of the Bankruptcy Courts for the Central District of California! She makes history as the first Latina to be appointed to the bankruptcy bench in the Central District of California. 

Congratulations, Judge Reyes Bordeaux!
On March 6, 2022, the Jewish Free Loan Association (JFLA) will honor WLALA's Immediate Past President Jessica Kronstadt at its annual gala, which is entitled "Wonder Women: A Gala to Honor Leading Women of Los Angeles."
Congratulations to WLALA Board Member Julie R. F. Gerchik, who has been named by the Los Angeles Times' B2B Publishing as a “Leader in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.”
In January 2022, Marina A. Torres joined Halpern May Ybarra Gelberg LLP from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California, where she was the Interim Opioids Coordinator for the International Narcotics, Money Laundering and Racketeering section. She is also running for Los Angeles City Attorney.
Welcome to Our New Members
Itzayary Aguilar
Stephanie Anaya-Sernett
Susanna Behnam
Julia Berthel
Isabel Cristina Alonso Bezerra-Zara
Jeryll Cohen
Brigitta Cymerint
Sharra Duggan
Casey Elford
Delmy Escobar
Kaitlyn Fry
Katherine Gaermacheva
Hon. Rupa Goswami
Clare Hawley
Nazee Heda
Jessie Hoch
Willow Karfiol
Carly Klein
Stavroula Kyriazis
Lisa Lim
Karen Maghen
Shelby Meskin
Inga Middleton
Patsy Moore
Denise Munguia
Dzina Nelson
Jennifer Oh
Heather Pearson
Jeanna Richards
Cailin Ruff
Courtney Schwan
Iliana Tapia
Alex Watson Tremellen
Sherry William
Geraldine A. Wyle
Career Center
Did you know that your WLALA membership allows you to access our exclusive Career Center? The Career Center has employment opportunities ranging from non-profit organizations to government employers to law firms.
WLALA Webinar Recordings
WLALA webinars have been recorded and are available for purchase. Following your purchase, access to the recording will be sent via email. If MCLE credit applies, the materials will be sent after we receive confirmation that the video has been viewed.
iDepo will make a donation to WLALA if you schedule a court reporting or videotaped deposition with them as follows:

  • $20 donation to WLALA for each court reporting services of at least 100 pages per day.
  • $50 donation to WLALA for each videotaped deposition with at least 100 pages per day.

When scheduling, please email or call and mention code "WLALA." 
Email Calendar@iDepoReporters.com or call 323-393-3768. 

iDepo will send donations to WLALA within 90 days after receipt of payment of invoices.
Nadia Sarkis
Nadia Sarkis is a partner at Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland, LLP, a law firm dedicated to civil appellate practice. As an appellate lawyer, she is both a generalist and a specialist—a generalist in that she has worked on civil appeals of all kinds, from constitutional law questions to arbitration disputes to product liability and tort claims, but also a specialist in that she brings to bear her deep knowledge of appellate practice and procedure. Her experience as a trial lawyer makes her adept at working hand-in-hand with trial counsel to set up and preserve issues for appeal. In a sea of turgid legal writing, she also works to bring her client's cases to life with structured and vivid writing that keeps in mind that even judges and her fellow advocates appreciate and benefit from a well-argued case.  

When she's not parsing legal issues—and, on occasion, when she is—Nadia enjoys travel, painting, attempting to play classical guitar, and cooking with her school-aged boys.

Nadia joined WLALA with an eye toward taking a leadership position and giving back as a mentor, having benefitted immensely from others’ mentorship during her legal career. She is now a member of WLALA’s Amicus Briefs Committee, which evaluates cases raising legal and public policy issues affecting women. Welcome, Nadia!
Attorneys of Color See Record Jump in Associate Representation
by Dylan Jackson

This article was published in The American Lawyer. You must have a subscription to view this article.
Judiciary and Law Student Speed Mentoring
APABA-Los Angeles, in collaboration with the California Asian-Pacific American Judges Association (CAPAJA) Law School Committee, APAWLA, SCCLA and TABA, is inviting API law students to receive virtual mentorship and advice from judicial officers.  Free registration for southern California judicial officers and law students.
ICLC Housing Justice Post-Graduate Fellowships
Inner City Law Center (ICLC) is a non-profit poverty law firm headquartered in Los Angeles’ Skid Row neighborhood. ICLC has been serving the poorest and most vulnerable individuals and families in Los Angeles County since its inception in a Skid Row soup kitchen in 1980. Founded on the basic principle that every human being should always be treated with dignity and respect, ICLC’s staff of more than 100 attorneys, paralegals, tenant organizers, and other professionals provides free legal representation to thousands of homeless and working poor clients.

ICLC is offering full-time, two- and three-year legal fellowships beginning in Fall 2022 to current third-year law students or recent law school graduates in the following practice areas: Homelessness Prevention, Landlord/Tenant, Eviction Defense, Citation Clearing, and Public Benefits.
APAWLA Young Lawyers and Law Students (YLLS) is having an ongoing Resume Review Workshop. To participate you must be an active APAWLA member. Please send in a Word copy of your resume and/or cover letter to apawla.ylls@gmail.com. You will be assigned an APAWLA board member who will review and suggest revisions in the document with track changes. The anticipated turnaround for feedback is one week. Please be sure to maintain prompt communication. This is an ongoing workshop open until the end of the pandemic.
JALBCA's Monthly Breast Cancer Support Group
Judges and Lawyers Breast Cancer Alert ("JALBCA") is pleased to announce that it has established a Support Group for legal professionals and their loved ones who have been touched by breast cancer. The group will meet by Zoom from 6-7 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month. Upcoming Support Group meetings will be on February 3, 2022, March 3, 2022, April 7, 2022, May 5, 2022, and June 2, 2022.

Please join us to share your experiences and feelings in an inclusive and confidential environment with JALBCA members and other legal professionals and their loved ones who recently have been diagnosed with breast cancer and/or are breast cancer survivors and/or have otherwise been touched by breast cancer.
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