Lawyers Club Blog (ARCHIVE)

San Diego is fortunate to have a judiciary that is active in the legal community and bar associations. Lawyers Club is especially fortunate to count so many members of the judiciary as strong supporters of Lawyers Club and our mission. We are proud to host the annual Bench-Bar Luncheon on February 20, 2020. This event provides an excellent opportunity for our members to interact with our judges. I especially encourage our younger members who may have little experience in the courtroom to introduce yourselves to our approachable and respected members of the bench.
 

To much fanfare, on January 15, Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (“ERA”) to the Constitution, a proposed amendment guaranteeing equal rights to all citizens regardless of sex.
 

As many of you know, women of color face many obstacles in the legal profession. Studies have shown that the combination, or intersectionality, of race and gender has a particularly devastating effect on the professional lives of women of color. For example, Black women only earn 65% of wages earned by men and Latinas 62%. Women of color are also much more likely to leave the private practice or the legal profession entirely. While the Judicial Council of California does not identify demographics for judges based on a combination of gender and race, its annual judicial survey has shown that Asians comprise of 7.8%, Blacks comprise of 7.5%, and Latinos comprise 10.8% of superior court judges.
 

This week marks the 47th anniversary of the Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade, which established a constitutional right for women to have a safe abortion. While some have criticized the decision on legal and ethical grounds, this landmark decision on women’s reproductive rights is supported by 73% of Americans. Lawyer Club supports a women’s right to choose and a women’s rights over her own reproductive health.
 

On January 18, 2020, the fourth annual Women’s March will be held in San Diego, an event for women and men to advocate for women’s rights and show politicians around the country that women’s rights cannot be ignored. The Women’s March in San Diego will coincide with other marches around the United States, including in our nation’s capital, as a response to actions by state and federal governments to retrench important civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and reproductive rights that protect women and families.
 

As many of you know, despite comprising half the population, women only make up thirty-six percent of judges in the Superior Court of California. Women are likewise underrepresented in leadership positions on the bench. Lawyers Club is excited to recognize that Judge Lorna Alksne was elected to serve as the new Presiding Judge for the San Diego Superior Court. Importantly, Judge Alksne is only the third woman to serve as Presiding Judge in San Diego County. The first woman to serve as presiding judge was Justice Judith McConnell, one of our founding mothers.
 

As we begin the new year, we all contemplate resolutions to improve our personal health or well-being. Every year we promise to lose weight, improve our physical fitness, or simply keep better contact with friends. As we attempt to part the Red Sea of our responsibilities to achieve these goals, in about a month, the impending flood of our professional and familial responsibilities eventually wipes out our hopes for self-improvement.
 

Our Fund for Justice luncheon is our opportunity to directly support organizations that provide services to women and children in our community. I understand we are all very busy during the holiday season; however, many of you decided to take time to make an impact by joining us at our luncheon. I want to thank all of you. I am happy to announce that this years’ luncheon had the most attendees in the last five years. I also wanted to give special thanks to our Title Sponsor Hecht Solberg Robinson Goldberg & Bagley LLP, our Champion of Justice Sponsors Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP and Singleton Law Firm, and our three amazing co-chairs Jennifer Chang, Rebecca Kanter, and Becky Zipp whose hard work made the event a success.
 

As you begin to make plans for the holidays, you should also plan to make your pitch for a raise or promotion. December is the month that many San Diego law firms and organizations make determinations regarding promotions and raises. This is the time to make the ask.
 

As many of you know, Lawyers Club is a volunteer organization. Our board members and committee co-chairs devote countless hours to advance our mission. These leaders devote valuable time to our organization despite handling a full-time practice, being the sole source of income for their family, taking care of family members, and undertaking other leadership roles in the community. As I prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving and give thanks for my many blessings, I would be remiss not to thank our leadership for all that they do.