United We Rise

Lawyers Club of San Diego Celebrates 50 Years!

 

Since 1972, the mission of Lawyers Club of San Diego has been to advance the status of women in the law and society. As we enter our 50th year, we are proud to continue advocating for true equality. See the many ways we are commemorating this historic year:

View the digital 50th Anniversary Program Here.

Visit Our 50th Anniversary Exhibit

To Advance the Status of Women in Law and Society: Lawyers Club of San Diego at 50 Years

As part of our 50th anniversary, we collaborated with the San Diego History Center (SDHC) to create an exhibit which features Lawyers Club’s rich history and tremendous accomplishments. The exhibit debuted in March 2022 and has been extended through Spring of 2023.

Visit San Diego History Center during their operating days and times of Friday, Saturday and Sunday: 11am to 4pm. San Diego History Center has a donation-based admission policy. They don’t charge a fixed admission fee but look to your generosity to help make history accessible to all in our community, including those who otherwise may not be able to experience it.

 

 

50th Anniversary Luncheon

Testing their Resolve: The 1971 Invasion of the Grant Grill

Join us to reflect and commemorate the history of Lawyers Club with the Hon. Lynn Schenk and Justice Judith McConnell, two principal founders of Lawyers Club, and Elaine Alexander as they discuss their fight against gender bias and historic “invasion” of the Grant Grill over 50 years ago.

 

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Thank You to Our 50th Anniversary Supporters

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Lawyers Club’s History of Advocacy

As Lawyers Club past president Vickie Turner observed at our 25th anniversary, Lawyers Club was founded “amidst the backdrop of national social activism. Throughout the world, women were spreading their wings and flexing their muscles to challenge traditional notions of gender equality.” Lawyers Club’s founders set the stage for many others by rejecting gender discrimination and sexism as the norm.

The story of the Grant Grill highlights both their courage and their demand for equality. At the time, the Grant Grill had posted a brass plaque that said: “No Women before 3:00 p.m.” Not accepting this inequitable policy, Lawyers Club founders made a reservation under a male colleague’s name and demanded that the restaurant serve them - forever changing doctrinaire policy. Now, the Grant Grill plaque commemorates the day of Lawyers Club founders’ “Grant Grill Invasion.”

Thereafter, Lawyers Club continued to build a strong tradition of courage in the fight for equality. In our first year, Lawyers Club was crucial in persuading  the California Legislature to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), which faced staunch opposition from the California Senate. (Despite this success, the ERA has still not passed at the national level, illustrating there is indeed much work remaining.)

Over the past 50 years, our members have shaped the feminist movement in San Diego’s legal community and beyond. Roe v. Wade was published in 1973, one year after our founding, but Lawyers Club continues the fight for the rights of women to exercise control over their bodies. We are active in amicus curiae work and legislative endeavors addressing a broad array of topics, and we are very proud of our nonpartisan influence.

We provide substantive programming and events designed to empower and elevate our members, including through business development and professional advancement. Our members tell us that they have made their closest professional contacts via Lawyers Club, which often develop into lasting personal friendships. We are very proud to bring people together on a daily basis.

Many of our members have had the honor of being “the first woman” in a position of power and have been appointed and elected to the bench. Today, regardless of gender, Lawyers Club’s endorsement is crucial to those with judicial aspirations.

Our members also give back to our community. Our charitable arm, the Fund for Justice, has granted over half a million dollars to nonprofits serving women and children in San Diego County; our Human Trafficking Collaborative raises awareness for and addresses this overwhelming and growing problem; and our Workplace Equity & Civility Initiative, a collaboration with the National Conflict Resolution Center and the San Diego Union Tribune, works to rid workplaces of harrassment and gender discrimination. 

Although our work is not finished, we are thrilled to celebrate 50 years, along with our dedicated partners.

Cheers to 50 years!

To view our 40th Anniversary Commemorative Book, click here.