LACBA News

In recent weeks, there have been troubling reports of high-level politicians impugning and threatening to impeach judges whose rulings they do not like and questioning the legitimacy and binding effect of adverse judicial rulings. 

Conflicts are a fact of life for litigators and other attorneys in private practice. The clear lines of which clients are in disputes with which parties are hard to mistake. However, transactional lawyers must also be on the lookout for conflicts of interest between clients—and between clients and former clients—that can crop up unexpectedly.

Serve on a LACBA Committee. It is an opportunity to make a difference in the legal profession and practice of law by addressing issues and challenges facing attorneys every day in Southern California. Plus, build your network and enhance your professional growth! The application deadline is April 16. 

Meet this year's Women’s History Month Honorees—Kristin Adrian, Hon. Lee Edmon, Terri J. Macellaro, and Stacie Neroni. Read the bios of these outstanding LACBA members and follow along on social media this month as we profile each!

A foundational concept of the attorney-client relationship is the duty of loyalty or, as stated by the California Supreme Court, the "attorney's duty to protect his client in every possible way, and it is a violation of that duty for him to assume a position adverse or antagonistic to his client without the latter's free and intelligent consent." However, the duty of loyalty has bounds...

LACBA’s 2025 Black History Month Honorees are Henrissa Bassey, Judge Kelvin Filer, Marnishia L. B. Jernigan, Sharron McLawyer, Richard John McNeil, Marcus Nelson, Holly Parker, and Brenda Suttonwills. Read the bios of these outstanding members and follow along on social media this month as we profile each.

LACBA's list of resources for both attorneys and community members impacted by the fires.

Upcoming LACBA events related to the L.A. fires:

• Federal Relief for Wildfire Victims: A Conversation with the Small Business Administration and FEMA, February 7 and February 21, noon 
• Tax Aspects of the 2025 California Wildfires Disaster and Recovery, February 12, 4pm

More events are being developed. Check the LACBA Calendar for the latest schedule. 

LACBA joins the world community in observing International Remembrance Day commemorated each year on January 27, the anniversary of the liberation of the largest Nazi concentration camp in Auschwitz-Birkenau in 1945.

Congratulations to LACBA's annual award winners. Senator Thomas J. Umberg is this year’s Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer. Supervising Judge Kelvin D. Filer is the Outstanding Jurist for 2025. And Justice Helen Zukin is the Philip H. Lam Diversity Impact Award recipient. All three will be honored at the Installation and Awards Dinner, June 20 at the Bonaventure Hotel.

LACBA is committed to supporting our community during the devastating fires impacting LA County. We are providing resources, including updates on court closures, legal assistance, and a members-only emergency listserve to facilitate communication and support. LACBA is also organizing efforts with leaders and legal professionals to explore ways to assist those affected.