Hello OCWLA members,

Happy New Year!

As we welcome in 2024, I am excited and to begin my term as your new OCWLA President! Thank you to those who attended our spectacular Holiday Party and Installation Dinner at the beautiful Lido House. Our newly-installed Board will hold its retreat this month, and is energized for the new year. We will continue to offer our members valuable networking opportunities, innovative educational programs, complimentary coffee meetups, and of course, our fabulous Annual Gala in the Fall. If you have any suggestions or feedback regarding events and/or programming that you would like to see this year, please feel free to email me directly at any time at cdjang@buchalter.com. I welcome your suggestions on how we can improve our offerings to our members. 

We kick off the new year with several events. On January 18, 2024, the OCWLA will be well-represented with a full table at OCBA Judges’ Night at the Irvine Marriott. As one of the OCBA’s largest and most active affiliate bar associations, the OCWLA is a proud supporter of OCBA Judges’ Night, including its Franklin G. West Award Winner and OCWLA Member, Nikki Miliband! 

On January 29, we will partner with the OCBA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee to offer our first MCLE luncheon of the year: Path to Pro Bono: How to Understand and Connect with Diverse and Low Income Communities, which will be moderated by OCWLA Board Member Antoinette Naddour of Veterans Legal Institute. Please note that this MCLE qualifies for one hour legal ethics credit. 

Last, but not least, on January 29 at 5:30 p.m., OCWLA Member Yvette Patko will lead the first Book Club of the year with a discussion on Ann Napolitano’s Hello Beautiful. Links to details about each of these events are below.

I hope that the year ahead will be filled with shared accomplishments, growth, and empowerment. I am honored to serve as your President and look forward to the coming year!

Warmly,

Caroline