The Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA), in association with the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation and the Law Guild of Beverly Hills, hosted the 55th Annual Supreme Court Luncheon honoring the justices of the California Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 2, 2009, at the Beverly Hills Hotel. All seven of the Supreme Court Justices attended – Chief Justice Ronald M. George, and Associate Justices Joyce L. Kennard, Marvin R. Baxter, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, Ming W. Chin, Carlos R. Moreno and Carol A. Corrigan. Chief Justice George gave comments on the State of the Judiciary. Attorney Michael Rubin, past president of the Louisiana State Bar, was the guest speaker.
“This lunch continues a tradition that began in 1954,†said BHBA president Nancy Knupfer. “Some 400 lawyers gathered together to recognize the outstanding service of the California Supreme Court Justices, who were joined by more than 50 California judicial officers and other dignitaries.â€
Proceeds from the event benefit the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation scholarship program, which provides scholarships to economically disadvantaged, academically qualified law students. This year scholarships were presented at the lunch to eight local law school students, including Joel Estrada and Suesan Gerard of Loyola School of Law; Leon Dixson and Micheline Ann Zamora of Pepperdine School of Law; Garen Aliksanian from Southwestern Law School; Tia Frances Koonse and Katherine Ojeda Stewart of UCLA School of Law; and Shannon Raj from USC Gould School of Law.
The Beverly Hills Bar Association, founded in 1931, is the sixth largest bar association in California, and has more than 4,000 members. Its mission is to serve its members, to lead the legal profession and to advocate for justice in the community.
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