(L-R) California Supreme Court Associate Justices Leondra R. Kruger and Carol A. Corrigan; Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye; Associate Justices Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Ming W. Chin; BHBA President Linda Spiegel; and BHBA CEO Marc Staenberg.
The Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA), in conjunction with the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation, hosted the 61st Annual Supreme Court Luncheon honoring the justices of the California Supreme Court on Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at Montage Beverly Hills. All seven justices attended: Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who discussed the current state of the judiciary, and Associate Justices Ming W. Chin, Carol A. Corrigan, Mariano-Florentino Cuéllar, Leondra R. Kruger, Goodwin H. Liu and Kathryn Mickle Werdegar. Recently retired Associate Justice Marvin R. Baxter, who served on the court for 24 years until January 2015, was recognized by the BHBA. More than 50 other judicial officers and other dignitaries attended. Sheriff Jim McDonnell was the keynote speaker. Scholarships were also presented to five local law students involved in public service. Los Angeles County Public Defender Ronald Brown, a former BHBA scholarship recipient himself, gave brief comments about the impact of his scholarship on his career. The BHBA’s annual Supreme Court Luncheon, a tradition that began in 1954, provides Southern California lawyers and jurists an opportunity to get together outside of the courtroom.
“We are honored to recognize the California Supreme Court Justices at the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s annual luncheon,” said BHBA President Linda Spiegel.
Added Beverly Hills Bar Foundation President Gillian N. Brown, partner with Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP, “We also acknowledge and extend our deepest gratitude to Retired Associate Justice Marvin R. Baxter for his 24 years of outstanding service and commitment to the State of California. A dedicated and keenly intelligent jurist, he has had an inestimable impact on California.”
Scholarship recipients included Emmy Aceves of Loyola Law School; Pauline Shin of Pepperdine University School of Law; Marzita Agundez of Southwestern Law School; Han Lu of UCLA School of Law; and Mark Swensson of USC Gould School of Law. The Beverly Hill Bar Foundation also recognized the winners of its annual “Rule of Law Writing Competition” – Nora Lopopolo of Pepperdine University School of Law won Grand Prize for her paper, “National Security and the Rule of Law,” with Honorable Mentions going to Coral Lopez of the University of California Irvine School of Law (“Domestic Violence in Puerto Rico: When the Rule of Law is Not Enough”), and Daniel Kadin of Southwestern Law School (“Fair Laws and Fair Access: Why Federalizing the Substitution of Biosimilars Promotes Innovation, Competition, Patient Safety, and the Rule of Law”).
Scholarship Donors were Girardi Keese; Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP; Law Offices of Lisa L. Maki; and Shernoff Bidart Echeverria Bentley LLP. BHBA also recognized a special contribution by Marshall Grossman, and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP. Champions of Justice Donors included Bird, Marella, Boxer, Wolpert, Nessim, Drooks, Lincenberg & Rhow, P.C.; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP; Greenberg Glusker; Greenberg Traurig; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP; Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP; Robins Kaplan LLP; and Valensi Rose, PLC. Press Reception Co-Sponsors were Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP; e-Stet Litigation Technology; and Torrey Pines Bank. The “Rule of Law Writing Competition” sponsor was Goodson Wachtel and Petrulis APC. Supreme Court Luncheon Affinity Partner Sponsors were Matloff Life and Health Insurance; LexisNexis; and Elkins Jones Insurance Agency, Inc.
The Beverly Hills Bar Association, founded in 1931, is the fifth largest bar association in California, with nearly 6,000 members. Its mission is to serve its members, to lead the legal profession and to advocate for justice in the community.
