It is with great excitement that the Century City Bar Association approaches its 52nd Annual Installation Banquet and Awards Ceremony on October 22, 2020 – the first VIRTUAL banquet in its history!  The Board of Governors has been hard at work in its preparations to honor 2020’s Lawyers of the Year: 

·      Michael Alder, Alder Law PC, Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year

·      Holly R. Lake, DLA Piper, Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year

·      Lee S. Brenner, Venable LLP, Entertainment Lawyer of the Year

·      Katherine Blair, Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLC, Corporate and Securities Lawyer of the Year

·      Byron J. McLain, Foley & Lardner LLP, White Collar Lawyer of the Year

·      Teddy M. Kapur, Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP, Next Generation Lawyer of the Year

Please join us in congratulating them on their achievements and continued contributions to the legal community.  If you are interested in viewing the event live or in sponsorship or advertising, please visit our website.

As we draw closer to the end of a strange and unpredictable year, we look back on the exciting speakers and virtual networking events we have had the pleasure of hosting these last months, including timely fascinating discussions led by Erwin Chemerinsky on the Supreme Court’s year in review, Blair Berk on criminal defense issues presented in the era of #MeToo, Dr. Ilona Salmons on mental wellness strategies in a time of pandemic, guided mediations by Nora Plesent, a virtual deposition presentation by eDiscovery, and monthly virtual wine tastings with Pour Haus Wine Bar of downtown Los Angeles.  Please stay tuned for exciting updates in our future newsletters and website regarding upcoming events, including talks by distinguished speakers, virtual networking, and MCLE’s.  

In closing, I’d like to invite those interested to submit articles for publication in our newsletter and/or to apply for our open Board seats.  Serving as one of the Century City Bar Association’s Board of Governors is a fun way to become more involved in the Century City legal community and connect with some fantastic people that will quickly become friends.  If interested, please contact me at lwerderitch@ggfirm.com.

We continue to wish good health and safety to you and yours.  Be well.

Lori L. Werderitch

President

During this time, information on COVID-19 and how it is affecting daily life seems to be changing daily (if not hourly).  As lawyers, many of us have questions on what hearings are going forward, whether courts are accepting filings, and whether we can take depositions remotely.  To help answer some of these questions, below are some helpful links for COVID-19 updates and information:  

Court Information 

Many courts have made changes to their operations during this time.  Below are links to some of the federal and state courts in California where you can find information on closures and changes regarding hearings and other proceedings:

Federal Courts

United States District Court for the Central District of California: https://www.cacd.uscourts.gov/news/coronavirus-covid-19-guidanceand https://www.cacd.uscourts.gov/news/covid-19-notice

United States District Court for the Eastern District of California: http://www.caed.uscourts.gov/caednew/index.cfm/news/covid-19-courthouse-closure-and-court-hearing-information/

United States District Court for the Southern District of California: https://www.casd.uscourts.gov/covid19.aspx

United States District Court for the Northern District of California: https://www.cand.uscourts.gov/

State Courts

Los Angeles Superior Court: http://www.lacourt.org/newsmedia/ui/covid19NewsCenter.aspx

Orange County Superior Court: https://www.occourts.org/media-relations/CoronaVirusUpdate.html

Riverside Superior Court: https://www.riverside.courts.ca.gov/PublicNotices/COVID-19-Court-Operations.php

San Bernardino Superior Court: https://www.sb-court.org/general-information/covid-19-courthouse-closure-and-hearing-information

San Diego Superior Court: http://www.sdcourt.ca.gov/portal/page?_pageid=55,2053814&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL

Ventura Superior Court: http://www.ventura.courts.ca.gov/

Law Firms with Covid-19 Information

Law firm websites can be a great resource for recent coronavirus updates.  Below are few with some great articles, resources, and information:

https://www.cozen.com/coronavirus-updates

https://www.greenbergglusker.com/coronavirus-resource-center/insights/

https://www.raineslaw.com/covid-19

Miscellaneous

Below are some other websites with useful COVID-19 information:

Useful for the PPP loans and other SBA loan info: https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options

City of LA site: https://corona-virus.la/

www.lacba.org/covid-19-updates

By Lucas Messenger, Robins Kaplan LLP

COVID-19 has thrown quite the wrench in all of our best-laid plans for 2020, and we here at the CCBA hope that you and yours remain healthy and safe. To comply with applicable stay-at-home orders, the CCBA has taken all of its events off calendar, and is working hard to reschedule them, including the 52nd Annual Installation Banquet and Awards Ceremony, for some time in the Fall, COVID-permitting.

At this year’s Banquet, the CCBA will be honoring these outstanding people and lawyers:

Personal Injury Lawyer of the Year– Michael Alder, AlderLaw, P.C.  

Corporate and Securities Lawyer of the Year– Katherine J. Blair,  Manatt, Phelphs & Phillips, LLP

Next Generation Lawyer of the Year– Teddy M. Kapur,Pachulski Stang Ziehl & Jones LLP

Labor and Employment Lawyer of the Year– Holly R. Lake, DLA Piper 

Entertainment Lawyer of the Year– Lee S. Brenner, Venable LLP

White Collar Lawyer of the Year– Byron J. McLain, Foley & Lardner LLP

Please watch for updates about the rescheduled Banquet and other events, and remember that you can follow the CCBA on Facebook and LinkedIn. Also, please also let us know if there’s a particular type of virtual event that you feel would be particularly helpful for our legal community.

Finally, we currently have several seats on the Board left to fill. Board service is a wonderful way to connect with other high-quality practitioners and serve the Century City legal community. If you are interested, please contact Lori Werderitch (lwerderitch@greenbergglusker.com) or me (lmessenger@robinskaplan.com) directly.

Stay safe.

Lucas Messenger 

President