Here’s what’s new at OCTLA

Charitable cause selected for 2018 Top Gun Awards Gala, Palm Springs Seminar and Justice Day plans announced

2018 April

Since OCTLA’s Installation of Officers event in January and the strategic planning retreat in early February, OCTLA’s Executive Committee and Board members have already had a productive 2018. Here are some of the great things planned for the year.

2018 Charity

Every year at the Top Gun Awards Gala, a charity is selected to receive the proceeds from OCTLA’s silent and live auction. For the past several years, our generous donors and contributors have made it possible for our charity to receive over $100,000 in cash proceeds from our silent and live auction and cash pledges. This year, we have selected Together We Rise (www.togetherwerise.org), a non-profit organization based in Brea, comprised of motivated young adults and former foster youth who are undauntedly dedicated to their vision, which is to improve the lives of foster children in America who often find themselves forgotten and neglected by their families and lost in the public system. TWR collaborates with community partners to bring resources to foster youth across the nation to provide them with new bicycles, college supplies and college scholarships.

TWR strives to give foster children a brighter future, a sense of normalcy and belonging, and more importantly, dignity and opportunity. TWR creates engagement opportunities for the public to give back through programs such as Sweet Cases (duffle bags, suitcases), Build-A-Bike, Build-A-Board and Birthday Boxes. Its Family Fellowship and Aging Out program also provides resources to older youth who are leaving the foster care system and heading to college. TWR hosts a family-reunion event at Disneyland once a year so that siblings separated in the foster care system can spend the day with each other. TWR strives to support foster youth so that they may go confidently on to their futures.

Most notably, TWR’s goal is to provide suitcases (“Sweet Cases”) to each child who is placed in foster care in Orange County so that children do not have to travel from home to home with their belongings in a trash bag. With OCTLA’s and your help, TWR’s goal is to have a “No Trash Bag” policy for at least two years for any child who is transitioned into foster care. Please consider donating an item for the silent and live auction. Save the date for OCTLA’s Top Gun Gala on December 1, 2018, at the Westin Hotel at South Coast Plaza.

Palm Springs Seminar

A great weekend of continuing legal education is in store from May 4 to May 6, 2018, in Rancho Mirage at the Palm Springs Seminar, held by Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of Inland Empire and Orange County Trial Lawyers Association. Every day features a lineup of powerhouse speakers including statewide leaders, legendary attorneys, distinguished specialists, and esteemed judges at the relaxing environment of the Omni Rancho Las Palmas Resort & Spa. Come join us for CLE credits and socializing in the warm, fun and informal setting that Palm Springs offers. Make the commitment now to take advantage of discounted room rates and registration fees that won’t be available much longer. And, bring your family along!

Justice Day

CAOC’s Justice Day 2018 will bring together trial lawyers from up and down the state on Tuesday April 24 for a day of political action in the state Capitol. During this day-long event in Sacramento, you will meet with state lawmakers and key legislative staff members in their Capitol offices to lobby on behalf of the civil justice system. You will also learn about the ways of the Capitol from CAOC’s outstanding lobbying team, connect with your fellow consumer attorneys and help in the battle to protect the rights of your clients and your right to practice law. This event is free to all CAOC members, and is a terrific way to join the organization if you have never been a member of CAOC – the $99 non-member fee includes free membership in the organization through 2018, a big savings on the standard membership rate. And, if you arrive a day early, come and enjoy CAOC’s Legislative Reception scheduled for 5:30-7:30 immediately followed by OCTLA’s Fiesta Mixer at Vallejo’s Restaurant starting at 7:30 for margaritas, light dinner, and networking with legislators and attorneys throughout the state. I hope you’ll join me in Sacramento for this terrific lineup of events and the opportunity to be at the ground level of advocating for consumer bills.

Fellowship Program

OCTLA will launch its inaugural internship program this summer. OCTLA is seeking students entering their 3L year with an interest in consumer law and, specifically, trial advocacy. This unique paid internship will allow each participant to spend three weeks with each of the three different participating law firms which focus on various sub-specialties, giving each participant an introduction to different areas of plaintiffs’ practice all in one internship. This OCTLA internship will be hands-on. Participants will be attending depositions, hearings, and/or trials and learning a practical approach to the practice of law from some of Southern California’s marquee trial lawyers. Please contact me if you would like to be a participating law firm in this unique experience for future consumer attorneys.

Become an OCTLA member so you can participate in legal and social events and reap the multitude of benefits: TAKE NO CHALLENGE ALONE!