Golf tournament on Columbus Day is a GO!

Top Gun award ceremony will be different than the annual gala, but still special

2020 September

As we near the end of summer, the Orange County Trial Lawyer Association (OCTLA) is looking forward to finally having an in-person event. Every year, on Columbus Day, OCTLA has its annual Golf Tournament. As it currently stands, this year is no exception. OCTLA will move forward with our Golf Tournament on October 12th. Our golf tournament committee continues to work closely with El Niguel Country Club as we move forward with the tournament, to ensure that we will be able to adjust and meet any pandemic restrictions that might be in place. We are looking forward to this being, perhaps, the only live event we are able to hold for the remainder of this year, and we hope to provide some sense of comradery and normalcy. OCTLA is incredibly grateful for the continued support we receive from our affiliates and sponsors in making this event possible. We expect that the number of golfers may have to be reduced to some extent this year (as a result of restrictions on multiple riders in an individual golf cart), so if you are interested in taking part in our tournament, please be sure to sign up as soon as you can at octla.org.

Soon after the golf tournament, OCTLA is excited to present our “Top Gun” awards to top attorneys for their trial achievements this past year. OCTLA is officially moving forward with an awards presentation, and will soon be announcing this year’s Top Gun award recipients. Unfortunately, the event this year will not be in its traditional Gala format. That event usually boasts around 500 attendees, and given the size of the event and the financial commitment despite the uncertainty of the event moving forward, it was not a realistic opportunity this year. However, the event committee is working hard and we have special plans coming to fruition. It looks like the program will be part live, and part virtual. The event will be a fun and cutting-edge way to enjoy the award ceremony. Please stay tuned for further details regarding our “Top Gun” awards ceremony. We will let you all know as soon as the plans are secured.

Our organization is continuing to offer multiple MCLE events each month. As I write this article, we look forward to a wonderful two-part series on trying cases during the pandemic, and with the various restrictions. The Part-one panel includes attorneys and judges who have already tried cases and have first-hand experience on what a jury trial will be like, including Hon. Sheila Hanson (Orange County Superior Court), Ricardo Echeverria, Esq. (Shernoff, Bidart, Echeverria), and Rob Flory (Orange County Deputy Public Defender). The Part-two panel, which is set for September 10th, includes speakers Tom Feher, Esq. (Feher Law), and Areilla Perry, Esq. (Michael Maguire & Associates).

The second panel will focus on bench trials. If you are not able to attend either part of this two-part education series, we are now offering the ability to purchase the webinar program for viewing at your leisure through OCTLA.org.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to again thank various contributors to our organization and getting us through these challenging times. Thank you to our Executive Director Janet Thornton for her continued effort and support. Thank you in particular to our golf committee and chair-person Kevin Liebeck, Esq., education committee and chairperson Claire Lucich, Esq., and our Top Gun event committee and chairperson Aaron Hicks, Esq.  And, thank you to our membership for continuing to support one another and our organization.

We wish you all happiness and health moving forward.