Beverly Hills Bar Assoc. Hosts 57th Annual Supreme Court Luncheon May 31, 2011

NEWLY APPOINTED CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT JUSTICE TANI CANTIL-SAKAUYE MAKES FIRST APPEARANCE AT BEVERLY HILLS BAR ASSOCIATION’S
57th ANNUAL CALIFORNIA SUPREME COURT LUNCHEON

TUESDAY, May 31, 2011, 11:30 AM, AT BEVERLY HILLS HOTEL
Event Honors All Six Justices Currently Sitting on California Supreme Court
and Features Extended Remarks by Cantil-Sakauye as well as
Special Presentation to Recently Retired Associate Justice Carlos R. Moreno
The Beverly Hills Bar Association (BHBA), in association with the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation and the Law Guild of Beverly Hills, hosts the 57th Annual Supreme Court Luncheon honoring the justices of the California Supreme Court on Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 11:30 a.m., at the Beverly Hills Hotel. Five of the six Justices currently sitting on the California Supreme Court are slated to attend – newly appointed Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, who will make extended remarks during the luncheon, and Associate Justices Marvin R. Baxter, Kathryn Mickle Werdegar, Ming W. Chin, and Carol A. Corrigan. The 7th Supreme Court Justice position, formerly held by Carlos R. Moreno, who recently retired, is currently vacant. This is Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye’s first appearance at the BHBA’s annual luncheon since being sworn in as Chief Justice on January 3, 2011, providing an ideal opportunity for the public to meet her. In addition, a special presentation will be made in honor of retired Justice Carolos R. Moreno, who will also be in attendance. Proceeds from the event benefit the Beverly Hills Bar Foundation scholarship program, which provides scholarships to economically disadvantaged, academically qualified law students.

“We are honored to welcome Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye to the California Supreme Court and to welcome her to the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s annual Supreme Court Luncheon, a tradition that began in 1954 to honor the justices of the high court and provide Southern California lawyers and jurists an opportunity to get together outside of the court room,” said BHBA president Stephen L. Raucher. “We are also pleased to pay tribute to Associate Justice Moreno for his tremendous leadership and years of dedicated service to the State of California.”
Justice Tani Gorre Cantil-Sakauye is the first Asian-Filipina American and the second woman to serve as the state's Chief Justice. After former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger nominated her as Chief Justice on July 22, 2010, the California State Bar Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission rated her as exceptionally well qualified for the position. At a public hearing on August 25, 2010, she was unanimously confirmed by the Commission on Judicial Appointments, and in a general election on November 2, 2010, an overwhelming majority of voters elected her to that position. Chief Justice Cantil-Sakauye chairs the Judicial Council of California, the administrative policymaking body of state courts, and the Commission on Judicial Appointments and has served for more than 20 years on California appellate and trial courts.
Carlos Roberto Moreno is a Mexican-American jurist. With his appointment to the Supreme Court of California, he became only the third judge of Hispanic heritage to serve in the Court's nearly 150-year history, and the first in more than a decade. Apart from raising his family, he considers his appointment to the Supreme Court as his proudest accomplishment. "The appointment to California's highest court is the dream of a lifetime for any lawyer who loves the law," says Moreno. Following his recent retirement from the Supreme Court of California, Moreno is currently of counsel with the California-based law firm Irell & Manella. Moreno was considered to be a leading candidate to replace retiring Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court. When he was sworn in as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of California in 2001, Justice Carlos Moreno chose to relinquish his lifetime seat on the U.S. District Court where he had presided over a broad range of complex civil and criminal matters since his appointment in 1998 by President Bill Clinton. On the state's highest court, he notes that he had the opportunity to "really address critical cutting-edge issues involving social policy," and his service allowed him to contribute to "decisions about what direction the law is going to take."
At the luncheon, scholarships are also being presented to eight local law school students: Steven Ridgill and Carolina Castaneda of Loyola Law School; Chalak Richards of Pepperdine University School of Law; Kathy Khommarath and Ghevonne Lopes from Southwestern University School of Law; Julius Nam and Kristen Solomon Johnson of UCLA School of Law; and Thomas Alcorn from USC Gould School of Law.

In addition, the BHBA will recognize the winners of its 2nd Annual “Rule of Law Essay Writing Competition”: Kevin Meek from UCLA School of Law, Danielle Doucet from Southwestern University School of Law, and Joseph S. Park from Southwestern University School of Law.

A private VIP reception is sponsored by LexisNexis. Scholarship donors are Bird ●Marella ●Boxer●Wolpert● Nessim ● Drooks & Lincenberg APC; Girardi Keese; Greines Martin Stein & Richland LLP; and The Birnheim Law Firm. Champions of Justice Donors include Horvitz & Levy LLP; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP; Oldman, Cooley, Sallus, Gold, Birnberg & Coleman LLP. Supreme Court Luncheon Member Benefit Providers are ISI/Pacific Insurance Specialists, Inc., The Matloff Company, Torrey Pines Bank and Barry M. Cane and Associates.

The Beverly Hills Bar Association, serving the Los Angeles region since 1931, is the sixth largest bar association in California with more than 4,600 members. Its mission is to serve its members, to lead the legal profession and to advocate for justice in the community. Its wide range of community outreach programs includes Citizens Law School, an annual, free, one-day seminar to help laypeople understand their legal rights; Wills For Heroes, free estate planning services for first responders; Committee for the Arts, which provides legal and business programs for artists, musicians, and the arts community; “And Justice For All,” a series of programs covering a variety of topical legal issues; Tax Court Pro Se Assistance, in which BHBA members volunteer to assist tax payers – at no cost – who are representing themselves before the Tax Court; the Lawyer Referral and Information Service, which matches individuals with specific legal matters with qualified attorneys with appropriate specialties; and the Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program, which resolves fee disputes between clients and attorneys.

Tickets to the Beverly Hills Bar Association’s 57th Annual Supreme Court Luncheon are $160 per person. The Beverly Hills Hotel is located at 9641 Sunset Boulevard, Beverly Hills, CA 90210. For tickets and information, please call (310) 601-2422 or visit www.bhba.org.

Official Website: http://www.bhba.org