White rabbit, white rabbit, white rabbit! Does anyone else say that on the first day of each month for good luck … or just me? These days, I’m all for anything that will bring good luck my way. And I think it’s working because this February brings with it so many terrific opportunities, despite being a short month.
You have the opportunity to join us on February 8 for a free Exchange on Equity Roundtable featuring the wonderful team of Tristan Higgins and Rebecca Zipp who will introduce an evidence-based tool to help your organization assess its approach to racial equity.
You have the opportunity to try a case again starting February 8! Beginning with the Central Courthouse, but then expanding to other locations, the San Diego Superior Court is planning to resume in-person jury trials and will do so safely, with COVID-19 safety precautions followed throughout all courthouses. Learn more here.
You have the opportunity to nominate a local legal rockstar for one of our annual Service Awards, including: Outstanding Attorney, Outstanding Jurist, Service by a New Lawyer, Service to Diversity, Service to the Legal Community, Service by a Public Attorney, Community Service, and the Distinguished Citizen or Organization. Nominations are due by February 11 and can be made here. You can see the list of inspiring 2020 recipients here.
You have the opportunity to come together on February 18 for the first of our new four-part Dialogue on Diversity where we will talk about de-weaponizing political diversity and how we can find common ground as a community. The goal is to help bridge the “us vs. them” divide and learn to re-engage in meaningful dialogue even when we hold different political beliefs.
You have the opportunity to devote two days (or join whatever panels your schedule permits) on February 23 and 24 to learn how tech can help you lawyer better. From learning how to protect your accounts and secure client communications to learning how to make awesome graphics with Canva to my dear friend Nora Bergman who will lead a discussion on how to increase productivity and decrease stress to better serve your clients, to our own Adriana Linares and Ron Marcus, and so many other panelists, you won’t want to miss our 4th Annual Law + Tech Summit.
And, you have the opportunity to help us make the SDCBA even better for everyone. Today we’re launching our 2021 member survey. It’s an easy way to let us know how well we’re serving you, and where we can improve, with just 20 multiple-choice questions. And when you send in your responses, you’ll be entered in our drawing for a complimentary upgrade to Patron membership!
You may have noticed a trend in today’s President’s Message, my use (or even over-use) of “you have the opportunity.” I promise it was purposeful, not laziness. I’ve been working on my mindset recently. With the virtual world we are in, there seems to be no end to the business day. There are many, many demands on our time which require that we sit at our desks and log in. It’s hard to remember, sometimes, that we are so lucky to have those opportunities. So, today, I will strive to remember that I “get to” instead of “have to.” You can read more here if you’re interested in exploring this further.
Sincerely,
Renée N.G. Stackhouse
2021 SDCBA President
Reading now: Being Brown: Sonia Sotomayor and the Latino Question by Lazaro Lima
Listening to: Smooth Criminal by Michael Jackson
What are you reading or listening to? Tag us #sdlaw #sdcba