Leader Reflections

By Emilio Varanini, CLA President (2019 - 2021)

Attorneys are the linchpin of our system of the rule of law. Through them, our rule of law, which is the foundation of our communities, our State, and our Nation, is deepened and strengthened. And nowhere is this as true as in our Great State, the fourth largest economy in the world, with incredible diversity found nowhere else. However, the rule of law has to be nurtured not just through the day-to-day practices of attorneys, as crucial as that is, but also through the volunteering of those attorneys for a myriad of projects, great and small, focused on specific subjects, general principles of law, or on furthering the diversity, equity, and inclusion that genuinely makes the practice of attorneys and our rule of law system great.?

While I have been fortunate and honored to have played and continue to play the servant-leader roles I have for California Lawyers Association (CLA) in its highest offices, I have also sought out and continue to seek?volunteer roles in the Sections that allow me to contribute to CLA. And that is because of the quintessential part that CLA is coming to play in the legal landscape of our State.

Once the Sections split off from the State Bar of California and became CLA in 2018, opportunities opened up in those Sections and in CLA, as the state bar organization for all California attorneys, to deepen that spirit of volunteership, strengthen the rule of law, and develop the practice of law in our State. In that spirit, I wanted to serve as the second President of CLA to deepen its role as the state-wide bar association for all Californians by building its role as speaking for all California attorneys state-wide, by strengthening its relationship with the in-state legal ecosystem of the bench, other bar associations, and the Legislature, by enhancing the role of the Sections as the backbone of CLA, and by strengthening its position in speaking for California attorneys on the national level through its playing an active role in the American Bar Association House of Delegations and in joint projects and discussions with the American Bar Association and other state bars. In a state that is now the fifth largest economy in the world, with the most significant state bar in the country, and with more diversity than any other state in the Union, the CLA has the potential to be the centerpiece of the bar.

The position of President, though subject to the policy oversight of our much appreciated and esteemed Board, as the primary volunteer leader of CLA, is a key position in accomplishing these goals with its Executive Director and CEO and with the Chair when the Board was not in session. This involved working through the response to COVID to ensure the legal community knew it was supported in tough times, ensuring that the voice of the bar could be heard on legal issues arising from COVID on what were short time frames, and working with the California Judges Association on matters ranging from civility to standards for remote hearings. They included efforts to support the deepening of CLA's response to legislative initiatives as the state-wide bar and to strengthen its role in the American Bar Association House of Delegates, including sponsoring the first-ever resolution against lynching. It included working with the then-Chairs and others to develop statements denouncing assaults on the rule of law and discrimination in all forms. If CLA will not speak out on these issues of deep concern to Californians, who will??

Ultimately, I did not accomplish these tasks working alone. Instead, these tasks were accomplished together with other talented leaders and officers of CLA and the Sections working together as servant-leaders on these issues for the benefit of CLA. And what all this conveys is the incredible opportunity that awaits those who wish to be servant-leaders of CLA and the Sections, working together to deepen and adapt the role of CLA and its Sections as the centerpiece of a coalition of the bench and bar associations of all of the types, be they local or affinity, on these critical issues.?

And though I speak of what I wanted to do and did as President, those opportunities exist throughout CLA and its Sections. I continue to serve as the Chair of the CLA Delegation to the American Bar Association, where I have the honor of working with the current President of CLA, it's CEO and Executive Director, and the Delegation to ensure California's voice continues to be heard on the national level in sponsorship of, support of, or opposition to, resolutions on the most pressing legal issues of the day. And after having served in both the Antitrust and Unfair Competition Law Section of the California Lawyers Association and the International and Immigration Law Section, I am pleased to assist the Business Law Section of California Lawyers Association and it's Health Law Committee in making that committee a centerpiece for discussing the most pressing health law issues in our State.

I welcome all the attorneys in our Great State to become members of CLA and for those members of CLA to apply for the myriad of officer and leadership positions throughout CLA and its Sections, including on the Executive level. It is hard to be a servant-leader, and balancing work, life, and volunteering can be challenging. But it is deeply rewarding to be part of, and contribute to, something far greater of such importance to attorneys throughout our State.

? To follow in Emilio's legacy, apply to become an officer of CLA here. ?