A Message from the Chair

     As a teenager, while visiting my grandmother at a community service organization, I read a sign on a wall that said “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” I never forgot that message.

     I come from a family of people who got involved and this philosophy has stayed with me my entire life. Whether, as a young girl, helping my grandmother deliver groceries from a community food co-op, or as a young woman preparing tax returns while living in a Los Angeles housing project, it felt natural for me to volunteer.

     We all have our place in the criminal justice community and a decision to volunteer, in whatever way we decide to participate, can help this community. A variety of voices is needed to give perspective and to shape the solutions we, as a community, apply to our problems.

     I invite you to get involved with the Criminal Justice Section of the Los Angeles County Bar in any way your life allows. Maintain your membership with the section and encourage others to join. Communicate your desires, concerns or observations to me or any of our executive committee members. Volunteer to be on the executive committee. Attend the Criminal Justice Section legal education seminars and workshops, and other events. Nominate someone you admire to be the Defense Attorney, Prosecutor, or Judge of the Year, or for the Career Achievement Award, taking the time to provide the fine points about your nominee and their contributions to the profession. We need your voice, your perspective, and your suggestions.

     This year the section will again provide continuing legal education. Our day long DUI seminar will be held in January and an evening workshop will be presented in spring. In December, an evening mixer with the judges will be hosted at the top of City Hall in the Tom Bradley room. Awards for Career Achievement and for the Defense Attorney, Prosecutor and Judge of the Year will be presented in May at our annual dinner at the Biltmore. Nomination forms for the awards will be posted on the bar’s website in the Criminal Justice Section pages.

     It is my sincere hope that each of you will find the time to get involved with the section and to attend each of the events we will be hosting. There is no substitute for your unique voice. Your participation makes a difference. Your participation makes us stronger. Your participation makes us better. I know this absolutely.

     Sincerely,

Judge Deborah Sanchez, Chair Criminal Justice Section