Message from 2023 La Jolla Bar Association President, Aaron Schu
Dear La Jolla Bar Association Members:
I am pleased to welcome you to the La Jolla Bar Association and am honored to serve as your President for 2023. As we move past the pandemic, we are excited to host our monthly MCLE luncheons both in person at Hennessey’s Tavern and virtually, in addition to our in-person social gatherings such as our summer beach party and annual holiday party.
Since 1984, the La Jolla Bar Association has served lawyers who reside or work in La Jolla, the Golden Triangle, or have significant personal or professional ties to La Jolla, developing professionally and deepening their ties to the greater La Jolla community.
We take pride in providing informative and knowledgeable programming for our monthly lunches. Members can satisfy nearly all of the MCLE general and specialty requirements (including ethics) attending our meetings.
I would like to thank Gary Laturno, our outgoing President, for the exceptional work he did navigating us out of the pandemic era and making a return to in-person meetings a reality. Also, I would like to extend a big thank you to the 2022 Board of Directors and Officers, and a thank you to our current Board members for making my job more enjoyable.
This organization could not function as well as it does without our dedicated membership, which consists of some of the leading attorneys in their respective practices areas, willing to donate their time, knowledge, and expertise to the bar association. In this regard, I encourage each of you to get involved, especially in our various committees (listed below).
We are once again grateful to Edward Schlesier and Blanchard, Krasner & French for continuing to support us and graciously allowing us to utilize their conference room for our Board meetings. I look forward to another great year and seeing you at our social events.
2023 Officers:
President: Aaron J. Schu
Vice President: Edward Schlesier
Treasurer: Donald Lincoln
Secretary: Robert Moldenhauer
Immediate Past President: Gary Laturno
2023 Directors:
2023 Committees:
Social Committee—Richard Wildman, chairperson; Jennifer Lynch, George Fleming, and Aaron Schu as additional board members
Technology Committee (formerly Website Committee)—James Heffner and Don Lincoln, co-chairs; Bob Moldenhauer as additional board member
Speakers Committee—Gary Laturno and Bob Moldenhauer, co-chairs; Jennifer Lynch, George Fleming, and Ariel Sabban as additional board members
Membership Committee—Jennifer Lynch and Emily Howe, co-chairs; Don Lincoln and Bob Moldenhauer as additional board members; Thomas Gotfredson as Advisory Member
Nominating Committee—Paul Neuharth and Ed Schlesier, co-chairs; Emily Howe and Theo Gianulis as additional board members
Ad Hoc New(er) Lawyers Committee—Theo Gianulis & George Fleming, co-chairs
Membership
We have a great group of members who have accomplished truly amazing educational, legal, and personal achievements. Although our membership is at a high, we still encourage new members to join. Invite your friends to one of our MCLE luncheons, which they can now attend virtually or in person! Our membership form can be accessed on our website. Please feel free to direct any prospective members to our website for more information about the La Jolla Bar Association. The general requirements for membership are that the member live or work in La Jolla, or have a significant personal or professional interest in La Jolla. La Jolla is not just the village, but also consists of the outlying areas, such as the UTC and UCSD areas.
Website
Our website focuses on our members, their member pages, and our MCLE and social events. Each member receives a member page on our website and members can include on that member page a more detailed, personal description of the member’s practice. Please check the personal information on your member page and use the membership application to submit any corrections or updates. We would also like to include your personal photo. A special shout-out to our wonderful webmaster Mary Bean, of Mary Bean Graphic Design.
MCLE Luncheons
Our MCLE luncheons have returned in person at Hennessey’s, but are also continuing virtually at present, making it easier attend. We are grateful for the continued support of all our members attending our monthly MCLE luncheons and our two main social events—our Summer Beach Party and our Holiday Party. We have had excellent attendance at our luncheons and we will continue to present MCLE presentations of the highest quality.
By attending our monthly MCLE programs (ten MCLE programs per year), our members can satisfy most, and perhaps all of the State Bar’s 25-hour MCLE requirement every three years. As a priority, we endeavor to schedule programs that satisfy the State Bar’s three required MCLE programs—ethics, competence issues, and elimination of bias.
For our modest yearly membership fee of $78, this is quite a bargain. We encourage any ideas from our members for future speakers. Please give me any suggestions and I will pass them on to our Speakers Committee.
Social Events
Our Summer Beach Party is held at the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club in August. We start the party in the late afternoon to enable us to enjoy the beautiful sunset at La Jolla Shores. It has always provided a delightful afternoon and evening for our members to connect with each other and their significant others.
In December, our La Jolla Bar Association Holiday Party brings members together in a festive setting to share the joys of the holiday season. We enjoy a delicious catered meal, wonderful holiday beverages, and typically a song or two. This is an event where we express great camaraderie and friendship with our colleagues, spouses, and guests.
In addition to these events, we generally hold two or more early evening “social mixers” throughout the year, and encourage all of our members, new and longstanding, to attend and connect with one another.
I wish you and your families all a wonderful year, both personally and professionally, in 2023.
Sincerely,
Aaron J. Schu, President, La Jolla Bar Association, 2023