Metropolitan News-Enterprise

 

Thursday, April 26, 2007

 

Page 3

 

LACBA Committee Nominates Danette E. Meyers for President-Elect

 

By a MetNews Staff Writer

 

The Los Angeles County Bar Association has nominated Danette E. Meyers as its president-elect for the 2007-2008 term.

Currently LACBA’s senior vice president, Meyers heads the list of nominees the organization announced Monday for its 2007-2008 officer and trustee posts. Absent the historically unlikely occurrence of challengers running, the nominees are expected to be elected on June 21 for terms beginning July 1.

Meyers told the MetNews yesterday that she plans, if elected, to provide “great assistance” to current President-Elect Gretchen Nelson, who is set to be installed as 2007-2008 president on June 28.

“I know one of the things she wants to do is to look to the courts and see how we as lawyers can assist the courts in their everyday tasks, so whatever task force she sets up I hope to be included in that task force,” Meyers said.

Another future agenda item she hopes to help Nelson accomplish, she added, is increasing outreach to the affiliate bars and minority bar associations and working with them to increase the strength and diversity of the legal profession.

Having two women at the helm, one of them a woman of color, will send a positive message to the bar, Meyers acknowledged.

Currently the chair of LACBA’s diversity summit planning committee, the 49-year-old deputy district attorney said she personally hopes to continue organizing and promoting the event, which debuts this year on June 20 and 21 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. In an earlier MetNews interview, she expressed optimism that the event, which will gather together lawyers, judges, educators, corporations, and governmental and community leaders to discuss diversity issues and begin formulating plans of action, would play a meaningful role in changing the face of the local profession.

Nelson said she was looking forward to working with Meyers:

“I can’t say enough about how wonderful she is. I just think she is really, really special and I am thrilled that she has gotten the nomination. I’m very much looking forward to working with her.”

In addition to Meyers, LACBA’s 19-person nominating committee selected current Vice President Don Mike Anthony as its candidate for senior vice president, and Assistant Vice President Alan K. Steinbrecher as the nominee for the post currently held by Anthony.

Those nominated for the six at-large trustee positions were Richard A. Lewis, Elaine W. Mandel and Ellen A. Pansky, who are current trustees, along with Linda L. Curtis, Brian D. Huben and Ann I. Park.

The Eastern Bar Association and Japanese American Bar Association were nominated for LACBA’s open rotating affiliate trustee positions.

Any eligible LACBA member who was not nominated by the committee may run for a board seat after submitting a written nomination form signed by at least 25 members.

Similarly, current or former trustees may run for the three highest executive committee posts by filing a written nomination that at least 25 members have signed.

 

Copyright 2007, Metropolitan News Company