Italian American Lawyers Fete Women of Distinction

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

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Italian American Lawyers Fete Women of Distinction

By a MetNews Staff Writer

The Italian American Lawyers Association, at a sold-out dinner at the Athletic Club on Saturday, celebrated Women’s History Month by paying tribute to three female attorneys whose contributions to the legal profession have been particularly noteworthy.

Present were 28 judicial officers, 15 IALA past presidents, and nine bar leaders from other organizations, as well as former District Attorney Steve Cooley.

Those honored were METNEWS Co-Publisher Jo-Ann W. Grace, who is president of the Metropolitan News Company; Woodland Hills estate planning/probate attorney Alice Salvo; and former attorney for governmental agencies V. Ahda Carlisle-Sands. Grace and Salvo are former IALA presidents.

Grace’s bar activities have included service as a vice president of the State Bar and the Los Angeles County Bar Association, chair of the Los Angeles County Bar Assn.’s delegation to the Conference of California Bar Associations, treasurer of the Foundation of the State Bar of California, board member of the Los Angeles County Bar Foundation, chair of the Lawyers Conference of the American Bar Association’s Judicial Administration Division, and members of the State Bar Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (“JNE”) and the Advisory Board of the Levitt & Quinn Family Law Center.

Salvo is current president of the National Italian American Bar Association. She has served as the chair of JNE, president of San Fernando Valley Bar Association and chair of committees of that organization, president of Southern California Council of Elder Law Attorneys, and member of the Gray Squad Advisory Board to the Los Angeles Police Department Van Nuys Division. Sands, retired from law practice, is a real estate and private money broker. She has served as president of the Black Women Lawyers, president of the John M. Langston Bar Association, co-chair of the Multicultural Bar Association, and secretary of the Senior Lawyers Section of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. She is a member of IALA’s Board of Directors.

Each was presented with a bouquet by IALA President Armando Paz.

Depicted are, from left, Nowland Hong, co-founder of the Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, IALA President Armando Paz, and honoree Jo-Ann W. Grace.

Receiving a floral arrangement is honoree Alice Salvo. At right is Paz.

Paz presents flowers to honoree V. Ahda Carlisle-Sands.