LA County Unity Bar celebrates 1st anniversary of judicial outreach and diversity efforts

MARINA DEL REY - The Los Angeles County Unity Bar marked its anniversary with a landmark gathering at the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, bringing together judges, attorneys, law students, and bar association leaders from across the region.

Formed in 2023 as a coalition of affinity bar organizations dedicated to advancing judicial diversity and professional collaboration, LACUB used the occasion to honor the trailblazers behind its formation, reflect on a year of impactful outreach and endorsements, and reaffirm its mission to shape a more representative and inclusive California judiciary.

"You have come together at the right time in our history and at the right moment," Luis Céspedes, Gov. Gavin Newsom's Judicial Appointments Secretary, told them. "There is high anxiety in our communities, but I know that when they see leaders coming together with the courage to speak out, that is what makes the Constitution come to life."

Member organizations include the Asian Pacific American Bar Association, Black Women Lawyers Association, Mexican American Bar Association, Italian American Lawyers Association, Japanese American Bar Association, Philippine American Bar Association, South Asian Bar Association, Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association, and Latino Equality Alliance.

Thursday evening's program featured Polynesian dancers, a tropical dress code, and tributes to leaders who advanced the Unity Bar's outreach, judicial mentorship, and endorsement efforts. Céspedes announced a streamlined judicial mentorship timeline through the state's fast-track program.

"The California Judicial Mentor Program has now created an expedited fast-track mentor program," he said. "We're reducing the time to 35 to 45 days to allow prospective applicants to learn more about what it takes to get through the process of becoming a judge," he said.

Angela A. Zanin of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLLP, a founding member of the Unity Bar and its 2024 past co-chair, told the crowd that 32 candidates endorsed by the Unity Bar had received judicial appointments in 2024 "on all levels--from the Court of Appeal to the U.S. District Courts to the Superior Courts in LA and Orange counties."

"Everyone on this stage with me had a dream of a Unity Bar in Los Angeles," she said, "to form a group of diverse lawyers with the commitment to diversify the bench to reflect the colorful tapestry of Los Angeles and to uphold the values we hold dear in California."

Several founding members were recognized during the event, including Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Magdalena R. Casas, Superior Court judges Elizabeth L. Bradley and Mike H. Madokoro, and Gary Tokumori, who--along with Bradley--served as the 2024 Judicial Endorsements co-chairs. Tokumori is a shareholder at Parker Milliken Clark O'Hara & Samuelian APC.

The Unity Bar's 2025 leaders were also sworn in. They are Harumi Hata of Buchalter APC, the 2025 chair; Frances-Marie A. Prizzia of Frances Prizzia Criminal Defense Lawyers, vice chair; Osman G. Abbasi of the California Department of Justice, Judicial Endorsements chair; and Alexander P. Manglinong of Stubbs Alderton & Markiles LLP, the Outreach chair.