Five weeks in, and ABOTA has kept me and the Chapter busy. Our OC ABOTA Installation Dinner took place on January 11, 2025, at the Lyon Air Museum. Our 2025 Executive Committee Chapter Officers were sworn in by Ret. Judge Nancy Seltzer. We had over two hundred people in attendance, and it seems a good time was had by all.
Congratulations to Deborah Tropp-Thompson, President-Elect; Jennifer Russell, Secretary; Keith P. More, Treasurer; Kimberly Valentine-Gibson, Membership Chair; and Elizabeth Kolar, Member-at-Large. Also, congratulations to the Trial Lawyer of the Year recipient, Jennifer Leeper; the Joseph D. McNeil Civility Award recipient, Sharon A. Hodges; the Volunteer of the Year recipient, Keith P. More; and the Mark P. Robinson, Jr. Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Michael P. Maguire. There could not be four more deserving recipients of these awards, and I am proud to know them all.
This year, we have four National Board Representatives. Jeffrey Roberts returns for his second year, and Greg Amundson, Daniel Hodes, and Jennifer Leeper were selected as new representatives for 2025 after the Executive Committee reached out to the membership to gauge interest in serving in this role. National Board Representatives serve three-year terms and represent our Chapter at National Meetings. They also serve as voting members of our Executive Committee.
Quite a few of our Chapter members attended the 2025 National ABOTA Annual Meeting & Leadership Conference from January 22-26, 2025, in Los Cabos, Mexico. Many of our Executive Committee officers were present, and first-time national meeting attendees included our own National Board Representatives, Jennifer and Dan.
In addition to attending great social gatherings, we participated in two days of outstanding lectures regarding ABOTA, including an incredible judicial panel discussion, "A Call to Action: Defending the Third Branch of Government." This was followed by "The Art of Oral Advocacy Through Storytelling," featuring speakers Jonathan Shapiro—a former federal prosecutor and writer for many legal television shows, including one of my personal favorites, Goliath—and Camille Vasquez, who represented Johnny Depp in his trial against Amber Heard. We also heard a compelling keynote address from Presidential Historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin.
We attended an amazing Installation Dinner for 2025 National President Jennifer Doan and our own Deborah Tropp-Thompson as the 2025 ABOTA Foundation President. Additionally, our own Yoshi Kubota was appointed as the 2025 ABOTA Officers and Secretary of the ABOTA Foundation, and Pamela S. Traut was named the ABOTA Foundation Treasurer.
Our Chapter has always been actively involved in National ABOTA. We have had three past National Presidents: Michael P. Maguire, Mark P. Robinson, Jr., and Lewis Sifford. If you ever have the opportunity to attend a National Meeting, I highly recommend it—you may find yourself wanting to attend regularly and will gain a deeper appreciation for what ABOTA does across the country.
We have already held two Executive Committee meetings this year. At our last meeting on February 5, 2025, we approved the formation of four new ad hoc OC ABOTA Committees, chaired as follows:
Community Services – Kim Valentine
WABOTA (Women of ABOTA) – Jennifer Russell
New Members – Elizabeth Kolar
Social Media – Jeff Roberts
We encourage you to reach out to the committee chairs to join and participate in our Chapter’s initiatives. This is a great opportunity for those wondering what our Chapter does beyond dinners and social events. Their email addresses are:
Kim Valentine: kvalentine@valentinelawgroup.com
Jennifer Russell: jrussell@mswlegal.com
Elizabeth Kolar: elizabeth@kolarandassociates.com
Jeff Roberts: jroberts@robertslawfirm.net
Speaking of dinners and social events, our Spring Dinner will take place on April 30, 2025, at the Park Club in Costa Mesa. It will not only be a great time to socialize with fellow members, both new and old, but we will also hold our Annual Chapter Meeting, where members will participate in amending our Bylaws to align with the new trial requirements for ABOTA.
Our Annual OC ABOTA Golf Tournament will take place on May 19, 2025, at The Mission Viejo Country Club. It sells out every year, so be sure to register as soon as registration opens.
As you can see, I wasn’t kidding when I said our Chapter has been busy! We will continue to stay active throughout the year, and I encourage all members not only to attend our dinners and social events but also to get involved in our Chapter and National ABOTA whenever the opportunity presents itself.
As Hillel the Elder wrote:
"If not you, then who? If not now, when?"
Juan C. Delgado
President | Orange County ABOTA