CWL News

Judge Tara Flanagan serves as a Judge of the Superior Court of California in the County of Alameda. 

Judge Flanagan earned a Bachelor of Science degree from California State University, Northridge and earned her law degree from Southwestern Law School in 1998. 
Before going to law school, Judge Flanagan lived in England pursuing her
rugby career. She was selected to the US Women's Rugby National Team. She and her teammates went on to win the Women's Rugby World Cup in 1991. The USA Eagles followed their impressive 1991 victory with a second-place finish in the 1994 World Cup.
Judge Flanagan is a member of the USA Rugby Hall of Fame. 

As her rugby career came to a close, Judge Flanagan enrolled in Law School. Attending law school at night while working full time, she distinguished herself at Southwestern, becoming class president and named to the Moot Court Honors Program,
where she later served on the Honors Board of Directors.

After graduation, Judge Flanagan’s law career started at a large litigation firm in Orange County; from there, she joined the Los Angeles District Attorney's office where she served as Deputy District Attorney. During her first year at the D.A.'s
office, her hard work and skill earned her recognition and honors as an "Outstanding Domestic Violence Prosecutor."

In 2004, Judge Flanagan began practicing family law. As a legal aid attorney, she represented domestic violence survivors and their children. She fought for restraining orders and financial support to ensure that the victims had the security
to move forward with their lives. Later, Judge Flanagan was the managing Attorney of the Self-Help Center of the Superior Court, and Family Law Facilitator. She later opened her own practice and continued to protect victims of domestic violence.

In 2012 Judge Flanagan won election for a seat on the Alameda County Court. Her seat was challenged in 2018 and she won that election as well.  Since joining the bench, she has continued to be an active voice in our community, serving on
various boards and volunteering her time.

LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 7
With Hosts:
Summer C. Selleck
Ariel B. Lee

Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung

Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan

Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office

Louise Renne is a lawyer, former Supervisor and one-time City Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco, California. 

She is a graduate of both Michigan State University and Columbia Law School (1961).

Ms. Renne was appointed Supervisor by Mayor Dianne Feinstein in 1978. She acted as member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors for 8 years from 1978 to 1986, where she was chair of the Finance Committee.

She was then appointed by Feinstein as City Attorney in 1986 and became the first female City Attorney in San Francisco history. She served in the position until 2001. In this role, she argued on behalf of the state before the California and United States Supreme Courts.

She had her own private practice for 2 years and was a staff attorney in the general counsel’s office at the Federal Communications Commission for 3 years.

Ms. Renne served as General Counsel for the San Francisco Unified School District where she led the effort to combat corruption existing at the time and establish a legal department.

She also served as City Attorney for the City of Richmond.

She currently works at  Renne Sloan Holtzman & Sakai LLP in San Francisco, which is a public law firm.
She was a founder and former California Women Lawyers President from 1977-1978.


LISTEN HERE: VOLUME 4

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The Walt Disney Company consists of much more than just “The Happiest Place on Earth,” and Marjorie Randolph’s 15 years there revolved around Walt Disney Studios, where she was senior vice president of human resources and administration. That’s a lot of happiness to manage: live action and animated movies (including much-loved Pixar and Miramax films), music associated with the movies, the home entertainment division, and live stage shows like Disney on Ice. Prior to her work at Disney, Randolph, who is now retired, served as senior vice president and general counsel of the department store chain Mervyn’s.

Just like Disneyland on a hot day with long lines and tired children, human resources work isn’t always all smiles. But Randolph knows
the value of one, even when the job gets tough. “During intense legal negotiations, I realized how important it is to read a room, understand how critically important nonverbal communication is, and understand how humor can help bridge an adversarialsituation,” she explains.
https://www.cla.purdue.edu/alumni/OurAlumni/Profiles/Randolph._Marjorie.html

LISTEN HERE: Volume 3 Marge Randolph

With Hosts: 
Summer C. Selleck
Ariel B. Lee


Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung
Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan
Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office 

Click here to download the newsletter. 

Dru Ramey is the former executive director of the National Association of Women Judges, former tenured member of the GGU School of Law Faculty, and former executive director and general counsel of the Bar Association of San Francisco. While serving with the Bar Association, Dru transformed the organization into one of the nation’s leaders in diversifying the profession and in the provision of legal services to the poor. For more than 30 years, Dru has been devoted to diversity, equal opportunity
and access in the justice system. She has chaired the ACLU of Northern California and the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and served as a co-founder and board leader of California Women Lawyers.

Dru has received numerous honors and awards in recognition of the contributions she has made to the legal profession, including the prestigious Margaret Brent Women Lawyers of Achievement Award – the American Bar Association’s highest honor for women in the profession, the American Jewish Committee’s Learned Hand Award and the National Bar Association’s Wiley Branton Award. 

Dru currently serves as the Chair of the Equal Rights Advocates and sits on the boards of the International Association of Women’s Judges and the Habeas Corpus Resource Center, which monitors 743 of California’s death row inmates.

Dru is a charismatic public speaker and fierce civil rights advocate who received her Bachelor’s Degree magna cum laude from Harvard University and her Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School.

Seat At The Table-Vol.2-Drucilla Ramey

With Hosts: 
Summer C. Selleck
Mika Domingo

Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung
Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan
Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office 

Alameda County District Attorney Nancy E. O’Malley is a nationally recognized expert in human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence. She is known for her many innovative programs, including those to fight real estate fraud, elder and child abuse, prescription drug fraud, chronic absenteeism, sexual assault, domestic violence, ID Theft and environmental violations, as well as creating a project to eliminate the backlog of rape kits in Alameda County and beyond.

DA O’Malley has led the charge for stronger legislative protections and increased rights for victims through her legislative work in Sacramento. Over the last ten years, her Office has obtained restitution orders of over $126 million for victims of crime in Alameda County. DA O’Malley created the Family Justice Center, pioneered an electronic notification system for victims, as well as developed H.E.A.T. Watch – an anti-human-trafficking initiative that has become a national model.

Recently, she was the first District Attorney in the nation to receive the 2016 American Bar Association’s Margaret Brent Award for professional excellence and for advancing opportunities for women the legal profession. In 2015, DA O’Malley received the 2015 Irvine Foundation Leadership Award and used the prize to launch the H.E.A.T. Institute, a research-based think-tank committed to ending all forms of human trafficking in California.

A Seat at the Table - Vol 1 - Featuring Nancy O'Malley
With Hosts: 
Summer C. Selleck
Sabrina Ashjian

Sound Editing and Recording: Gilbert Leung
Music: Jonathan M. C. Jordan
Recording At: Alameda County District Attorney Office