Thank you to our Business Partners for their GGALA Chapter Sponsorship

Katy Wrinkle

Ph: (415) 810-9795

 

Jasmine DeCastro

Ph: (415) 541-3966

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It's Time to Vote!

Cast your votes for the 2023-2023 Golden Gate Chapter Executive Board!

The Elections Committee is pleased to offer the following slate of candidates for Chapter Officers for the 2022-2023 Executive Board. Please review the biographies in this email, and attached. Cast your vote by selecting one candidate for each position.

Your vote must be cast no later than 5 p.m., February 24, 2022.

Voting Directions:

Go to alasf.org and log in.  Return to this message, click on the link below, and cast your vote.

Alternatively after you log in, under Member Area click on surveys and vote. When you go back to surveys after you have voted, it shows you have already taken the survey (e.g., voted). 

Ballot: 2022-2023 Golden Gate Chapter Executive Board Election - Please vote by February 24th (click here to access)

Candidate for President
Hannah Lincecum

I am a regional Human Resources Manager at Reed Smith and oversee the HR function for its four California offices. I began working in law firms as a receptionist when I was just 19 and what an adventure it has been! My career has given me opportunities to assist with the practice of law as a legal secretary and paralegal, and now I contribute to the business of law where I have found my true calling in Human Resources.

I was born in the Midwest but spent a significant portion of my life in New Orleans, Louisiana. About five years ago, I took a chance and pursued a life-long dream of living in San Francisco. It was the best decision I’ve ever made… so far. The Golden Gate Chapter of the ALA has been a single and tremendous source of knowledge, mentorship, job opportunities and, most importantly, friendship. I am very grateful to be a member of this Chapter and pay forward the kindness and generosity its members have shown me.

I love music. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, you would almost certainly find me at a live concert any day of the week somewhere in the city: the Bill Graham, the Fillmore, the Great American Music Hall, the Masonic, the Swedish American Music Hall, Café de Nord and the SF Symphony Hall. In these days of social distancing, I am content to play the piano in my apartment and mediocrely serenade Page Street in the Lower Haight.

As a member of the Chapter, I have served on the Board and worked with the Membership Committee, the Leadership & Management Educational Section, the Business Partner Committee and the Executive Board as Director At Large. It was my honor to chair the Chapter’s signature Knowledge to Leadership Conference in 2019, and I humbly and enthusiastically accept the nomination of President.

1 of 2 Candidates for Vice-President/President-Elect
Antonia Bereal-Lee

I am the San Francisco Office Administrator at Sheppard Mullin, responsible for the day-to-day operations, as well as the ongoing leadership and development of the dynamic professionals. I work collaboratively with the Co-Managing Shareholders and Director of Administration to ensure that best practices are developed and implemented. Since joining ALA in 2016, I continue to serve as Membership Committee Co-Chair with Kim Coates, and currently serve on the K2L Committee and Business Partner Committee.  I have also served on the Diversity & Inclusion Committee, the 2020 K2L Committee and as Secretary of the 2020-2021 Board Year.

Over an extended break from college, I started my legal career as a 2-week temp receptionist for a small Los Angeles law firm.  After 1 year of being with that firm, I had become the Accounting Department Manager.  When I returned to the Bay Area, I survived homelessness while fighting to earn my bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley in Legal Studies.  I eventually fell into several legal secretarial roles, which helped me get on my feet and finish my undergrad education.  For over 17 years, I worked as a labor and employment litigation secretary and litigation paralegal for several mid to large law firms.  I also earned my master’s degree with high honors from Golden Gate University in Human Resource Management.  When I was presented with the opportunity to become an Office Administrator of a small Oakland firm, I immediately joined Golden Gate Chapter of ALA – the best decision ever.  I am indebted to the chapter for the priceless gift of lifelong friendships that I have received and the many doors that have opened since joining.    I am most blessed to be part of such an amazing network of professionals who personally inspire and push me to do more than I ever envisioned.

Outside of ALA and the legal orbit, I am an active 27-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., Xi Gamma Omega, Chapter, where I spend a great deal of time volunteering in surrounding communities.  I currently serve as chapter Parliamentarian and chair of the Bylaws Committee.  I also regularly participate in weekend food giveaways, teach Teen Sunday School and quarterly virtual Bible Institute courses alongside my husband.  I also teach/direct a youth choir at a local ministry in Hayward, CA.  Most importantly and above all things, I am a mother of 3 children, ages 15, 12 and 8. If ever there is any spare time, I enjoy Burke Williams, annual international trips with my husband (18 years), weekly game nights with my kiddos and spending time with close friends who are like family.  I currently reside in Alameda, CA.

It would be an honor to serve as Vice President/President Elect for the 2022-2023 Board Year and continue the great work of the Golden Gate Chapter.

2 of 2 Candidates for Vice-President/President-Elect
Kira Hansen

I am the Office Administrator for Rosen, Bien, Galvan & Grunfeld, where I direct the day-to-day operations of our twenty-three attorney firm in San Francisco.  With a background in big law firms between 600-900 lawyers, I joined RBGG three weeks before the first shelter in place, and it has been a wild and fulfilling ride ever since.  I joined GGALA in 2016. I have been privileged to serve as your Secretary this past board year, as well as a Community Connection committee Co-Chair and the chapter’s social media liaison.  For ALA nationally, I am a 2020 recipient of the Susan L. French Emerging Leader Fellowship award, and was named a 2021 NextGen emerging leader.

If elected as your GGALA Vice President, I hope to continue to give back to the community of leaders that has done so much for me.  I will leverage my skills and work hard to bring great value to our growing roster of members and business partners.  The ALA is a truly unique group dedicated to education and the elevation of the legal management profession, and I look forward to serving this impressive and diverse organization for many years to come, in whatever capacity I can be useful.

Outside of ALA, I am a wife/daughter/sister, and the mother of three active children ages 7, 5, and 2 years old.  In the last several months I have gotten back into fencing, from which I took over a decade off, but in a former life I competed nationally.  I’m hoping I can ramp back up over the next couple of years, and tell my kids they’re not allowed to try it (reverse psychology!).

Candidate for Secretary
Rachel Hickey

I am the Administrative Manager, Secretarial Services, at Morrison & Foerster LLP. In her role, she oversees the Secretarial Support program for the San Francisco office in collaboration with firm objectives. Rachel has served in a variety of roles during her 15 years of Legal Administration and Operations experience at 4 AmLaw 200 firms. She received her MPS in Law Firm Management from The George Washington University in 2019 and is a Certified Yellow Belt in Legal Lean Six Sigma. Prior to her Legal Administration career, Rachel worked in Travel Management and at Google in Recruiting.

Candidate for Treasurer
Julie Burke

I am the office manager at Blum, Gibbs, Davis & Owen, LLP. She has worked with the firm since 2013 and has experience working as  an accounting manager and bookkeeper. She currently serves as Vice Treasurer of the Association of Legal Administrators Golden Gate Chapter. Julie is a graduate of Saint Mary’s College of California.  

1 of 2 Candidates for Vice-Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect
Mike Lewis

I am the Secretarial Coordinator at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP where I oversee the work of 40 legal secretaries.  I have been a member of the Golden Gate chapter for the last two years where I have served on the Ops & Tech and Diversity & Inclusion committees.  I have also been in charge of the Chapter’s Job Bank for the past two years.  I look forward to another year of growth and service to the Chapter.

2 of 2 Candidates for Vice-Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect
Javier Morelos

I am the Firm Administrator at Hersh FamilyLaw Practice, P.C., a position I have held since April 2020.  I’m responsible for all administrative and financial oversight functions at the firm. I’ve been with HFLP since February 2004 and have worked in every single administrative position there throughout my Bay Area legal career, from receptionist to Senior Paralegal/Client Liaison, and now as Firm Administrator. I have worn many hats, fascinators, headdresses, and tiaras during my time at HFLP!

Currently, I serve as the moderator for the GGALA’s Small Firm Roundtable.  I’ve enjoyed meeting my colleagues from other firms – both large and small - (virtually, for now) for the past year.  Prior to joining the GGALA, I served as the Secretary of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Paralegal Section’s Executive Committee from 2016 through 2019; I then transitioned to leading the Executive Committee as Chair, a position I held from 2019 through 2020.  As Chair, the Paralegal Section Executive Committee coordinated and executed it’s first in-person conference in 2019, an event that exceeded attendance and revenue goals.

Outside of ALA, you can find me at the theater taking in a new play or musical, testing out recipes at home, exploring new restaurants and bars in San Francisco when my recipe testing fails, and learning about the joys of home ownership.

I am honored to have been nominated to serve as Vice-Treasurer/Treasurer-Elect.  The GGALA has been an invaluable source of information and support to me during my formative years as a Firm Administrator.  I look forward to being involved with the GGALA for many years to come and to serving the GGALA and its members in any capacity that I can.

Candidate for Director-at-Large
Linda Republicano

I am the Office Administrator at Fisher Phillips LLP for both their San Francisco and Sacramento offices. Prior to joining Fisher Phillips in 2019, my experience has been with boutique law firms since 2011. I have really enjoyed my years in the legal field and ALA—GGC has been my lifeline. I could not have successfully transitioned into the world of legal without this amazing ALA chapter and all the wonderful, smart, ‘eager to share their knowledge’ peeps in our chapter.

Although I love my current role and what I have been doing these past 11 years, my administrative skills and my ability to lead a team came from being a mom. I started my early career at Touche Ross (which is now Deloitte Touche) where I expected to earn the distinguished CPA title and become a partner in an accounting firm. But as they say—'the best laid plans”—because while at Touche I met and married my husband, Victor and we started a family before I had a chance to get the hours needed to become a CPA. I quickly traded the path to CPA for the reality of MRS and MOM and though I earned two ‘3-letter’ titles quickly, they were a bit of a diversion.

As a Mom of eight sons, I learned how to build a team, spread the work around, never be afraid to get my hands dirty, do all that it takes to get the job done and I also learned that sometimes milk and cookies is truly the solution.

I ventured out into the workforce as my sons hit the teenaged years when I was offered an administrator role at my church. After honing a few needed skills at the church (like how to deal with personnel issues when you can’t put an employee in time out) I moved on to becoming an administrator at a real estate firm. When the real estate market busted in 2009—I threw my hat into the legal field. I owe my successful career to the skills I learned from being a mom and I owe my successful transition into the legal field to the peeps at ALA-GGC. I have been on the Board since 2013 in various roles and I look forward to continuing to serve on the Board in any capacity I am needed.

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Article

HCM Trends Legal Professionals Can't Ignore (article from our Business Partner, iSolved)

Thanks to Susan Prebola at iSolved for the great article linked above.  

..."The verdict is in—employee experience is critical now more than ever.

According to isolved’s Transforming Employee Experience Report, 92 percent of the 500 HR leaders surveyed said employee experience (EX) was a top priority for them. And for good reason—a favorable EX is what gives an organization a competitive edge in the hunt for talent, a necessity in today’s competitive job market"...

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Upcoming Events

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Thank you to our business partners!

Randy T. Gust

Ph: (858) 514-7137

Kelley Milks

Ph: (858) 514-7127

Anthony Bishop

Steve Tarpley

Ph: (415) 391-2060

Christopher Crowley

Beth Harris

Ph: (415) 391-2060

Michael Migdol

Ph: (480) 710-6818   

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 John Dorning

Ph: (415) 397-6800

 Catherine Thomason

Ph: (415) 617-6300

 Lydia Flocchini

Ph: (517) 241-1375

 Ed Deaton

Ph: (937) 608-0821

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Business Partner Profile

Get to know Jack Appleton of Corodata!

How did you end up in the field in which you work?

Was family friend of owner started working part time then became full time.

How long have you been with your company?

32 years.

What do you like best about your job?

What got me interested was it felt like a startup because we were developing new services and I got to wear many hats.

When do you have the best energy and how do you use it?

Morning, I like to do task after task.

What’s your definition of success?

Have a life that allows me to laugh a lot.

Who is/was your mentor?

Father and Mother.

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Del Mar.

What’s your favorite day-off wardrobe?

Shorts, t-shirt and flip flops.

What keeps you up at night?

Enough money for the future.

What do you like the most about helping your clients?

Satisfaction in helping make some ones life easier.

What is your favorite vacation spot?

Hawaii or Jackson Hole.

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Job Bank

THE GOLDEN GATE CHAPTER MAINTAINS A JOB BANK AS A SERVICE TO OUR MEMBERS. 

Access Job Bank listings here.

The Job Bank operates in the following manner:

For Job Seekers:

1. The Job Bank is available to all who are seeking administrative or management positions within the legal industry.
2. This is a free service to all job seekers.

For Employers:

1. The Job Bank is a valuable recruiting tool and is available for use by law firms or corporations with in-house legal departments.

2. Effective April 1, 2019, employers or recruiters posting ads to our Job Board will be charged $100 per 60-day posting. 

3. An employer or recruiter may place an ad detailing the position, which will be posted on the Job Bank's listing page of the Chapter's website for 60 days or until the Chair is notified the position should be removed. The website listings are viewable by the public at large.  A link to the Job Bank is also included in each weekly broadcast email to ALA Golden Gate Chapter Members. 
4. Go to our Job Bank to post a job.  Provide the particulars of the position as well as the direct contact information in the job posting.

All inquiries or materials should be directed to Mike Lewis.

Our job postings from the last 30 days are listed below.  Check the link above for a complete listing.

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ALA Value in Partnership (VIP) Savings

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