SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 13, 2025 - Queen's Bench Bar Association formally announces that our 2025 Keynote Address will be given by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Victoria Kolakowski at the Queen's Bench Gala on October 8, 2025, in San Francisco, California.

Each year, Queen's Bench hosts an annual keynote address at our penultimate event of the calendar year, inviting our members and local community to learn from and engage with prominent attorneys, legislators, and legal scholars in the United States on contemporary topics and issues of special concern related to the mission, history, and/or goals of Queen's Bench Bar Association. Prior keynote speakers include legal scholar Mary Ziegler, the Honorable Lucy Koh of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, former California Supreme Court Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, and the late United States Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Judge Victoria Kolakowski became the first openly transgender trial court judge when she was elected in 2010 in Alameda County. She became the first openly transgender administrative law judge (ALJ) in 2006.

Before becoming a trial court judge, she was an attorney for twenty-one years in Louisiana and California, serving as a sole practitioner, attorney in a small patent boutique firm, patent & licensing counsel for a publicly traded company, patent & general counsel of a different publicly traded company, senior state government utility regulatory attorney, and ALJ for two different California agencies: the California Department of Insurance and California Public Utilities Commission.

She is passionate about ensuring and expanding access to justice, particularly for those with limited resources.  She serves on the Judicial Council of California’s Advisory Committee on Providing Access and Fairness and is the California Council of Churches' appointee to the California Access to Justice Commission.

Judge Kolakowski is a former president of the International Association of LGBTQ+ Judges (2015-2017). She has spoken widely on LGBT issues, especially transgender legal issues, to audiences in the U.S. and around the world, addressing audiences either in person or virtually in eight U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and nine other countries (Brazil, Canada, Colombia, England, France, India, Ireland, Israel, and Poland), often through the U.S. State Department’s U.S. Speakers Program.

She is a leading educator for the judiciary and the legal community on transgender issues. An adjunct professor at the University of San Francisco School of Law, she will teach her class, “Equality and Religious Freedom,” for the third time next spring. This seminar examines the intersection of religious freedom and equality rights, a topic on which she has been published by both the American Bar Association and USF Law Review.

Judge Kolakowski is especially proud to have been honored as a “Pioneer in the Law” by the California Women Lawyers in 2014 and to have been named the 2019 California Legislative Women's Caucus' “Woman of the Year - 18th Assembly District.”

She received the American Bar Association’s Stonewall Award in 2025.

Judge Kolakowski is completing a two-year term as Co-Director of District 14 (California/Nevada) for the National Association of Women Judges, for which she chaired the LGBTQ+ Committee, Committee on Fairness and Access, and Diversity &  Inclusion Committee.

Before becoming a judge, she co-authored the City of Berkeley’s public domestic partnership registry ordinance, was a founding officer ofEquality California (formerly California Alliance for Pride and Equality), was on the board of the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom(SF Bay Area’s LGBT Bar Association) and served as co-chair of the board of the Transgender Law Center

Queen's Bench extends sincere appreciation to Judge Kolakowski and the 2025 Gala Committee co-chairs, Sara Craig and Juliane Smith, for organizing this year's Keynote Address.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 13, 2025 - This press release was prepared by 2025 President, Elisha Jussen Cooke.

Queen’s Bench Bar Association is proud to support two important advocacy efforts led by the Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP) to strengthen legal protections for survivors of domestic violence.

First, Queen’s Bench signed on to FVAP’s letter supporting a proposed amendment to Rule 7.3 of the California Rules of Professional Conduct, which would prohibit attorneys from soliciting respondents in domestic violence restraining order (DVRO) cases before they have been served. Survivors often face the greatest risk of harm immediately after leaving an abusive relationship. Pre-service solicitation of restraining order respondents has led to service evasion and to survivors abandoning their restraining order requests because of a respondent’s coercion or intimidation—all of which compromise survivor safety and access to courts. The proposed amendment aligns with established public policy and ensures survivor safety is prioritized without compromising due process for respondents.

Queen’s Bench also joined FVAP in requesting publication of the appellate decision in D.V. v. Mohamed M.—an important and precedent-worthy case affirming a trial court’s issuance of a DVRO, dismissal of contempt charges, and award of sole custody to the survivor. The decision addresses several novel and underdeveloped areas of law, including:

• The standard for contempt charges for purported violations of a Temporary Restraining Order in the Domestic Violence Restraining Order (DVRO) context
• The statutory defense of coercion under Penal Code § 236.24(a)
• Use of expert testimony in DVRO cases 
• Admissibility of secretly recorded conversations under Penal Code § 633.6
• Recognition of immigration-related abuse as domestic violence

Together, these efforts reflect FVAP’s and Queen’s Bench’s shared commitment to advancing gender equity, improving access to justice, and building a trauma-informed legal system that empower survivors and protect their rights.

To learn more about FVAP’s work, visit www.fvaplaw.org.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 2, 2025

This press release is published on behalf of 2025 President, Elisha Jussen Cooke. 

Queen’s Bench is proud to congratulate board members Catherine Reagan, Alexandra Sepolen, and Linda Anderson on being named 2025 Super Lawyers Rising Stars in Northern California!

This distinction is awarded to just 2.5% of early-career attorneys through a rigorous selection process that includes peer nominations, independent research, and attorney evaluations. It’s a testament to their excellence in practice, commitment to justice, and leadership in the legal community.

For more than a century, Queen’s Bench has championed the advancement of women in law and promoted equality, professional excellence, and community service. We’re honored to have these three outstanding attorneys carry that legacy forward through their work on our board and in the wider legal community.

Congratulations, Rising Stars!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - July 8, 2025 - On July 8, 2025, the Queen's Bench Board of Directors met for its monthly Board meeting to review and discuss various Queen's Bench initiatives.

The Board unanimously voted to rebrand the Employment/Work-Life Balance Committee as the Wellness Committee. The committee provides information and hosts events related to balancing a legal career with personal and/or family obligations. Historically, the committee supports programs and initiatives covering topics such as family or medical leave, parental leave, resources for remote work, retirement planning, childcare, workplace accommodations, and mental health and wellness.

The rebranding of this committee coincides with recent recommendations at the statewide and national level to promote the well-being of legal professionals. Recent initatives include the the State Bar of California's Lawyer Assistance Program and MCLE promoting wellness as a critical component of attorney competence. The change also aligns with recent publications by the California Lawyers Association and the American Bar Association.

The Board also unanimously voted to welcome two new co-chairs: Kara Wild and Alexandra Sepolen.

• Kara Wild is our Immediate Past President and current President of the Queen's Bench Foundation. Wild has maintained a strong, long-standing presence in Queen's Bench leadership for several years, supporting various initiatives and projects that support the well-being of members and the Greater Bay Area community.

• Alexandra Sepolen sits on the Board of Directors, participating in various Queen's Bench programs since her time as a law student. Prior to practicing law, Sepolen worked in public health and served on various task forces related to attorney and law student wellness.

Members interested in joining the Wellness Committee may email Catherine Reagan, our Membership Chair, at membership@queensbench.org, or the Wellness Chairs directly at wellness@queensbench.org.

SAN JOSE, CA - June 27, 2025 - On June 26, 2025, members of Queen's Bench leadership hosted South Bay members at the Littlest Little Italy in San Jose for a fun afternoon and evening of networking at our South Bay Summer Mixer. The event marks the return of our summer mixers after a programming hiatus in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Board members Alexandra Sepolen and Stephanie Smeekens and Civil and Judicial Appointments Committee Co-Chair Veena Bansal welcomed attendees, including new members and representatives from the bar association's Supporting Underwriter, ADR Services, Inc..

Attendees discussed several important topics as a larger group, including recent developments in judicial appointments throughout the Bay Area, including Santa Clara County Superior Court, the history of Queen's Bench and its Foundation, and opportunities to join committees and attend upcoming events such as the Queen's Bench Gala.

The event also served as a successful business development opportunity, enabling attorneys working in family law and immigration law, as well as in-house and in IP/entertainment, to build business contacts. Law students also attended the event, gaining exposure to new practice areas and useful feedback for their summer internship programs.

Queen's Bench Bar Association looks forward to continuing our Summer Mixer series, including an East Bay Summer Mixer that is tentatively scheduled for August 2025.

Queen's Bench Bar Association has joined the Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP), along with a group of domestic violence, legal aid, and family law agencies, in submitting comments to three Invitations to Comments from California's Judicial Council. The Judicial Council is the administrative policy-setting body for the state judicial system, and is responsible for, among other things, creating and updating the California Rules of Court and court forms. As part of its process, Judicial Council regularly seeks comments for its proposals from persons and organizations interested in judicial administration.

FVAP submitted comments to the Judicial Council's Invitations to Comment LEG25-01, regarding alternative methods for family courts to give notice of child custody mediation (amending Family Code § 3176), SPR25-25, regarding the clarity and formatting of family law forms and protective orders (and the implementation of SB 599 and AB 3072), and SPR25-26, regarding the clarity and formatting of protective orders and changes to domestic violence and juvenile forms (in order to implement AB 2759).

By supporting this request, Queen's Bench supports FVAP's goal of ensuring that the proposals meet their goals and the law, are readable and usable, and help and support survivors of domestic violence and their children.

Queen’s Bench Bar Association has joined Family Violence Appellate Project (FVAP) and a coalition of domestic violence advocates in requesting a modification to the California Court of Appeal’s opinion in In re Marriage of A.M. and R.Y. (Case No. D084344). Although the Court recently modified its opinion in response to the appellant’s rehearing petition, FVAP and its partners are urging the Court to correct a key omission that could impact the safety and legal protections available to survivors across the state.

The current opinion omits an important portion of the Domestic Violence Prevention Act’s (DVPA) statutory purpose: to “provide for a separation of the persons involved in the domestic violence for a period sufficient to enable these persons to seek a resolution of the causes of the violence” (Fam. Code § 6220). While the opinion acknowledges the DVPA’s purpose of preventing abuse, it excludes this second, important component of the law.

This omission matters. Survivors are at heightened risk of serious harm when attempting to leave abusive relationships. The DVPA was designed not only to prevent further acts of violence but to allow space for safety, stability, and healing. Recognizing the full statutory purpose ensures that courts consider both the need to prevent immediate harm and the need for meaningful separation as part of their analysis when deciding whether to issue temporary restraining orders.

By supporting this request, Queen’s Bench affirms that clarity in the law is critical to ensuring trial courts apply the DVPA as the Legislature intended. We remain committed to advancing survivor safety and the legal protections that reflect the complex realities of domestic abuse.

Queen's Bench Bar Association provides opportunities for members to work on similar projects. If interested in our Amicus Briefs Committee or Domestic & Sexual Violence Committee, email admin@queensbench.org to sign up today.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - May 16, 2025 - This week, Second Vice President and Membership Chair Catherine Reagan welcomed new admittees, Board members, committee chairs, and members to our Spring Meet and Greet Reception and Mixer. Reagan hosted this year's springtime reception and mixer at the Civic Center Courthouse in San Francisco, CA.

In her opening remarks, Reagan shared more information with new members regarding Queen's Bench rich history. As one of the first ten women's bar associations founded in the United States, Queen's Bench remains a leading figure in championing issues of special concern to women both in the Greater Bay Area and nationwide.

This year's remarks were given by 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient and 1988 Past President Judge Mary E. Wiss, who emphasized the significant impact Queen's Bench members have on local leaders. Approximately 15% of prior Queen's Bench leadership later go on to judgeships, reflecting the high standards of excellence and public service embodied by our membership.

The event concluded with remarks from 2025 President Elisha Jussen Cooke, recognizing Immediate Past President Kara Wild for her leadership last year. Wild's achievements as Immediate Past President include establishing the Fighting for Democracy Series, enabling the bar association to partner with long-standing community-based organizations such as League of Women Voters. Wild also spearheaded revisions to the bar association's bylaws, enabling paraprofessionals and affiliates to obtain memberships at accessible rates.

SACRAMENTO, CA - April 25, 2025 - Queen's Bench Secretary and Amicus Briefs Committee Co-Chair Juliane Smith was appointed by the Supreme Court of California to the State Bar of California's Committee of Bar Examiners. Smith will serve on the Committee for a four-year term, ending in 2029.

According to the State Bar of California's website, the Committee of Bar Examiners "exercises oversight over the California Bar Examination, moral character determination process and the First-Year Law Students’ Examination. The committee makes recommendations for rules and guidelines governing admissions functions; recommends qualified applicants to the California Supreme Court for admission to practice law in California; accredits law schools; registers unaccredited law schools; and studies and reports on proposed changes in the law and other matters concerning requirements for admission to practice law in California."

Queen's Bench congratulates Smith on her appointment and is thrilled she is continuing our legacy of leadership in all facets of the legal profession.

The Judicial Branch of California's News Release regarding Smith's appointment is available here.