Michelle Domingo Takes Office as California Women Lawyers' 51st President
For further information, contact: Ana M. Storey, President, 916.930.9020 or [email protected] or Mika Domingo, President-Elect, 925.891.5006 or [email protected]
For immediate release September 2, 2022
Michelle Domingo Takes Office as California Women Lawyers’ 51st President
Sacramento – Michelle “Mika” Domingo, founder and managing attorney of M.S. Domingo Law Group, P.C., in Walnut Creek, will be sworn in as president of California Women Lawyers Sept. 9, marking what CWL believes to be the first time a Filipina has headed the organization.
Domingo, who was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 12 years old, will be installed as president at the CWL Annual Dinner set for Sept. 9 at the Waterfront Hotel in Oakland. Her term will begin in January 2023.
“It is my hope that having a Filipina president of CWL, which has played a vital part in my professional life, will show women of color that there are important leadership roles they can play in the legal profession,” Domingo said. “I have looked up to many strong women in my life, and I know how important it can be to see someone who looks like you in leadership positions.”
Women of color make up a small percentage of attorneys in California. The California State Bar’s 2022 Report Card on Diversity found that only 18% of California attorneys are women of color, and only 14% of attorneys in the state are Asian. Women comprise only 44% of California attorneys, despite women making up more than half the population of the state, and only 34% of California attorneys are people of color despite constituting 61% of the state.
Domingo has served on the board of CWL for eight years and was on the executive committee for the past two years. She has served as co-chair of the Judicial Evaluations Committee for seven years, during which time she helped evaluate more than 20 judicial applications and two candidate endorsements.
She has also been a committee member, chaired, and moderated CWL’s “So, You Want to be a Judge” program and has served on the subcommittee, moderated, and been a panelist for the recently developed “So, You Want to be a Lawyer” program for high school and college students. She has served on several additional committees, including the planning committees for the Annual Conference and Annual Dinner; the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Committee; and the Awards Committee.
Domingo chose this year’s Annual Dinner theme of “Power in Partnerships: Connect, Collaborate, and Conquer” to highlight her inspiration and dedication to furthering CWL’s mission of advancing women in the legal profession and eliminating all forms of inequality. She will focus her presidential efforts on collaborating with other bar associations and community organizations to maximize CWL’s resources and reach.
“Over the past eight years, I have been using my role as a CWL board member to connect with different bar associations in the area, to forge strong relationships,” Domingo said. “I hope that by solidifying strategic partnerships at the local, regional and national levels, our impact will be far beyond what we’ve ever seen before. I hope to help CWL empower women, one connection at a time.”
Domingo began her legal career in civil rights litigation as a Deputy Attorney General with the California Department of Justice. She started M.S. Domingo Law Group, P.C., in 2017. Her practice focuses on estate planning, probate administration, trust administration, and probate and trust litigation. She has received honors including being named a “Rising Star” by Super Lawyers from 2018-2022; holding an Avvo “Superb” rating; receiving the Unity Award from the Minority Bar Coalition in 2019; and the California Bar Foundation Public Interest Award in 2011.
The CWL Annual Dinner will feature keynote speaker D’Lonra C. Ellis, Chief Legal Officer of the Oakland Athletics and San Jose Earthquakes, as well as the presentation of the Rose Bird Memorial Award to Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Lucy H. Koh. CWL also will present its annual Nancy E. O’Malley Scholarship to Corina Yetter, who graduated from UC Davis School of Law in 2022.
CWL will swear in the 2023 Board of Governors and officers including Past President Ana Storey, President-Elect Jodi Cleesattle, First Vice President Tracy Hughes, Second Vice President Pa’tanisha Davis Pierson, and Secretary Lorrina Duffy.
About California Women Lawyers. California Women Lawyers was established in 1974 “to advance women in the profession of law; to improve the administration of justice; to better the position of women in society; to eliminate all inequities based on gender, and to provide an organization for collective action and expression germane to the aforesaid purposes.” CWL, which has members statewide, seeks to advance women through legislative advocacy; provide amicus support in cases affecting women; prepare women for judicial appointments and political office; evaluate candidates for judicial appointment; recognize outstanding women lawyers and judges; provide scholarships to exceptional law students; provide valuable networking opportunities; and more. For more information about CWL, visit www.cwl.org.
