American Lawyers Alliance

Founded in 1958, the ALA is a charitable and educational non-profit organization with individual and institutional members nationwide.

The mission of the American Lawyers Alliance is to promote understanding of the American legal system through our national network of lawyers’ spouses. The ALA strives to provide a communication network to bring our unique strengths to the preservation and enhancement of the American legal system, and to preserve the integrity of our legal heritage through citizenship education.

Each year the ALA recognizes teachers, concerned citizens, auxiliaries, and individual members who have excelled in their support of our goals.

The ALA works with more than 90 state and local affiliate groups nationwide.

MISSION STATEMENT

To foster understanding and respect for the American Legal System.

VISION STATEMENT

We nurture the rule of law for freedom’s sake.

Message from the President

As your incoming president I am pleased to inform you as to significant events that occurred at our Annual Meeting in Chicago.

 

I am especially pleased to announce that our organization changed its name to American Lawyers Alliance and we also changed our logo to a modernistic Lady of Justice which will soon appear on our website.  It will take a little time for all of the logos to be changed to the new format and name, as we could not vote on the logo until the last day of the convention.  I am personally thanking my good friend Ray Jacobs, a nationally renowned graphic artist, for making the change pro bono.

In regard to the installation dinner, Natalie Aran, immediate past president, introduced my husband, Rick Lantz, who then introduced our daughter, Laurel Lantz, as the installing officer.  Rick told me he had a “permagrin” on his face the whole time Laurel and I were at the podium.  What a great thing to hear and what a great way to have a family affair.  Laurel inducted all of the officers, giving each a different colored flower and me a bouquet of the same flowers representing the melding of all of our elected officers’ efforts toward making ALA an energized functioning organization for the coming year.  It was a beautiful evening coordinated by Lucy Harrison with her customary elan in a romantic room in the Swissotel overlooking the Chicago skyline and river.

By way of background on me, I was born on rural Ohio attending junior high and high school in a class of the same 36 – 40 students, graduating as valedictorian.  Thereafter it was on to Bowling Green State University where I graduated cum laude.  For me, Bowling Green was very big with 15,000 students.  Two months after graduation I drove cross-country to Los Angeles to teach junior high math with the L.A. City Schools.   It was exciting and frightening at the same time, as I only knew one cousin there.  A month after school started I met my husband on a blind date.  I have joked that I have had only two blind dates, the first was a bust, the second I married.  Eleven months later after a hectic week where Rick took the California State Bar on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (he passed), met his future in-laws for the first time on Thursday night, we married on Sunday.  Two years later we had our only child, Laurel, and I retired from teaching for good.  After Laurel started elementary school I started looking for volunteer activities.  I tutored inner-city kids after school for a few years, then found Court Tours with Los Angeles Lawyers Wives which became my favorite activity.  For the first time in my life I derived great satisfaction from teaching.  Soon I found myself on the Board of Directors, and a few years later became president for two years of Law Advocates of Los Angeles (we changed our name with me making the motion).  The immediate past president of L.A.L.A. automatically became State Representative to California Lawyers Wives.  During my tenure there I made the motion to change the name to California Lawyers Auxiliary (do you see a pattern here?)  After a few years I became president of CLA and remained so until we disbanded in the early 2000′s.

Linda Jarvis from California convinced me to go on the Board of ALA where I served as High School Teacher of the Year Chairman, Secretary for two years, 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President and President-Elect (where I also made the motion to change the name to American Lawyers Alliance.)  I love our new name and am so happy I am part of making that change.

Along with my volunteer activities I was also my husband’s office manager for 13 years.  After my husband’s 30 years of trials we retired to the Palm Springs area where I became a desert rat.  But our new home hasn’t thwarted my desire to see the world and we have fortunately taken some 20 cruises starting in the 70′s covering six continents.  Our daughter lives in New York City giving me a wonderful excuse to visit the Big Apple and its surrounding area twice a year.  I belong to the Barbara Sinatra Children’s Center for abused children, Shelter From the Storm for abused women and most recently The Muses which supports our local theater.  My newest hobby is bridge and I’m actually playing quite well.  It helps to keep my mind sharp.

I am greatly looking forward to serving as your president for American Lawyers Alliance for the next year.  Please do not hesitate to let me know of any of your concerns or questions.

Cheryl Lantz