In the OCBA’s annual election, two outstanding and contributing members of the Orange County legal community are nominated for Secretary of the OCBA to serve the term beginning January 1, 2023. Yearly, the Secretary elevates to Treasurer, President-Elect, President, and Immediate Past-President. The person you elect will influence the development and direction of the OCBA for years to come.
If you are an active attorney member of the OCBA, please vote. The online election will open for voting on Tuesday, September 6, 2022, and will close at 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at www.ocbar.org/vote.
In alphabetical order, allow me to introduce your two candidates for OCBA Secretary: Shirin Forootan and Teresa McQueen.
Shirin Forootan Shirin Forootan is the founding and managing attorney at Forootan Law, where she practices employment litigation on both sides, provides advice and counsel, conducts workplace investigations, and provides expert testimony. She is currently on the Board of Directors for the OCBA and for Orange County Women Lawyers.
Shirin recalls her path to OCBA involvement when she was a young attorney, with a strong desire to give back. She started signing up for several community outreach volunteer events, where she very much enjoyed getting out of her home and work bubble to get to know other attorneys, law students, and judges, that she would not have otherwise had the pleasure of meeting. She eventually became Chair of the Community Outreach Committee, but that was just the beginning of her long path of volunteer service with our bar association.
Shirin went on to serve as Chair of the Mommy Esquire Committee, Chair of the Lawyer Well Being Committee, Chair of the Labor & Employment Section, and Chair of the Judiciary Committee. She has also served as an active member of the Administration of Justice Committee and Legislative Resolutions Committee. She also currently serves on the Orange County Superior Court Equal Access to Justice and Prevention of Bias Committee.
As OCBA Secretary, Shirin is ready to listen and lead. She has the leadership experience, diplomacy, and work ethic that would make an excellent leader for our bar association. She is described by others as humble and effective.
Shirin became a lawyer to help other people. As Secretary, she would tirelessly carry out the mission of our bar: “To Enhance the System of Justice, To Support the Lawyers Who Serve It, and To Assist the Community Served By It.”
Shirin is native to Orange County—she grew up in Irvine and practiced at small, medium, and large firms in Orange County. She lives in Newport Beach with her husband and fourth-grade son.
Please vote for Shirin for 2023 OCBA Secretary so that she can continue her longstanding commitment to carrying out the mission of our bar. To learn more about her, please visit: www.shirin4ocbar.com.
Teresa A. McQueen I want to be your choice for OCBA Secretary. As an active and serving member of the OCBA, I have continually demonstrated my genuine passion to serve the legal community since joining the OCBA nearly twenty years ago.
Experience: I have served multiple terms as Director at Large on the OCBA’s Board of Directors (2008-2010; 2011-2013); most recently for the term 2020-2022. My leadership abilities have time and again been endorsed by colleagues as evidenced by my appointment or election over the years to serve in key leadership positions as chair or co-chair of many important OCBA divisions, committees, and sections, including the Bridging the Gap Committee (2009-Present), Charitable Fund Golf Committee (2022-Present), Education Committee (2019-Present), Membership Committee (2021-2022), Mentor on Demand Committee (2008-2011; 2016-2019), Resolutions Committee (2011), the Solo/Small Firm Section (2007), and the Young Lawyers Division (2007).
Commitment: My commitment to serve is further demonstrated by my ongoing service to the OCBA in a wide range of volunteer positions, giving me a breadth of experience in and knowledge of the OCBA. This commitment was recognized in 2018 when I was honored to receive the OCBA’s Harmon G. Scoville Award for exemplifying the highest standards of the legal profession and championing our constitutional system of justice.
Leadership: I view the OCBA as a unique and important resource to serve its diverse membership. As our profession continues to evolve in this time of tremendous change, the OCBA stands ready to lead and serve. As a member of the OCBA executive committee, I commit to further develop and enhance leadership and educational opportunities for members, promote meaningful community service and pro bono opportunities, and remain, as always, responsive to membership priorities.
A former solo practitioner and small firm attorney, I am currently Corporate Counsel for Western Growers Association.
I ask for your vote so I may continue to serve our diverse membership and support the OCBA in fulfilling its mission to enhance our system of justice, support the lawyers who serve it, and assist the community served by it. Please visit teresamcqueen.com for more about my candidacy.