Los Angeles Paralegal Association upcoming events

LAPA's 2026 Spring Career Conference (April 18, 2026)

Sat, 18 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT

Join us at our Annual Spring Career Conference and meet successful
legal professionals who will inspire you to move forward in your
career! Bring your resume for the Resume Tune-Up and dress to
impress for your FREE professional headshot!

April 18, 2026
8:00 am to 12:00 pm

Students – $25.00

Non-Students – $50.00

Light Breakfast & Professional Headshots
8:00-9:00 am

Legal Recruiters
9:00 am - 9:55 am

Professional Certifications
10:00 am - 10:55 am

Alternative Careers
11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location: California State University - 6th Floor
801 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017
(Downtown Campus)
Parking structure next to the building is $5.00 for all day parking on Saturday

Meet and network with senior paralegals and top recruiters who will help you
identify the next steps in your career path that are right for you.

The Recruiting Professionals Panel will provide insight on how agencies work
as part of the team with HR/Paralegal Managers to match highly qualified
candidates with the right position in the right firm.

The Professional Certification Panel will explain the impact that professional
certification can make in your career.

The Alternative Career Panel will provide tips on optimizing your skills so that
you can envision yourself stepping outside the box of traditional paralegal
roles onto alternative career paths.

Project Angel Food Kitchen Assistance (Non-MCLE) (April 26, 2026)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT

PROJECT ANGEL FOOD
KITCHEN ASSISTANCE

Date: Sunday, April 26, 2026
Time: 8AM - 12PM
Location: Project Angel Food
922 Vine St, Los Angeles, CA 90038

Project Angel Food’s kitchen is 80% volunteer-driven. We serve men, women, and children throughout all of Los Angeles County who are debilitated by serious illnesses and cannot shop or cook for the food they need to survive and heal. They are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, congestive heart failure, COPD, diabetes, end-stage renal disease, HIV/AIDS, stroke-cardiovascular accident and/or other serious diseases. Many are struggling with two or more illnesses.

Kitchen volunteers don’t need to be great cooks, simply take direction from our professionally trained chefs. You’ll join compassionate people in chopping vegetables, stirring sauces, mixing batter, baking cookies, and packaging the meals.

We have a parking lot behind the building, but it may not be able to accommodate every volunteer. We encourage carpooling, rideshare, and public transportation. There is ample street parking in the area, but please watch signs closely. There is absolutely no parking in the 7-11 parking lot.

Please arrive promptly by 8am for your orientation. We will begin orientation when all the participants arrive.
Ask for someone in Volunteer Services when you arrive.
Your shift will end around 12pm.
Please wear closed-toed, rubber-soled, flat shoes when working in the kitchen. No sandals.
Wear comfortable clothes but no cut-offs/midriffs, cap sleeves, or tank tops. No shorts or skirts. Long pants only.
Health Department Regulations prohibit all jewelry on hands, fingers, and arms. Please leave all valuable jewelry at home. Only stud earrings and flat wedding bands are permitted.
You will need to cover your heads so grab a hairnet that we will be providing. Hats can be worn over the hair net.
Please don’t forget to sign in and out for every shift.
Minimum age for volunteers is 14 years old. Anyone 14 or 15 must be always accompanied by an adult. Anyone under 18 must have a liability form signed by a parent or guardian.
Masks are optional in the kitchen.
No drugs, pot, or alcohol before or during volunteer shifts.
Please remember, only scheduled volunteers will be allowed in the building. No walk-ins and no bringing guests without scheduling them.
Stay at home for at least 24 hours after fever/symptoms of fever without fever-reducing medication.
Runny nose or cough, even if you think it is allergies – Cannot Volunteer

From Past to Present: How Immigration Court and ICE History Shapes Today's Practice (MCLE) (May 08, 2026)

Fri, 08 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

From Past to Present: How Immigration Court and
ICE History Shapes Today's Practice

From the Civil War era to the creation of EOIR in 1983 and major changes after 9/11, U.S. Immigration Courts have evolved under federal oversight. Today, judges face growing backlogs and political scrutiny. This webinar explores due process challenges and offers guidance for practitioners navigating the system in support of clients.

Presented by:
Gunda J. Brost, Esq.

Friday, May 8, 2026
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Online via Zoom

Gunda J. Brost is an immigration attorney (immigration lawyer) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Gunda is originally from Oldenburg, North Germany. She holds a law degree from Hamline University School of Law in Saint Paul, Minnesota (May 2006). Gunda was admitted to the Iowa bar in 2007. Gunda is a former model and a world languages teacher, with experience teaching English as a Second Language, German, French, and Latin. Gunda’s legal experience includes working part-time as a law clerk and later an associate for immigration attorney Antunez de Mayolo law office (2003-2012), being a student director for the Minneapolis Public Defender’s office (2005), as well as representing clients in mediation proceedings in Hamline’s mediation clinic (2005). Gunda is fluent in English, French and German, and Spanish. Besides her law degree, Gunda holds a B.A. from Wartburg College and a Master’s degree from Middlebury College, Vermont. As a fun fact, Gunda was a former Ms. Nebraska. In her free time, she enjoys reading, foreign movies, dancing, art, music and traveling.

As a college student, Gunda became increasingly involved in international issues as a result of having met and befriended international students from all over the world. But it was not until years later when Gunda was teaching English to speakers of other languages and volunteering at a domestic violence hotline in Omaha, NE, that she considered studying immigration law. At this time, students from all walks of life would ask Gunda for advice, which she did not always feel knowledgeable enough to provide. The experience of standing helplessly by while one of her undocumented students was severely injured at the company where he was working without papers pushed Gunda to take some steps to learn more. The young man ended up permanently losing several of his fingers, yet because of his fear of being deported felt he had no legal recourse against the employer who had failed to provide adequate safety measures. Seeing his fear and suffering first-hand brought the situation of undocumented, often underpaid and at times exploited workers to Gunda’s attention. The next semester, she enrolled in law school. It was always her fascination with immigration law that was at the heart of her motivation to become an attorney. As a law student working with local immigration attorney Miryam Antunez, Gunda was able to assist in representing the victims of the 2006 ICE raid in Marshalltown. One of the highlights of Gunda’s experience as a law student was when she helped write a legal brief for an asylum application that was ultimately granted. Since then, Gunda has found that her interest in and experience with living abroad, international people and their cultures and finally her ability to speak different languages have been tremendously helpful in her ability to serve her clients.

Gunda is an active member of AILA (American Immigration Lawyer's Association) and has held leadership positions at the national, regional and local level in immigration advocacy. She was the 2024-2025 Iowa-Nebraska AILA chapter chair and served on the AILA board of governors. She is a member of the ABA international and immigration law steering committee. She is an active member of the Iowa State Bar Association. Gunda presents regularly on immigration topics at a national level.