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History Committee | Queen's Bench Bar Association
Standing Committee

History Committee

Founded in 1921. Somebody has to know what happened, and make sure it isn't lost.

How we work
Meets as needed; most work happens by email
Open to
Every member, and we are glad to hear from Past Presidents

Our charge

From the bylaws

Named as a standing committee in Article VI, Section A. The Board has not further prescribed this committee's duties, which it may do at any time. Bylaws, Article VI, Section A

In practice

Queen's Bench is over a century old and much of that century sits in boxes, in back issues, and in the memories of people we still have the chance to ask. This committee's job is to get it down before it goes.

The centennial work (the decade-by-decade timeline, the founders' research, the Past Presidents roll) came out of this committee, and there is a great deal still unwritten.

What we do

  • Run the Centennial Oral History Project, recording Past Presidents and longtime members while we can.
  • Preserve the archives of both the association and the Foundation: photographs, programs, correspondence, and records.
  • Write Queen's Bench Trivia for our signature events.
  • Build programming that tells members what this association has contributed to the profession, locally, in California, and nationally.
  • Research and document the association's history from 1921 forward, including the Past Presidents roll.
  • Answer the historical questions that reach the association.

Signature programs

The Centennial Oral History Project

Recorded conversations with Past Presidents and longtime members, begun for the association's hundredth anniversary and still gathering. The people who built this association are the primary source, and they are the one source with an expiration date.

Preservation of the archives

Custody and care of the records of both Queen's Bench and the Queen's Bench Foundation: photographs, programs, correspondence, minutes, and the printed record of a century of programming.

Queen's Bench Trivia

The history round at our signature events. Members learn more about this association from four questions and a prize than from anything we could put in a newsletter.

Educational programming

Programs that show members what Queen's Bench has contributed to the profession, in San Francisco and the Bay Area, across California, and nationally.

Who leads this committee

Kara Wild

Co-Chair · 2024 President
Partner, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Walnut Creek

Clarissa Kang

Co-Chair
Director, Trucker Huss, APC, San Francisco

Reach the whole committee at history@queensbench.org. It reaches the chairs and the Administrator, so nothing falls through when leadership rotates in January.

Good to know

You don't have to be on the Board

Committee chairs and members are drawn from the whole membership, not just the Board; the Executive Committee is the only exception. The President nominates each committee's chair and a majority of the Board approves the selection. Board service, more often than not, grows out of committee work. (Bylaws, Art. VI, §C.)

Join this committee

There's no application and no vetting. Tell us you're interested and we'll bring you in on the next round of work. Come to one meeting before you decide whether it's for you.

Committee leadership, programs, and meeting schedules are current as of July 2026 and change from year to year. Corrections and updates: admin@queensbench.org.

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