Southeast District Bar Association to honor legal leaders at annual awards gala

The Southeast District Bar Association will celebrate excellence in the legal profession and community service when it hosts its 63rd Annual Awards Gala and Installation of Officers and Trustees this Saturday, Jan. 31, at the Sheraton Cerritos Hotel.

The evening will honor four distinguished leaders whose work has shaped the legal community and public service in the Southeast District.

John A. Bunnett will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his decades of service and leadership in the legal profession. The Honorable Tiffany W. Tai has been named Judicial Officer of the Year, recognizing her contributions to the bench and the administration of justice. Janine M. Frisco will be honored as Attorney of the Year for her professional excellence and commitment to service, while Ana Perez will receive the Judicial Assistant of the Year Award for her dedication and impact within the court system.

SEDBA’s 2026 board officers will be installed at the gala, including Jennifer A. Nakamura, president; Brenda Perez Rodriguez, president-elect; Janine M. Frisco, vice president; Michael K. Hutchinson, secretary; and Jonathan R. Terkeurst, past president.

Incoming trustees include Sarah E. Cortez, Mary Ann Escalante, Esli Frias, Diana M. Fukushima, Robert F. Jacobs, Jennifer A. Lumsdaine and Mariela H. Torres.

Founded in 1934 by a group of attorneys dedicated to community service, the Southeast District Bar Association has grown into the largest and most distinguished legal association in the Southeast District. The organization is comprised of lawyers, judges and business professionals from diverse backgrounds who play significant roles in their professions and in the broader community, including local media, education and public service. Its mission remains rooted in service, professional development and civic engagement.

In addition to the awards and installation of officers, the gala will feature a silent auction benefiting SEDBA’s scholarship programs, including the SEDBA Cerritos College Foundation Scholarship. The scholarship supports students pursuing careers in the legal field, helping foster educational access, professional growth and long-term opportunities within the community.

Lifetime Achievement Award: John A. Bunnett

John A. Bunnett a.k.a. Jack Bunnett, graduated from California State University, Long Beach in 1978. Thereafter, he attended evenings at Southwestern University School of Law and obtained his Juris Doctorate in 1982. He was sworn in as an attorney by his father, the Honorable John W. Bunnett in 1983.

He went straight into private practice, occupying an office with his brother, Daniel Bunnett, in Downey. As a new practitioner, he would handle cases in the field of criminal law, family law, business formations. personal injury, trusts and wills, probate, bankruptcy and business and civil litigation. Through the years, he has refined his practice to the areas of civil litigation, business formation, probate, estate planning, personal injury and civil appeals, with most of his focus in real estate. More recently, he is limiting the litigation and devoting his efforts more towards estate planning, probate and transactional work.

Jack takes pride in the long line of attorneys and judges in his family. His grandfather Francis W. Bunnett was an attorney and judge in the Southeast area, as was his father John W. Bunnett. His late brother Daniel Bunnett practiced in the areas of criminal law and probate. His late uncle, Robert P. Bunnett also practiced law in the Southeast area. In addition, his nephew John D. Bunnett is a lawyer, recently retired, as well as John’s wife Vicky. Likewise, his son Matthew is a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County, as is Matthew’s wife Makalie.

Jack has been a member of the Southeast Bar Association since 1983 and considers his association with the Southeast Bar to be an enormous factor in his overall success as an attorney. His father served as its President in 1965 and his brother did the same in 1992. He was honored to serve as President of the Southeast Bar Association in 2008 and served on the Board of Trustees many years before and after.

Jack considers the greatest reward in practicing as an attorney for forty-three years is the people you meet in the process. Jack is particularly grateful for the people he has met through the Southeast Bar Association and even more, the strong friendships developed on the SEDBA Board.

Judicial Officer of the Year: Hon. Tiffany W. Tai

Judge Tiffany W. Tai was appointed to the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom on July 17, 2024. She currently serves in Department 201 at the Whittier Courthouse in the Southeast District, after previously serving as a Commissioner in Family Court.

Before her appointment, Judge Tai was a partner at Ritt, Tai, Thvedt & Hodges, LLP, a prominent boutique law firm located in Pasadena. Her legal career began as a law clerk at the firm’s predecessor, Bensinger, Grayson, Ritt & Gee, in 1995. Throughout her private practice, which she established before being elected as a court commissioner in February 2022, Judge Tai specialized in business and civil litigation. Her practice covered a diverse range of issues, including contract disputes, employment disputes, complex fraud cases, and intellectual property matters.

A first-generation immigrant, Judge Tai has lived continuously in Southern California since moving to the United States at the age of seven from Taiwan. She earned her Juris Doctor from the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California (USC) in 1997, where she also completed her undergraduate studies. As a law student, she served as a judicial extern to the Honorable Dorothy W. Nelson on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. Additionally, Judge Tai holds a Master’s degree in Communication Management from the USC Annenberg School for Communication.

Judge Tai is married to her high school debate partner, Andrew Dodge, a screenwriter, and they have two adult daughters, Charlie and Chase.

Attorney of the Year: Janine M. Frisco

Janine (Poletti) Frisco was born and raised in Downey, California. She is the fifth of seven children in a close-knit family deeply rooted in the legal community. Her father was the Honorable Charles E. Frisco, who served on the bench for 44 years, was one of the original founders of the Southeast District Bar Association, and served as its past president in 1955.

Janine earned her paralegal certificate from Cerritos College, and attended California State University, Long Beach. Her legal career began as a student worker at the Downey Courthouse, then she became a judicial assistant to Judge Lawrence Plotkin.

In 1984 Janine married and gave birth to her first son, Garryn Laws. Immediately after, she joined the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s (LADA) Office as a paralegal in the Major Crimes Division. Her first day of law school at Western State College of Law coincided with Garryn’s first day of kindergarten. Determined and disciplined, she worked during the day and attended law school at night.

While at the LADAs office, she served as a paralegal to the renowned prosecutor David Conn and was lucky enough to witness and participate in the successful prosecution of the Menendez brothers. This high-profile double homicide case profoundly shaped Janine’s perspective on the law. Janine's experience and on-the-job training in a complex case gave her the edge to master Evidence, her best grade in law school.

Before graduating, Janine met her husband, Thomas J. Poletti, and they married shortly afterward. Janine later gave birth to another son, Thomas J. Poletti II (Tommy). Once Tommy started kindergarten, she transitioned into private practice with Brian Brandmeyer and John Gilligan. Today, she is a partner at Gilligan Frisco Trutanich & Sarris. Janine’s practice is dedicated exclusively to family law, which she considers both her calling and her passion. Her office is in Long Beach, directly across from the courthouse where her brother, the Honorable Christopher J. Frisco, serves as a judge. Their brother, Chuck Frisco, is a criminal defense attorney with an office at her firm. Janine’s husband is a senior partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, where he leads the firm’s capital markets practice. Their son Tommy is currently in his final semester in law school. Janine highly values her relationship with her daughter-in-law. Janine actively participates in her community, serving on the Board of Directors for Orphan Children of India and Pax Christi.

Judicial Assistant of the Year

Ana Perez was born and raised in San Pedro, California, as the second of two children. Her journey began with graduating Magna Cum Laude from Bishop Montgomery High School. It continued with earning a double major in Management and Operations Management, with a minor in Spanish Language, at California State University, Long Beach.

Before beginning her legal career, she worked as a pizza parlor manager, an administrative assistant at a large bank, and an intake and transfer coordinator for a regional center.

Ana began her career with the Los Angeles Superior Court in April 2016, inspired by her mother, a Spanish-language interpreter for the court, who believed Ana would thrive in the role. After completing the Judicial Assistant Trainee Program, she worked in the Southeast District, gaining valuable experience. Eventually, Ana accepted a long cause trial assignment with the Honorable Judge John A. Torribio in Department G at the Norwalk Courthouse. There, she managed criminal, civil, and CEQA trials along with related motions.

When Ana learned of Judge Torribio's upcoming retirement, she accepted an assignment with the Honorable Judge Debra Cole-Hall in Department T, a courtroom focused on criminal calendars at the Norwalk Courthouse. Shortly after, they transitioned to Department K, which handles long cause criminal and civil trials, where Ana continues her rewarding journey.

For the past seven years, Ana has championed the City of Norwalk's Project Angel Tree on behalf of the Norwalk Court. Project Angel Tree is a holiday initiative that provides clothing gifts for needy children in Norwalk. The District Attorney's Office, the Public Defender's Office, the Alternate Public Defender's Office, and court staff enthusiastically participate and are incredibly generous.