Q&A: Beverly Hills Bar Association President Stephen Raucher

The Beverly Hills Bar Association installed attorney Stephen L. Raucher as its new president this week.

Founded in 1931, the BHBA is the sixth-largest bar association in California with 4,000 members who practice in all areas of the law. Raucher's Los Angeles-based firm Reuben, Raucher & Blum focuses on general business litigation, including real estate and insurance coverage matters.

Beverly Hills Patch: When did you join the Beverly Hills Bar Association?

Stephen L. Raucher: I joined the BHBA in 1995. I love this bar association. It's very special to me based on its history and what we are doing now. It's an honor and privilege to be its president.

Patch: What other positions have you held with the BHBA?

Raucher: I've been very active during my time with the association, including being Barristers President when I first joined followed by president of the board of governors in 1999 and chair of the litigation committee. To become president is a five-year journey with the BHBA.

Patch: How would you describe the BHBA?

Raucher: We are a small association with just under 4,000 members. You don't feel like you are lost among the masses, which can be the case with larger bar associations. But we are big enough to host a number of events and education programs.

Patch: Can you describe some of these events?

Raucher: We have 160 continuing education programs for our members. We host three or four events a year, including a lunch for all the justices on the California Supreme Court. We've been hosting that lunch for more than 50 years. We also name an "Entertainment Lawyer of the Year."

Patch: What are some of the challenges the legal industry is facing in the current recession?

Raucher: In 2008 things changed. Lawyers were having trouble finding jobs. The bad news from a bar association's point of view was [lawyers] had less money to spend on joining associations. The good news was that wasn't true for the BHBA. After the initial panic, people are coming back. It's more important now to establish [industry] contacts available through a bar association.

Patch: Are layoffs still affecting the legal industry?

Raucher: The industry has been hit hard over the last few years. It's been unprecedented in terms of layoffs and the volume of layoffs in our industry. Lawyers, especially at larger firms, have been hit tremendously hard by layoffs. Some firms stopped hiring because of the recession.

Not all areas of the law are doing poorly. Bankruptcy is doing great at the moment. I think medium and small-sized firms haven't been as overwhelmed by the recession. The have a little more flexibility.

I'm optimistic. I believe we have turned a corner in terms of the recession.

Patch: Do you have any goals you want to accomplish as president?

Raucher: I think my main goal is to get our membership levels back up to pre-recession levels. I'm also planning to have the association—for the first time—recognize the "Litigation Attorney of the Year."