FLOC Gala

Annual

Gala

September 18, 2026

5PM - 10PM

Irvine Marriott Hotel

18000 Von Karman Ave
Irvine, CA 92612

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The FLOC ANNuAL Gala

at the Irvine Marriott Hotel

The Annual Gala Event is FLOC’s most anticipated fundraiser of the year! Proceeds from this exciting Gala Dinner support our operating budget, funding vibrant events, law student scholarships, enriching social and professional programs, and generous charitable contributions throughout the year.

2026 Gala Theme:

"From Kapwa to Legacy: Celebrating 10 Years"

As we celebrate a decade of FLOC, we are reminded that none of us builds a legacy alone. Every board member who volunteered countless hours, every sponsor who believed in our mission, every judge and attorney who mentored a student, every member who attended an event, and every law student who trusted us to be part of their journey contributed to what we accomplished this year.

We would be honored if you would join us in celebrating the community, its leaders, and its outstanding members, acknowledging the accomplishments of the year and looking forward to the amazing year ahead.

From Kapwa to Legacy, we move forward together.

Awardees

Judge of the Year

Hon. Tiffany M. Poncy

The Honorable Tiffany M. Poncy serves as a Judge of the OrangeCounty Superior Court, following her appointment by GovernorGavin Newsom in 2026. She previously served as a Commissionerof the Court beginning in 2024.

Before joining the bench, Judge Poncy spent more than 15 yearspracticing in juvenile dependency and child welfare, representingchildren, parents, and public agencies. She served as DeputyCounty Counsel in both Orange and Los Angeles Counties andbegan her legal career representing children in foster care.

Judge Poncy is a graduate of Trinity Law School, where she nowserves as an adjunct professor. She has taught Evidence, FamilyLaw, Juvenile Justice, and Community Property and has helpeddevelop coursework designed to introduce law students todependency law and practice.

FLOC Star Award

Rochelle Calderon, ESQ.

In 2006, Rochelle Calderon arrived in the United States from the Philippines knowing no one: no network, no roadmap. Before coming to the U.S., she had already built a foundation in labor advocacy, working with the Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization and later the Social Security Commission’s Office of the Commissioner, representing the labor sector. She carried that grounding with her, along with grit and the resolve that nothing ahead would be handed to her.

She worked in Silicon Valley while going to school full-time, clocking at least 50 hours a week on the job and still graduating with high honors. Along the way, she found something just as important as a career path: community. As a Student Mentor Coordinator with the Record Clearance Project at San Jose State University, she helped low-income clients pursue post-conviction relief in a justice system that too often fails the very people it claims to serve. It was there she learned a lesson that would define her career: no one should have to fight alone.

At University of California Irvine School of Law, where she earned her Juris Doctor, Rochelle directed the Clean Slate Clinic and the International Refugee Assistance Project chapter, providing free legal representation to people seeking second chances and displaced persons rebuilding their lives. Her pro bono commitment earned her recognition, along with leadership and service awards, not for the accolades, but because she understood that justice, in its truest sense, is measured how it reaches those pushed to its margins.

Today, Rochelle is a seasoned litigator and labor and employment attorney at Buchalter LLP, representing organizations in high-stakes, complex civil and employment litigation, including class actions. Her practice is built on aggressive case strategy and disciplined execution from pre-litigation through trial, guided by the same qualities that carried her here: precision, resilience, and an unwavering standard of excellence. She counsels businesses on compliance and risk mitigation because she knows that the strongest defense is one built on the rule of law, a fight that is, in many ways, the same one she has always waged: holding institutions to the standards that protect the people within them.

In 2016, Rochelle was recruited into FLOC by Ace Aldana, FLOC’s founding President, and Rondine Macadaeg, who would go on to carry the torch as its next President, just as the organization was taking shape. Ten years after being welcomed into FLOC as a law student, Rochelle now serves as FLOC’s 11 President, carrying forward the community that once carried her. Her story is one of a woman who built her own road, paved in part by those who walked before her, and who has spent her career making sure the road is a little easier for those who walk after.

Trailblazer Award

Mark Pulido

Mayor Pro Tem Mark E. Pulido was first elected to the Cerritos City Council in 2011, and served until 2020. During that period, Mayor Pro Tem Pulido was re-elected in 2015 and served as Mayor Pro Tem in 2013-2014 and 2017-2018 and as Mayor in 2014-2015 and 2018-2019. After sitting out due to term limits, Mayor Pro Tem Pulido was elected to the City Council again in 2025.

A Cerritos resident since 1972, Mayor Pro Tem Mark E. Pulido is a two-time former Mayor of Cerritos and former President of the ABC Unified School District Board of Education. Beginning in 2001, he served three terms on the Board of Education, including Board President from 2007-2008.

Mayor Pro Tem Pulido worked nearly three decades in local, state, and federalgovernment, as Assembly Consultant to the California Speaker, State Senate District Director, and most recently as District Chief of Staff to Congressman Alan Lowenthal (Ret.). California Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. appointed Pulido to serve on the California Volunteers Commission from 2013 to 2017, the Board of Directors of the California Science Center and Exposition Park from2017 to 2019, and the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Commission from 2017 to 2019.

Mayor Pro Tem Pulido graduated with honors from Whitney High School in Cerritos. He earned his BA in History and Asian American Studies at UCLA, where he was elected and served as UCLA Student Body President. He earned his Master of Public Policy degree at The University of Chicago, as a Woodrow Wilson National Fellow. He and his wife Gloria raised their daughter and son in Cerritos.

Liwanag Leadership Award

Philip Nulud, Esq.

Philip Nulud is a partner at Buchalter LLP and a nationally recognized intellectual property attorney whose practice sits at the intersection of law, business, fashion, luxury, entertainment, technology, and culture. As Chair of Buchalter’s Luxury Brand Industry Practice and Co-Chair of its Internet Law, E-Commerce & Social Media Industry Practice, he advises some of the world’s most recognizable brands, retailers, athletes, celebrities, and creators on protecting, growing, and monetizing their most valuable intellectual property.

A registered patent attorney, Philip has built a distinguished and wide-ranging intellectual property practice at the forefront of fashion, luxury, retail, entertainment, technology, and consumer brands. He is trusted with complex global trademark portfolios, licensing and brand expansion strategies, anti-counterfeiting enforcement, high-profile celebrity and influencer partnerships, and emerging digital and Internet issues. His work reflects both legal sophistication and exceptional business judgment, earning recognition from World IP Review, Legal 500, Super Lawyers, the Los Angeles Business Journal, and other leading organizations.

Yet Philip’s impact reaches far beyond his professional achievements. He is a teacher, mentor, community leader, and tireless advocate for the next generation. As an Adjunct Professor of Fashion Law at Loyola Law School Los Angeles, and through significant leadership roles in national, regional, and affinity bar organizations—including the National Filipino American Lawyers Association, Philippine American Bar Association, National Asian Pacific American Bar Association, and California Asian Pacific American Bar Association —Philip has helped strengthen institutions, expand representation, and create pathways for others to lead. He has consistently used his success and influence to open doors, create opportunities, and lift others along the way.

At the heart of Philip’s success is his family. A devoted husband and father, he brings the same warmth, humor, and generosity to family life that define his leadership in the profession. Even amid demanding, high-stakes work, he makes room for what matters most—sometimes quite literally bringing his daughter, Collette, along for Zoom meetings—reflecting the balance, perspective, and humanity that make him such a respected colleague, mentor, and leader.

Tonight, the Filipino Lawyers of Orange County proudly honors Philip with the 2026 Liwanag Leadership Award for his extraordinary professional achievement, visionary leadership, generosity of spirit, and enduring commitment to the Filipino American legal community. Philip embodies Liwanag not simply by shining brightly, but by using his light to illuminate the path for others.

Thank you to our sponsors

Diamond Sponsors

Bronze Sponsors

Table Sponsors

Specialty Sponsors

Purchase Tickets

$ 225 Each

FLOC Lifetime members ALSO receive ticket to private reception

$ 250 Each

General admission. *Does NOT include private reception access.

$ 225 Each

Includes 1-year of FLOC Membership

$ 180 Each

For Judicial Officers/Non-Profit and Government Attorneys

Registration

Sponsorship Packages

$ 7,500

Minimum $2,000 sponsorship(s) will be awarded in the Diamond Sponsor's name. The ______-FLOC Scholarship.
Reserved Cocktail Table at VIP Reception with hosted bar, and drink tickets.
VIP Table Location at the Gala (10 seats)
FLOC Branded Merchandise (6 Bucket Hats and 4 Totes)
2 Annual FLOC Memberships
Recognized as FLOC Annual Sponsor on Website and FLOC Flash
Multimedia acknowledgment
Full page ad with media enhancements
Link to business website on e-program
Additional links such as video/audio on e-program
Signs acknowledging Diamond Sponsors at reception area