This is how Sonoma County attorneys and judges party - with conviction.
The dinner and dance in Windsor on Friday night was a dress-up affair that invited members of the local bar to shake off their lawyerly duties and indulge at a lemon-drop martini bar, an oyster bar and a chocolate bar.
They also opened their purses and wallets and gave to sustain the free legal services that seek to prevent child abuse, other family violence and homelessness.
The occasion was the Lawyers with Heart Winterfest Ball, a benefit for Legal Aid of Sonoma County. Rain-speckled guests entered the Mary Agatha Furth Center to behold a scene of snowflakes and sparkling tiaras.
A display created by Aluxa and Jazmine Lalicker, the Tomales Bay Oyster Girls, was edible art. Nearby, bartenders served up lemon-drops, Korbel champagnes, Kenwood Vineyards wines and Lagunitas Brewing Company beers.
Guests savored an appetizing buffet prepared by Park Avenue Catering and table-delivered plates of Cousteux Bakery desserts - and then, an over-the-top chocolate room filled by Patisserie Angelica of Sebastopol.
In years past, the entertainment at Lawyers with Heart was provided by lawyers with chops - a musical talent show by attorneys, judges and others from the local system. Friday night, guests danced to the Dick Bright Orchestra beneath suspended snowflakes, then headed home through refreshing rain.
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