Annual Meeting set for Oct. 7-10

The State Bar’s 77th Annual Meeting will be held Oct. 7-10 in Monterey, where participants can combine four days of low-cost MCLE courses with the charms of one of California’s favorite coastal cities. This year’s speakers include attorney and author Scott Turow, who will sign his latest book, the Brown sisters, plaintiffs in the historic Brown v. Board of Education decision, and NPR senior correspondent Juan Williams.

Attendees are encouraged to register early — save $100 by signing up before Sept. 7 — to reserve a spot in the MCLE courses they wish to take. Online registration will be available in mid-June at calbar.ca.gov/annual meeting.

Participants can earn up to 20 hours of MCLE credit for the price of the $325 pre-registration fee. Attorneys whose last names begin with N-Z (MCLE compliance group 3) have a Feb. 1, 2005, deadline for completion of 25 hours of continuing education.

The convention will divide its events among the Portola Plaza Monterey Bay (formerly the Doubletree Hotel), the Monterey Conference Center, the Monterey Marriott and the Hyatt Regency.

The convention also features an exhibit hall with more than 100 vendors, an internet café and the Bench and Bar Art Exhibit. Saturday events include a breakfast address by Tom Greene, chief of the attorney general’s public rights division, and the annual dinner dance. Incoming State Bar President John Van de Kamp will be sworn in, along with new members of the board of governors and the CYLA board.

The Annual Meeting Preview, containing a complete listing of continuing education programs, registration and housing information and descriptions of other events, was mailed to all section members and attorneys who have attended the convention during the past five years.

Hotel reservations may be made online this year.

Full details about the annual meeting are available at calbar.ca.gov/annualmeeting.

New CEB benefits for emeritus attorneys

Emeritus attorneys who were registered with the State Bar as of June 30 will receive a silver passport entitling them to free MCLE from the Continuing Education of the Bar (CEB), a value of up to $1,295 in program hours. The new service allows the bearer to take 15 hours of participatory programs and 10 hours of online programs at no cost.

CEB, an MCLE provider since 1947, offers programs in most practice areas and at a variety of program levels and locations throughout the state and online. The programs cover all of California’s required subjects and address recent developments, offer practice tips and include comprehensive program materials.

The bar’s Emeritus Attorney program began in 1994 and is intended to offer experienced lawyers who no longer wish to practice an opportunity to volunteer their services to qualified legal services programs throughout the state.

The bar waives the active status fee — $390 annually — for those who participate but they still must complete 25 hours of continuing legal education every three years. Currently, 82 lawyers are enrolled in the program.

Attorneys interested in registering in the emeritus program may call 415-538-2219.

MCLE compliance — Group 3 is next

Attorneys whose last names begin with N-Z (Group 3) face a Feb. 1 MCLE compliance deadline. Lawyers in that group must complete 25 hours of continuing education courses, including four hours of legal ethics, one hour of elimination of bias and one hour of substance abuse prevention.

Twelve and a half hours may be self-study.

Compliance information is available at calbar.ca.gov>Attorney Resources>MCLE. You may now calculate and submit your compliance card through the My State Bar Profile feature on the Web site.

CYLA schedules job forum

California Young Lawyers Association, in conjunction with the American Bar Association’s Career Resource Center, will host a job forum Oct. 23 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Santa Monica.

The day-long symposium — Suggestions for Defining your Careers: Making the Right Moves Today and Tomorrow — will feature individual resume consultations (on a first come-first served basis), plenary sessions about career advancement and networking opportunities with experts in the field.

Registration information is available at www.calbar.ca.gov/cyla.

Opt out of list sales

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State Bar sells to outside entities may do so by logging on to Member Login on the home page of the State Bar's Web site. After registering with My State Bar Profile, go to "Account Information" and select "Update my mailing preferences (opt out)."

As an alternative, attorneys may e-mail their "opt out" request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov. Include your bar number.

The bar has a policy under which members’ names are provided at cost to a restricted list of outside entities that meet certain criteria. The names are provided for a one-time use to, among others, MCLE providers, the Foundation of the State Bar, local bars and bar-approved insurance providers.

Display your artistic talent

Lawyers and judges who draw, sculpt, work in ceramics or photography are invited to participate in the 52nd Annual Meeting Bench and Bar Art Exhibit. The artwork will be displayed in the Steinbeck Lobby at the Monterey Convention Center, Oct. 7-10.

Awards will be given in the following categories — oils and acrylics, portraits and figures, watercolors, prints, drawings, mixed media, ceramics, sculpture and photography. Art Show rules and entry blanks can be downloaded at calbar.ca.gov/

annualmeeting, or obtained by calling Cheryl Morgan at 415-538-2210.

All entries must be submitted by Aug. 30.

New rule and pamphlet

A new rule of court specifying the role and responsibilities of children’s counsel in delinquency proceedings went into effect July 1. Rule 1479 clarifies that a child’s counsel must (1) defend the child against allegations in any petition filed and (2) advocate, within the framework of the delinquency proceedings, that the child receive care, treatment and guidance consistent with his or her best interest.

The State Bar and the Administrative Office of the Courts have developed a pamphlet to provide juvenile court defense attorneys with both guidance on fulfilling the requirements of rule 1479 and suggestions for effective advocacy beyond what is mandated by law.

The pamphlet is designed to provide information and guidance on what an attorney can and should do to help the child client in order to serve the needs of this population and to achieve the goal of rehabilitation.

The pamphlet is available by contacting the AOC Center for Families, Children & the Courts at 415-865-7739 or cfcc@jud.ca.gov.

Pledge program to help lawyers with disabilities

The State Bar’s Committee on Legal Professionals with Disabilities is seeking support from California law firms for a pledge program to offer opportunities to lawyers with disabilities.

More than 100 law firms throughout the state have signed up since the program began in 1996.

Firms are asked to provide a commitment to offer full and equal employment opportunities and reasonable accommodations for legal professionals with disabilities and chronic medical conditions.

Further information is available from Patricia Lee at 415-538-2240 or patricia.lee@calbar.ca.gov.

Indigent guidelines to be revised, hearing set

The State Bar Board of Governors Committee on Stakeholder Relations has approved formation of a working group to revise the 1990 Guidelines on Indigent Defense Services Delivery Systems. The group will hold a hearing Oct. 9 from 9 a.m. — 12:30 p.m. at the bar’s annual meeting in Monterey.

Individuals interested in suggesting changes to the guidelines may submit them to Sharon Ngim, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639; 415/538-2267; sharon.ngim@calbar.ca.gov. The deadline for public comments is Oct. 29.