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.
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