San Gabriel Valley fee arb training set for Sept. 21

Recent developments in fee arbitration will be discussed at a training program in Walnut sponsored by the State Bar’s Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration. The free training offers 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of ethics and 1.75 hours of general credit, and is open to fee arbitrators from the San Gabriel Valley Lawyer Referral Service, Eastern Bar of Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley and San Bernardino bar associations, as well as State Bar fee arbitrators.

Among the topics for discussion are how to write an enforceable award, the statute of limitations, conflicts of interest, disclosure requirements and how to control the proceeding.

The training will be held Thurs-day, Sept. 21, from 6 – 9 p.m. at Mt. San Antonio College, Building 6, Room 160, 1100 N. Grand Ave., Walnut. To reserve a space, contact Derek Dixie at 626-966-5530 or sgvlrs@earthlink.net. For additional information, contact Jill Sperber at 415-538-2023.

VIP schedules conference

VIP Mentors (formerly known as Volunteers in Parole) will hold a free statewide conference Sept. 16 for past, current and prospective mentors to address the multiple challenges of mentoring highly at-risk young adults. The conference will be held at McGeorge School of Law in Sacramento and offers four hours of MCLE credit, including an hour of substance abuse credit.

Presentations by experts and experienced mentors will cover topics including enhancing communication with clients, understanding gangs, substance abuse and difficult issues in mentoring.

For a registration fee or more information, visit the VIP Web site, vipmentors.org or e-mail vip-statewide@vipmentors.org.

VIP has 14 mentoring programs throughout the state, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Stockton and Fresno. The program connects attorney volunteers with young people recently paroled from the California Youth Authority as well as adult parolees from state prison.

Sign up for e-briefs

The State Bar offers “e-briefs,” a short summary of recent news developments or announcements of interest to lawyers. The electronic mailings are provided on a timely basis, usually twice a month. To subscribe, go to “e-briefs” listed under “News” on the home page of the State Bar’s Web site, calbar.ca.gov.

Opt out of list sales

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State Bar provides to qualified outside entities may do so by logging on to Member Login at calbar.ca.gov. After registering with My State Bar Profile, go to “Account Information” and select “Update my mailing preferences (opt out).” Members also may e-mail their opt out request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov. Include your bar number.

Back-to-school guides

The start of school brings with it a renewed interest in the State Bar’s popular publications, Kids and the Law: An A-to-Z Guide for Parents and When You Become 18: A Survival Guide for Teenagers. A number of social studies and government teachers use the legal consumer guides as surefire tools to get students interested in how laws pertain to them. 

The guides, which are free, are filled with practical information. Kids and the Law talks about bike, skateboard and scooter laws, the process for getting a driver’s license, drinking, curfews, drugs and many other issues. When You Become 18 covers many of the same subjects, as well as discussions on reaching the age of majority, signing rental agreements, registering for the draft, workplace discrimination, voting, serving on a jury and California marriage laws.

Kids is currently available in English and Chinese. 18 is available in English, Spanish, Chinese and Korean.

To order your free copies, send the number desired and in what language to the appropriate e-mail: kids@calbar.ca.gov and/or 18@calbar.ca.gov.

Change your address!

Nearly a quarter of the State Bar’s membership — some 45,000 lawyers — changes their address every year. And although the B&P Code requires attorneys to notify the bar within 30 days, it often doesn’t happen.

Next year, attorneys must pay their dues by Feb. 1 or a $100 penalty will attach on Feb. 2, so it is important that members keep their address up-to-date in order to receive their fee statement.

Complete information about changing an address can be found on the bar’s Web site, calbar.ca.gov; click on Attorney Forms in the right-hand menu. The change can be made online, by mail or by fax, and if done by mail or fax, must include a photocopy of one piece of identification, such as a driver’s license, State Bar membership card, passport, California identification card, military identification card or birth certificate.