Economic downturn puts a crimp in legal services
This was the year IOLTA funds were supposed to swell and California legal aid organizations, which get much of their funding from trust account interest, were going to reap the benefits of the bulging coffers.

Budgeters project bar red ink
The State Bar is spending down its reserves and faces a $6.6 million deficit by 2011, according to figures released by bar officials last month. Nonetheless, chief financial officer Peggy Van Horn believes that with some cutbacks and readjustments, “there is no need for slash and burn” to the organization.

Cultural differences: New defense tactic?
A Mexican-American man is convicted of second-degree murder for shooting a poker companion who used an offensive slur about the defendant’s mother. A Muslim Albanian man in Texas loses his parental rights for touching his daughter’s genitals. A Thai man who shows no remorse or other emotion for his part in a Garden Grove robbery in which two people were killed receives the death penalty.

New Seniors guide in May
The State Bar’s popular Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians will be published again this spring and distributed free throughout the state.

Penalties for non-payment of dues attached Feb. 2;
final mailed mid-March
State Bar fee payments for 2009 were due Feb. 2 for all active lawyers and inactives under 70, and late penalties attached on Feb. 3 to fees not received by the statutory deadline.

Bar foundation awards grants totaling $258,000
Organizations that provide legal services and education throughout California were awarded 37 grants totaling $258,000 from the California Bar Foundation.

2008-09 Exhibitor Directory
The businesses and services listed here support the State Bar through various means, most notably as exhibitors at the State Bar's Annual Meeting. Visit them online or via phone to serve your individual needs.