75th Annual Meeting set for Monterey

The State Bar will hold its 75th Annual Meeting in Monterey Oct. 10-13 with a program that includes New York gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo and syndicated columnist Molly Ivins among its speakers and dozens of continuing education programs. Participants can earn up to 19 hours of MCLE credit for the price of the $295 pre-registration fee.

The convention will divide its events among the Doubletree Hotel, the Monterey Conference Center, the Marriott and the Hyatt Regency.

A new State Bar president and five new members of the board of governors will take their oaths of office Oct. 12 from Chief Justice Ronald George, who will give his annual State of the Judiciary address.

In addition to Cuomo and Ivins, speakers include Texas Supreme Court Justice Craig T. Enoch, best-selling author Brad Meltzer and Helane L. Morrison, administrator of the San Francisco district office of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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

3,000-plus lawyers may lose their law license

More than 3,000 California lawyers face the possible loss of their license to practice as a result of not complying with continuing education requirements. As of early last month, 3,238 lawyers had not complied with the requirements.

At its August meeting, the bar's board of governors will forward to the Supreme Court the names of those who still are not in compliance to be placed on involuntary inactive enrollment. The change in status would occur Aug. 30.

Those in arrears belong to group 3, last names N-Z, whose compliance deadline was Feb. 1, 2002. But a total of 2,769 actually are non-compliant for two reporting periods, the one ended in February and a previous period that ended in 1999. Just over 50,000 lawyers are part of group 3. Other numbers included in the 3,238 figure are: 409 already are not entitled for some other reason; 304 have submitted a compliance card but owe a late fee; 371 paid the late fee but have not provided a compliance card; and 2,563 owe both a compliance card and a late fee.

In order to avoid placing members on inactive status, the bar has mailed notices and telephoned those who have not complied with the MCLE requirement. A 60-day notice was mailed June 12 and a final notice will go out Aug. 1.

Fee arb trainings scheduled

Recent developments in fee arbitration will be discussed at training programs in San Francisco, Concord and Los Angeles sponsored by the State Bar's Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration. The free trainings offer 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of legal ethics.

The San Francisco training is scheduled for July 17 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. in the Sequoia Room of the Judicial Council Conference Center, 455 Golden Gate Ave. The Concord training will be held July 18 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Contra Costa County Bar Association, 1001 Galaxy Way, Suite 102, Concord. The Los Angeles session is scheduled for Aug. 20, also from 5:30-8:30 p.m., at the Los Angeles County Bar Association, 241 South Figueroa, Suite 100.

Each session is open to fee arbitrators from the particular counties and all State Bar fee arbitrators. Among the topics for discussion are how to write an enforceable award, conflicts of interest, disclosure requirements and how to control the proceeding. To register for the San Francisco training, contact BASF ADR Services at 415/982-1600 (phone) or 415/477-2388 (fax). For the Contra Costa County training, contact the bar association at 925/686-6900, ext. 141, and for the Los Angeles session, call Jenna Albrecht at the Los Angeles bar, 213/896-6441. For more information, call Jill Sperber, director of the State Bar Office of Mandatory Fee Arbitration, at 415/538-2023.

Free MCLE for new lawyers

In the interest of educating new admittees and other lawyers about ways to avoid malpractice claims, the State Bar's Committee on Professional Liability Insurance will provide two free MCLE seminars this month. "Strategies for Establishing and Maintaining Effective and Appropriate Client Relationships" will be conducted by Anthony Davis, a nationally known speaker on risk management.

A Supreme Court committee which reviews applicants for State Bar Court judgeships has begun recruiting for three openings. The position of Hearing Judge Stanley Reichert, who resigned to take a position as Superior Court Commissioner in Los Angeles, currently is open. The term of his replacement lasts until November 2004.

The term of Review Judge Madge D. Watai, also located in Los Angeles, will end on Nov. 1; appointment to that position will be for six years. The Supreme Court will make appointments to fill both those positions. In addition, the term of Los Angeles Hearing Judge Paul A. Bacigalupo expires Nov. 1 and will be filled through appointment by the Speaker of the Assembly. It also will be a six-year appointment. Review judges work 60 percent of full time and currently are compensated at the rate of $83,685 per year. Hearing judges are full time and currently earn $127,372 per year.

Candidates must have been a member of the State Bar for at least five years, must have no record of discipline and may not practice law while serving on the bar court. Recruitment for all three positions will be conducted by the Supreme Court's Applicant Evaluation and Nomination Committee.

Rules revision project gets underway

The board of governors has reinstated the 14-member Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct in an effort to evaluate existing California Rules of Professional Conduct. A public hearing will be held at the State Bar's Annual Meeting in Monterey Oct. 10-13.

Comment sought on new jury instructions

The Judicial Council Task Force on Jury Instructions recently released new sets of both civil and criminal jury instructions for public comment. The task force is interested in reactions to style, format, legal accuracy, clarity and usefulness of accompanying notes and commentary. The deadline for sending in comments is Sept. 4.

Artists invited to exhibit at the annual meeting

MCLE compliance group 2 faces Feb. 1 deadline

Members of MCLE compliance group 2 (last names H-M) who are not part of an exempt group must complete 25 hours of continuing legal education by the compliance deadline of Feb. 1, 2003. Attorneys who comply after that date may be subject to a $75 fine.

Calling all retired lawyers

New State Bar web address

Public comment sought

E-briefs offer bar news

Fee arbitrators needed