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State Bar celebrates its 75th anniversary

Special edition - The State Bar of California turned 75 on July 29. As part of its birthday celebration, California Bar Journal will publish a special 32-page commemorative insert in its October 2002 issue.

District 3 ballots will be mailed Sept. 19

Ballots in the election for the open District 3 seat on the State Bar Board of Governors will be mailed Sept. 19. The election is being held to replace Marie Weiner, who recently joined the San Mateo County Superior Court. District 3 includes Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties. Any active member of the bar who maintains his or her principal business office in one of those counties is eligible to run and vote. The term expires in 2004.

Voting will continue until Nov. 19.

Santa Clara County Counsel Ann Ravel has filled Weiner's position on an interim basis, as she did when another former board member from District 3, Erica Yew, also was named to the bench

Complete details about the election are online. Questions may be directed to Biljanna Sivanov, 415-538-2274.

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.

Information about MCLE compliance rules is available online.

Public hearing on rules revision scheduled

The Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct will hold a public hearing Oct. 11 to hear comments and suggestions for amendments to the rules, which serve as California's attorney disciplinary standards. The hearing will be at the Doubletree Hotel in Monterey from 2-5 p.m.

Individuals who wish to speak at the hearing and/or present written materials should contact Lauren McCurdy, 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105; 415-538-2107 or e-mail Lauren McCurdy no later than Oct. 7. A copy of the rules is available from McCurdy or online.

Positions open on two non-profit boards

Attorneys interested in serving on the boards of directors of Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) or California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) are invited to submit an application.

One three-year position is open on the 36-member LSNC board, which meets five times a year. Applicants must reside in the Butte Region, which includes Butte, Plumas, Glenn, Tehama and Colusa counties. Deadline for applications is Sept. 25. LSNC is a non-profit Legal Services Corporation-funded program created to provide legal assistance to low-income residents of 23 northern California counties.

One two-year position is open on the 45-member CRLA board, which meets four times a year. CRLA also is funded by the Legal Services Corp. and provides legal assistance to the rural poor. The application deadline is Oct. 10.

Interested attorneys should apply by letter, listing the reasons they should be appointed, and include a resume outlining work experience, community activity and educational background. The materials should be sent to Chris Zupanovich State Bar of California, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105. Questions may be directed to 415-538-2534.

Free MCLE seminars set

In the interest of educating lawyers about ways to avoid malpractice claims, the State Bar's Committee on Professional Liability Insurance will provide two free MCLE seminars this fall.

"Risk Management Audits for Solo and Small Practitioners" will be conducted by Anthony Davis, a nationally known speaker on risk management. The six-hour course will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sacramento on Sept. 30 and at the Hyatt Regency San Francisco on Oct. 1. Pre-registration is required to guarantee seating. Check-in is at 11:30 a.m., and the course lasts from noon until 6:30 p.m.

The seminars are open to all attorneys at no cost. Those wishing to attend should register in advance at www.kvi-calbar.com or call 415/538-2201 for more information. Participants will receive six hours of MCLE credit in ethics.

San Bernardino fee arb training scheduled

Recent developments in fee arbitration will be discussed at a training program in San Bernardino later this month sponsored by the State Bar's Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration. The free training, scheduled for Sept. 12 from 5:30-8:30 p.m., offers 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of legal ethics.

Open to fee arbitrators from San Bernardino County and all State Bar fee arbitrators, the session will be held at the San Bernardino County Government Center, Board of Supervisors Chambers, 385 N. Arrowhead Ave., San Bernardino. 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, contact Kristine Viola, San Bernardino County Bar Association, at 909-885-1986. For more information, call Jill Sperber, director of the State Bar Office of Mandatory Fee Arbitration, at 415-538-2023.

Supreme Court appoints panel to draft MJP rules

The Supreme Court moved closer to modifying restrictions on the practice of law in California by attorneys who are not members of the California bar by appointing a 16-member panel last month to draft new rules.

The committee also will devise procedures to implement the recommendations of the court's Advisory Task Force on Multijurisdictional Practice, which finished its work early this year. The task force was formed to consider whether and under what circumstances lawyers not admitted in California might be permitted to perform legal services in the state.

Among its recommendations were a proposal that a system of registration be established to permit specified out-of-state lawyers to work in California, including some in-house counsel and public interest lawyers providing legal services to the indigent.

San Francisco attorney Raymond Marshall, a former president of the State Bar, will chair the new panel. He also chaired the task force and several members will continue their work on the new panel as well.

The original task force report is available at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/ reference. A final report is expected to be delivered to the court in June 2003.

Nominations sought for Aranda award

The California Access to Justice Commission is seeking nominations of a California judge for the Benjamin Aranda III Access to Justice Award. The award honors a judge for his or her efforts to improve access to the judicial system for low- and moderate-income persons.

Nominees should be individuals who have demonstrated a long-term commitment to equal access to the courts and who have personally done significant work to improve access. The commission will select the recipient in consultation with the Judicial Council, the State Bar and the California Judges Association.

A full description of the criteria for the award and a nomination form can be found on the State Bar's Web site. For more information, contact Chris Zupanovich or call 415-538-2534.

e-briefs offer State Bar news updates

"e-briefs," a short summary of recent news developments or announcements of interest to lawyers, is available to all attorneys or other interested parties. The mailings are provided on a timely basis.

If you wish to be put on our internet mailing list, please provide your e-mail address to barcomm@calbar.ca.gov

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