Trevor Group lawyers face disbarment
Three Beverly Hills attorneys who have sued thousands of small business owners for unfair business practices face possible disbarment after the State Bar moved last month to lift their law licenses.

State budget woes hit courts hard
California's courts, already struggling with whittled-down budgets, face a worst-case scenario of a $396.4 million shortfall next year, a devastating possibility one court official said "would severely cripple the entire judicial system."

From Los Angeles to Yolo County, courts tighten belts
The Fresno County courts saved $520,000 this year by privatizing their janitorial services. They also renegotiated a computer services contract to save another $300,000. Excess office supplies - everything from paper and pens to inboxes - are "surplused," or used in lieu of new supplies, for what executive officer Tamara Beard hopes will be a savings of $100,000.

A legal career aimed at ending elder abuse
Helen Karr spent 25 years working for a company that managed beauty salons in department stores, where she heard the complaints of older women whose children or caregivers stole their money. She tucked those stories into a corner of her mind, until she read an article about two women lawyers in southern California who offered free legal services to women who needed their advice offered free legal services to women who needed their advice.

Public education initiative to focus on senior citizens
The State Bar will launch a major public education intiative with the May 1 publication of its new guide for consumers, "Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians."

Two seek bar presidency
Two third-year members of the State Bar Board of Governors, both longtime bar activists and each offering a focus on services to members, announced last month they are running for bar president.

Minami honored for civil rights work
San Francisco attorney Dale Minami, long a leader in the Asian civil rights community and a key member of the legal team that spotlighted the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II, will receive the 2003 Thurgood Marshall Award from the American Bar Association.

State Bar observes 75th anniversary
The achievements of pioneers in the practice of law in the state, as well as a look at how the legal profession has changed over the years, are chronicled in a special section commemorating the 75th anniversary of the State Bar of California.