Nominations sought for State Bar awards

The State Bar's Office of Legal Services, Access and Fairness Programs is seeking nominations for the President's Pro Bono Service Awards, the Loren Miller Legal Services Award, the Jack Berman Award of Achievement and the Diversity Awards. The deadline for nominations is April 16. The awards will be presented at the bar's Annual Meeting in Monterey in October.

The pro bono awards recognize outstanding pro bono work by an individual lawyer, a team of attorneys, a law firm, retired attorney and several other categories. The Loren Miller Award is the bar's highest honor and goes to an attorney who has demonstrated a long-term commitment to legal services and who has personally engaged in significant work extending legal services to the poor.

The Jack Berman Award honors a young lawyer who has provided outstanding service to the profession and the public as well as dedication to issues of concern to new and young lawyers.

The Diversity Awards recognize efforts made by a bar association and an individual attorney to promote diversity in the legal profession.

Full details and nominating petitions are on the State Bar's Web site.

Ethics symposium scheduled for April 24

The Eighth Annual Statewide Ethics Symposium, providing advanced programs for attorneys in all practice areas interested in cutting-edge ethics issues, will be held April 24 in San Francisco. The theme this year is "The Attorney-Client Relationship: A New Paradigm?"

Sessions will address topics including Sarbanes-Oxley, a new exception to the confidentiality rule, federal policies on eavesdropping and waivers of attorney-client privilege and an update on the work of the Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

Information about the event is available from Lauren McCurdy, 415-538-2107; lauren.mccurdy@calbar.ca.gov.

Ballots for bar election will be mailed April 30

Ballots for election to the State Bar Board of Governors and the California Young Lawyers Association Board of Directors will be mailed April 30. Five seats are open on both boards and nominating petitions were due April 1.

Voting must be completed by June 30.

The openings are in District 2 (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Tuolumne and Yolo counties); District 3 (Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties); District 4 (Marin and San Francisco counties); and District 7 (Los Angeles County, offices 1 and 2).

Ballots will be sent to active bar members who maintain their principal office for the practice of law in the State Bar districts with a vacancy. Winners will begin three-year terms at the conclusion of the 2004 Annual Meeting.

For additional information about the State Bar board election, contact Billie Sivanov at 415-538-2274. Information about the CYLA election is available from Carol Madeja at 213-765-1329.

Want to teach law school? Here's chance to learn how

The State Bar Committee on Women in the Law will present "So You Want to Teach Law" at an all-day program at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles April 17. The program aims to demystify the process and possibilities of various law school faculty positions, address current issues of diversity and provide nuts-and-bolts guidance for those interested in pursuing a career path within a law school. Participants will earn one hour of MCLE credit in elimination of bias.

Call 415-538-2508 to register or contact kate.oconnor@calbar.ca.gov. Co-sponsoring the program are the bar's access and fairness committees, California Women Lawyers and the Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles.

Indian Legal Services board seeks new member

Attorneys interested in serving on the Board of Directors of California Indian Legal Services (CILS) are invited to submit an application to the State Bar. One three-year position on the 13-member board is open; the term begins Sept. 1.

CILS is a non-profit Legal Services Corp. - funded program created to provide legal assistance to the rural poor. The board meets four times annually.

Interested attorneys should apply by letter 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; chris.zupanovich@calbar.ca.gov. Questions may be directed to 415-538-2534.

Client trust accounting handbook available

The 2003 revised edition of the Handbook on Client Trust Accounting for California Attorneys is available. The handbook is a practical guide created to assist attorneys in complying with the record-keeping standards for client trust accounts that went into effect in 1993.

The handbook includes a copy of the standards and statutes relating to an attorney's trust accounting requirements, a step-by-step description of how to maintain a client trust account and sample forms.

Copies can be obtained by mail for $10 by sending a request and payment to: State Bar of California, Attn: Trust Accounting Handbook, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105.

Copies can be picked up directly from the State Bar offices in San Francisco (180 Howard St.) or Los Angeles (1149 South Hill St.). The cost is $5.

Full text of the handbook also is posted at the bar's Web site, www.calbar.ca.gov, under the "Ethics" heading in the right-hand menu.

Fee arb trainings set for Stockton and Redding

Recent developments in fee arbitration will be discussed at two training programs sponsored by the State Bar's Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration. The free trainings offer two hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of legal ethics and 1.75 hours of general credit, and are open to State Bar fee arbitrators and members of the San Joaquin and Shasta-Trinity county bar associations.

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

The Stockton training will be held April 15 from 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the Radisson Hotel. A light buffet is included. To reserve a space, contact Erica Goodspeed at 209-948-4620, ext. 11.

The Redding training is scheduled for April 22, 5:30 - 8:30 p.m., at the law offices of Enochian & Kenny, 2701 Park Marina Dr. To reserve a space, contact Stacey Woodard at 530-225-8990.

For additional information, call Jill Sperber, 415-538-2023.

Opt out of list sales

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State Bar sells to outside entities may do so by e-mailing a request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov. Include your bar number.

The bar has a policy under which members' names are sold to outside entities that meet certain criteria. The restricted lists include, among others, MCLE providers, the Foundation of the State Bar, local bars and bar-approved insurance providers.

Sexual harassment course offers MCLE credit

The State Bar Committee on Women in the Law and the Committee on Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination invite attorneys to attend "The New Faces of Sexual Harassment," an MCLE program scheduled for April 29 at the offices of the Bar Association of San Francisco. The program, from 4 - 6 p.m., will provide credit in employment law, bias and ethics. Contact BASF at 415-982-1600 for reservations.

Seniors translated into three more languages

Seniors & the Law: A Guide for Maturing Californians was recently translated into Korean, Vietnamese and Tagalog. The brochure is now available in those languages as well as English, Spanish and Chinese.

To order, send an e-mail to seniors@calbar.ca.gov and state your name, complete mailing address (P.O. Boxes are not acceptable), the number of copies ordered and choice of "English," "Spanish," "Chinese," "Korean," "Vietnamese" or "Tagalog" version for each number, and a daytime phone number.

If you do not have access to e-mail, please include the required information above and send to: The State Bar of California, Attn: Seniors & the Law, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639.

State Bar updates five consumer pamphlets

Five consumer education pamphlets produced by the State Bar as part of its Get the Legal Facts of Life outreach effort have been updated and are available to the public. They are: Can the Law Help Protect Me from Domestic Violence?; How Do I Use the Small Claims Court?; What Should I Know if I Am Arrested?; What Can I Do if I Can't Pay My Debts?; and What Should I Know About Divorce and Custody?

The pamphlets are online at the bar's Web site, www.calbar.ca.gov, by clicking on "public services," "consumer information" and "pamphlets." Also online is the order form. To order one pamphlet, send a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Two to 99 of any combination of pamphlets are available at a cost of 50 cents each. One hundred copies of the same pamphlet are free for non-profit legal services providers serving low-income Californians, are $20 for other non-profit organizations and cost $40 for all others.

Checks or money orders payable to the State Bar of California should be sent, with your request, to State Bar of California, Attn: Pamphlets, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105.