Paying jurors: Savvy trial strategy — or attack on the jury system?
When Riverside attorney Joseph Cavallo heads to the courtroom at the end of this month for the retrial of a young client accused of taking part in a gang rape, he hopes to be armed with the wisdom of the 12 jurors from the deadlocked first trial.

Collaborative law —
solving disputes the friendly way
The divorce agreement had just been okayed by the husband and wife. The soon-to-be exes and their respective attorneys got up from their chairs to head for the door. But first — hugs all around.

Bar wants tougher ethics test, but not too tough
An effort to boost the passing score required on a nationally administered ethics exam was defeated by a closely divided State Bar Board of Governors last month after opponents expressed concern it could hurt minority students.

Marin activist named to public seat on bar board
Richard A. Rubin, president of a public affairs management firm in San Francisco, was appointed to the State Bar Board of Governors by the Senate Rules Committee. Rubin, 64, will be one of six public members on the 23-member bar board.

Bar’s chief trial counsel resigns;
search under way to fill prosecutor’s post
Mike Nisperos Jr., chief trial counsel for the State Bar of California, announced last month he will not seek another four-year term as head of the bar’s attorney discipline enforcement unit and planned to leave the Los Angeles-based post on Jan. 1.

Three San Francisco criminal defense
attorneys were honored for 50 years
of practice last month.
Three San Francisco criminal defense attorneys were honored for 50 years of practice last month.

Ethics update
Highlights of recent developments in attorney professional responsibility, including new cases, advisory ethics opinions, pending legislation and proposed rule amendments.

Ethics experts offer primer on limited representation
With legal services unaffordable for thousands of litigants, many attorneys limit the scope of their representation to specific tasks, providing clients with much-needed expertise and reducing the burden pro pers place on the courts.

Online Exhibit Hall
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.