Five seats open on State Bar, young lawyer boards

April 2 is the last day to file nominating petitions for election to one of five upcoming vacancies on the State Bar Board of Governors. Ballots will be mailed May 1 and voting will be completed July 2. Seats are open in the following districts:

• DISTRICT 2: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Tuolumne and Yolo counties;
• DISTRICT 3: Alameda, Contra Costa, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties;
• DISTRICT 4: Marin and San Francisco counties; and
• DISTRICT 7: Los Angeles County (two seats).

Any active member of the State Bar who maintains his or her principal office for the practice of law in the district in which there is a vacancy is eligible to run for a seat on the board. Lawyer members are elected for three-year terms and will assume their offices at the conclusion of the 2007 Annual Meeting.

Petitions and complete instructions for candidates can be found at cal bar.ca.gov. Click on “BOG nominating petitions due” under Deadlines in the left-hand menu.

Five seats also are open on the California Young Lawyers Association board of directors, and petitions and instructions may be found online at the same Web site.

Ethics Symposium set for May 19 in Los Angeles

The State Bar will hold its 11th Annual Statewide Ethics Sym-posium May 19 in Los Angeles, bringing together California’s leading experts on attorney ethics. The event offers advanced programs for lawyers in all practice areas and explores emerging ethics issues.

This year’s theme is “Ethics Around the Edges” and will include sessions on transactional practice, Sarbanes-Oxley and other topics. An update will be presented on the work of the bar’s Commission for the Revision of the Rules of Professional Conduct.

The symposium will be held at the Southwestern Law School. Further details and registration information are at calbar.ca.gov/ethics or by calling Audrey Hollins at 415-538-2167. MCLE credit in ethics will be given.

Aranda Award nominations are now available

The California Commission on Access to Justice is seeking nominations of a California judge for the annual Benjamin Aranda III Access to Justice Award. The award honors a judge who deserves recognition for his or her long-term commitment to improving access to the judicial system for low- and moderate-income persons, and who has personally done significant work in improving such access.

The recipient will be selected by the commission with input from the Judicial Council, the State Bar and the California Judges Association. Nominations are due May 1.

Further information is available from Chris Zupanovich, 415-538-2534 or chris.zupanovich@calbar.ca.gov.

Legal services awards nomination forms are out

The guidelines and nomination forms for the State Bar’s legal services awards are available. The awards are:

• The Loren Miller Legal Services Award, given annually to a lawyer who has demonstrated long-term commitment to legal services and who has personally done significant work in extending legal services to the poor.
• The President’s Pro Bono Service Awards recognize California attorneys who have provided or enabled the direct provision of legal services to poor persons or to organizations whose primary purpose is to provide legal services to the poor, free-of-charge, without expectation of compensation from the client.
• The Jack Berman Individual Award of Achievement for Distinguished Service to the Profession and the Public recognizes the substantial achievements of a young lawyer.
• The Diversity Awards recognize outstanding efforts made by a bar association and an individual attorney in promoting diversity in the legal profession, and in particular, to recognize efforts ensuring the full and equal opportunity of all persons for entry and advancement in California’s legal profession.

Nomination forms are available on the State Bar Web site, calbar.ca.gov, by calling 415-538-2328 or by e-mailing programdevelopment@calbar.ca.gov. The deadline to submit postmarked nominations is March 30. The awards will be presented at the bar’s annual meeting in September.

Fee arb trainings scheduled

Two refresher courses for volunteer attorneys who serve local and State Bar mandatory fee arbitration programs, as well as instruction for new volunteers, will be offered this month in Tulare and Fresno counties. The free trainings, offered by the bar’s Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration, offer 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, including one hour of ethics and 1.75 hours of general credit.

Speakers will address recent developments in fee arbitration and subjects that include how to write an enforceable award, conflicts of interest, arbitrator disclosure requirements and how to control the proceeding.

The following training sessions are scheduled:

• March 21 — At the Workforce Investment Board, 4025 W. Noble Ave., Suite A, Visalia, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. To reserve a space, contact Shari Pratt of the Tulare County Bar Association at tularecobar@saber.net or 559/732-2513.
• March 22 — At the Downtown Club, 2120 Kern St., Fresno, from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. To reserve a space, call the Fresno County Bar Association, 559/264-2619 or e-mail bobbielee@fresnocountybar.org.

For additional information (not RSVP), contact Jill Sperber at 415-538-2023.

Create an online profile

California attorneys have the opportunity to handle membership matters with the State Bar electronically by creating My State Bar Profile on the bar’s home page.

Doing so will allow lawyers to pay their bar dues and submit MCLE compliance online, as well as access important forms such as change of address or change of status, obtain a duplicate bar card and keep abreast of the latest developments in professional responsibility.

To create a profile, you will need the eight-digit access code printed on the front of the 2007 annual fee statement. Just go to the bar’s home page, calbar.ca.gov, and click on the link in the left-hand menu to register as a first-time user.

If you have lost your access code, call the Member Services Center at 888-800-3400.

Two legal services boards announce vacancies

The State Bar is seeking applications from lawyers interested in serving on the boards of directors for Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) and the Legal Aid Society of Orange County (LASOC).

LSNC has four three-year positions available on its board — two in the Sacramento region, one in the Yolo region and one in the Solano region. Applicants must practice or reside in the county or region where there is an opening.

The deadline for receipt of applications is March 16.

LSNC is a nonprofit Legal Services Corp.-funded program that provides legal assistance to low-income residents of 23 northern California counties. Its 36-member board meets five times a year.

The LASOC board has one three-year position open; applicants must reside in Orange County. The board meets 10-12 times a year. The deadline for receipt of applications is April 2.

Applicants should send a letter and resume, including their bar number, to: Chris Zupanovich, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639. Questions may be directed to her at 415-538-2534 or chris.zupanovich@calbar.ca.gov.

Opt out of list sales

Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State Bar provides to qualified outside entities may do so by logging on to Member Login at calbar.ca.gov. After registering with My State Bar Profile, go to “Account Information” and select “Update my mailing preferences (opt out).” Members also may e-mail their opt out request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov. Include your bar number.

Clean out your closets and donate those used suits

The State Bar’s Litigation Section, in association with The Men’s Wearhouse, is holding its sixth annual statewide clothing drive this month. Donated business attire for both men and women will be given to Working Wardrobes for a New Start, an Orange County non-profit organization that helps adults in crisis return to the workforce.

Donors may drop gently used business suits, as well as shirts, ties, belts and shoes, at any Men’s Wear-house in California. The clothing should be clean and in good condition.

Donations are tax deductible and donors also receive a 10 percent discount on a subsequent regularly priced Men’s Wearhouse purchase.

The Litigation Section program, called “Law Suits,” began in 2002 and last year collected more than 3,000 outfits. Working Wardrobes sponsors year-round programs for men and women.

To locate the nearest Men’s Wear-house, call 1-800-776-7848.