Five win State Bar board seats

Five attorneys have been chosen to serve three-year terms on the State Bar Board of Governors.

William Hebert of San Francisco ran unopposed in District 4 and was deemed elected. Paul Kramer of Sacramento won the District 2 seat, Patricia White of San Jose will represent District 3, Michael Marcus of Los Angeles won one seat in District 7 and Rex Heinke of Los Angeles won a second seat in District 7.

The new members of the board, the governing and policymaking body of the more than 210,000-member organization, will be sworn in at the bar's Annual Meeting Sept. 29 in Anaheim.

Kramer, 50, is a hearing adviser with the California Energy Commission in Sacramento and has long been involved with State Bar sections. He has promised to work on such issues as discipline, admissions, education and member benefits.

White, 67, former president of the Santa Clara County Bar Association, has practiced law for almost 30 years. A shareholder with Littler Mendelson, P.C., she has been active in a number of bar organizations. She said she is particularly interested in diversifying the bar and in reaching out to high school and college students.

Hebert, 46, of counsel to Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis LLP in San Francisco, also has served as a government lawyer, partner in large law firms and manager of his own small firm. He has represented defendants and plaintiffs in contingent, pro bono and paying matters and has supported the bar's effort to promote civility in the legal profession.

Marcus, 65, is a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Services Inc. in Los Angeles. An author, lecturer and teacher, he spent 17 years as a deputy district attorney and 10 years as a partner in a law firm before joining the State Bar Court for six years. Marcus has said he would focus on an ongoing project to rewrite the Rules of Professional Conduct, oversight of the discipline system and the proposed civility guidelines.

Heinke, 57, is a partner in Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he specializes in appellate litigation. He has practiced in large and small firms for more than 30 years and has served as president of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and chair of Public Counsel. Issues of concern include ensuring a fair and effective discipline system and providing access to justice for all citizens.

Members of the California Young Lawyers Association (CYLA) elected Jennifer Hightower of Sacramento, David Silberman of Redwood City, Juna Kim of San Francisco, Jason Gross of Encino and D. Bryan Garcia of Los Angeles to the CYLA board.