Black law students are hurt, not helped, by affirmative action, professor claims
Affirmative action sets up many black law students for failure because it places them in schools where they cannot compete academically, according to a study by a UCLA law professor who says ending racial preferences at law schools would likely increase the number of African-American lawyers.

Identity theft activist:
from victim to victor
Laguna Niguel attorney Mari Frank was packing up for a day at the beach with her children when she got the first phone call. She almost didn’t answer it. Little did she know that her life was about to take a dramatic turn.

Habeas center needs help
for death row inmates
Despite new federal statistics showing a decline in the number of death sentences imposed nationally, 146 inmates on California’s death row are not represented by counsel in habeas corpus proceedings.

State Bar Foundation names new
executive director
Leslie T. Hatamiya, a trustee of Stanford University, where she earned her undergraduate and law degrees, was named executive director of the Foundation of the State Bar of California last month.

Apply to serve on a bar committee
Attorneys looking for a chance to make a difference are invited to apply for one of the more than 200 positions available on the State Bar's three dozen committees, commissions and boards for 2005-06 committee year. The application period begins Dec. 1 and ends Feb. 1 2005.

2005 membership fee lobbying, optional program deductions
As a requirement of bar membership, California lawyers must pay statutorily mandated membership fees. The fees are used primarily to fund core functions of lawyer discipline and regulation, but a small percentage has also been used to further the State Bar's statutory charge to provide assistance to improve the administration of justice.

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.