Bar mid-year meeting slated in San Francisco

“New Times, New Rules and New Relationships” is the theme for the State Bar’s Midyear Meeting 2000, which will be held March 31 - April 2 at the Holi-day Inn Financial District in San Francisco.

Bar leaders, legal services pro-viders and other interested members of the bar will discuss topics ranging from the future of local bar associations and fundraising on the Internet to multidisciplinary practice and recent legal caselaw developments in employment discrimination.

The conference is sponsored by the bar’s board of governors and numerous other organizations.

For further information, contact Theresa Raglen in the office of program development at 415/538-2219 or e-mail traglen@pacbell.net.

Volunteers sought for two legal services boards

Attorneys interested in serving on the board of directors of Legal Services of Northern California (LSNC) or California Rural Legal Assistance (CRLA) are encouraged to submit an application.

The CRLA board has three two-year positions open. The 45-member board meets four times a year to make policy decisions governing the operations of the program, which provides legal assistance to the rural poor.

Application deadline is Feb. 14.

One three-year position is open on the 36-member LSNC board, which meets five times annually in Sacramento. A non-profit program funded by the Legal Services Corporation, LSNC provides free quality legal services in civil matters to low-income people in 23 northern California counties.

Applicants must practice in or be a resident of Shasta, Lassen, Modoc, Trinity or Siskiyou counties. Deadline for receipt of applications is March 6.

Interested applicants for both boards should submit a resume outlining work experience, community activity and educational background with a letter stating the reasons they are seeking appointment.

Applications should be submitted to Denise Teraoka, State Bar of California, 180 Howard St., San Francisco 94105; 415/538-2545.

Dues bills due Feb. 1

Fee statements for State Bar members were mailed in November and are due Feb. 1. Dues for most active attorneys are $395.

Attorneys who paid voluntary dues for 1998 and/or 1999 may apply those amounts to the 2000 fee, seek a refund or merely allow the voluntary fee to remain in the general fund. Detailed instructions on how to do so were included in the bill, but anyone seeking a credit or refund must indicate that on the fee statement.

Attorneys may also take a $5 “lobbying deduction” if they disagree with some portion of the bar’s lobbying efforts.

For the first time, legislation authorizing bar dues includes a reduction for attorneys based on annual earnings. Lawyers who make less than $25,000 per year will be eligible for a 50 percent reduction, and those earning less than $40,000 may receive a 25 percent break.

Deadline for payment of dues is Feb. 1, 2000.

Any attorney who did not receive a dues bill should contact the bar’s membership office at 415/538-2360.