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LRS roundtable scheduled
Aug. 14
Participants in California's certified lawyer
referral services are invited to a day-long roundtable Aug. 14 at
which issues facing their programs will be addressed. Among the topics
under discussion will be the survival of lawyer referral services, the
impact of the internet, Business & Professions Code §6155,
enforcement, unbundling and modest means programs.
In addition, there will be an open forum where
all issues relating to LRS's may be discussed. State Bar staff from
the offices of program development and certification, as well as
attorneys from the bar's general counsel office, will be present to
answer any questions.
The State Bar-sponsored roundtable is free. Lunch
will be served, so attendees are asked to contact the office of
program development for planning purposes.
The roundtable will be held at the bar's Los
Angeles office, 1149 South Hill St., with a possible video conference
connection in San Francisco. For more information or to RSVP, contact
Rodney Low at 415/538-2219 or e-mail him at: rodney.low@calsb.org.
LLP annual report due
Limited Liability Partnerships' annual reports
were mailed Aug. 1. If your LLP was certified by the State Bar prior
to Oct. 1, 2000, you will receive an annual report.
To maintain your LLP status with the State Bar,
it is necessary to complete the annual report form and mail it to the
State Bar before the deadline of Oct. 1, 2001.
If you have any questions about LLPs or have not
received the annual report by mid-August, please call 415/538-2142.
Special masters sought
The State Bar is seeking to boost its roster of
special masters who assist courts in specific searches authorized by
warrant. The special master accompanies peace officers in searching
for documentary evidence under the control of attorneys, physicians,
psychotherapists and clergy members.
Any attorney who is in good standing with the
State Bar, has practiced for at least five years and does not have a
criminal law practice is eligible. Participants receive one hour of
MCLE credit from an instructional audio tape.
Interested persons should contact Brandie
Burroughs at 415/538-2117 for an application.
Last chance to pay dues
Active attorneys who have not paid their State
Bar dues are subject to suspension from practice, beginning Sept. 1.
The bar sent final delinquent notices May 25 to
6,794 members who had not paid their dues. The final payment deadline
is Aug. 31, but after July 30, payment must be made in certified funds
(cashiers checks, money orders or cash).
For most active attorneys subject to the $345
fee, a 25 percent penalty is due if the fee has not been paid,
bringing the total owed to $431.25.
At its July meeting, the board of governors was
to recommend that those who have not paid be suspended, and the final
step is a suspension order from the Supreme Court.
Attorneys who still owe their dues may direct
questions to 415/538-2360.
CRLA offers one board seat
State Bar members interested in serving on the
board of directors of California Rural Legal Assistance are invited to
submit an application for one open seat. The 45-member board meets
four times a year to make policy decisions about the organization,
which provides legal help to the rural poor. The term is for two
years.
Interested lawyers should submit a letter of
application and a resume by Oct. 1 to Chris Zupanovich, 180 Howard
St., San Francisco 94105. Questions may be directed to 415/538-2534.
Oct. 11 fee arb training
Recent developments in fee arbitration will be
discussed at an Oct. 18 fee arbitrator training program in Merced
sponsored by the State Bar's Committee on Mandatory Fee Arbitration.
The free training, which offers 2.75 hours of MCLE credit, will take
place from 5 - 8 p.m. in the staff dining room at Merced College, 3600
M Street.
Arbitrators for the Merced and Stanislaus County
bar associations are invited to the training, as well as interested
attorneys from Madera, Tuolumne and Mariposa counties.
Among the topics for discussion are how to write
an enforceable award, conflicts of interest, disclosure requirements
and how to control the proceeding.
To register, call the Merced bar's fee
arbitration committee at 209/723-4633 or 209/723-2137; e- mail dthelen@elite.net.
For more information, call the State Bar's fee arbitration office at
415/538-2023.
Kids & The Law
reprinted
Due to overwhelming demand, Kids & The Law
- An A-to-Z Guide for Parents was reprinted last month for
distribution to schools, law enforcement agencies and community
groups.
The 16-page guide, which was included in May
issues of the California Bar Journal, offers parents a resource for
discussions of the law with their children, touching on areas such as
drugs, curfew, skateboarding and fighting.
All orders for schools are being handled by the
California PTA, 930 George St., Los Angeles CA 90015-1322;
213/620-1100; or info@capta.org.
All other orders can be filled by e-mailing barcomm@calsb.org
or contacting the State Bar's Office of Communications, 180 Howard
St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639. The guide also is available online
at www.calbar.org.
Board election ends Aug. 17
Attorneys eligible to vote in one of the five
State Bar districts with an open seat on the board of governors must
return their ballots by Aug. 17.
Nine candidates are running for the board, but
only two districts have a contested election. Candidates in the
remaining three districts are deemed elected since they were
unopposed. The districts with a contested election are District 3
(Alameda, Contra Costa, Santa Clara and San Mateo counties) and
District 7 (Los Angeles, office 1).
Candidates in District 2 (Alpine, Amador,
Calaveras, El Dorado, Napa, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Tuolomne and
Yolo counties); District 4 (Marin and San Francisco counties); and
District 7, office 2 (Los Angeles) were elected.
Aug. 17 also is the deadline to vote for
candidates for the board of the California Young Lawyers Association.
Seats are open in the same five districts, with contested elections in
districts 4 and 7.
Members of each board serve three-year terms and
will assume their seats at the conclusion of the bar's 2001 annual
meeting next month.
Profiles of the candidates and details about
their positions on bar issues are available at the bar's website, www.calbar.org.
Foundation is accepting grant
applications
The Foundation of the State Bar of California is
accepting applications for the 2002 calendar until Sept. 7.
Grants are made to support law and
justice-related projects. 501c3 nonprofit organizations and bar
association entities are eligible to apply. Application forms and
grant criteria may be downloaded from the foundation's website at www.foundationstatebarcal.org.
Click on "Programs."
Call the foundation office at 415/538-2168 for
more information.
Task force seeks comment
A set of civil jury instructions designed to be
both understandable and accurate is being circulated among California
judges, bar associations, law school professors and other interested
parties. The instructions were prepared by the Judicial Council's
Task Force on Jury Instructions and include 304 pages of civil jury
instructions. It is available online at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/invitationstocomment.
Comments should be sent by Aug. 15 to the
Administrative Office of the Courts, Attn. Camilla Kieliger, 455
Golden Gate Ave., San Francisco 94103. |
