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 JNE, other bar groups, seek
volunteer members
The State Bar's Commission on Judicial Nominees
Evaluation (JNE), which investigates and evaluates judicial candidates
for the governor, is currently seeking new volunteers to serve as
commissioners. Attorneys and other members of the public who are
interested in volunteering for a position on the 2002-2003 JNE
Commission should submit an application no later than Jan. 22.
Applicants must be willing to volunteer at least
35 hours a month, splitting their time between monthly meetings in San
Francisco and Los Angeles, and candidate assignments. A
commissioner's workload includes sending out 250-600 evaluation
forms for each candidate assignment, reviewing completed forms,
contacting respondents who provide "not qualified" ratings, and
preparing for interviews with candidates. The JNE Commission's
2002-2003 term will begin June 1.
Appointed by the State Bar Board of Governors,
the commission - which represents a broad cross-section of
California's legal profession and general population - cannot
nominate or appoint judges. It does, however, investigate all
candidates who are under consideration for a judicial appointment by
the governor.
For those seeking different ways of making a
contribution, the State Bar also is recruiting applicants for
approximately 200 positions on more than three dozen other committees,
boards and commissions next year. Most of these appointments carry a
three-year term. The committees and commissions with available
positions range from committees dealing with access and fairness
issues, to executive committees focused on particular areas of the
law, to a committee addressing questions of professional
responsibility and conduct, to the Committee of Bar Examiners.
The application deadline for most committees is
Feb. 1, 2002. Applicants can apply to a maximum of three committees
but can only be appointed to one. The State Bar Board of Governors
will make its appointments in August, with the committee terms
beginning in mid-October.
For an application and more information on the
JNE Commission and other State Bar committees and commissions, visit
the State Bar's web site at www.calbar.org.
Or, request an application from the State Bar's appointments office
by phone 415/538-2299, fax 415/538-2255 or e-mail (karen.hagelund@calsb.org).
Register your law corp.
Under Business and Professions Code §6160, law
corporations must be registered with the State Bar and have a current
certificate of registration.
If your firm is not registered, please go to www.calbar.org,
click on the Office of Certification's web site and print out an
application. For more information, call 415/538-2100.
Money earmarked for diversity
projects
The State Bar's Labor and Employment Law
Section has set aside $30,000 to fund projects or events which
encourage the representation of women and persons of color in the
areas of labor and employment law.
Through its diversity subcommittee, the section
seeks to provide both economic and professional support by
co-sponsoring events or projects. Recent recipients include the Black
Women Lawyers Association, Southern California Chinese Lawyers
Association, Philippine American Bar Association and the Asian Bar
Association of Sacramento.
For more information, contact Toni J. Jaramilla,
chair of the section's diversity outreach committee, at 310/551-3020
or tonij@earthlink.net.
Applicants sought for legal
services board
The State Bar of California is seeking
applications from attorneys interested in serving a three-year term on
the 36-member board of directors for Legal Services of Northern
California (LSNC).
Positions are open in four areas: Mother Lode
Region (Placer, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Nevada and Sierra
counties); Redwood Region (Humboldt, Del Norte, Lake and Mendocino
counties); Butte Region (Butte, Plumas, Glenn, Tehama and Colusa
counties); and Yolo County. Applications are due Jan. 4.
LSNC is a non-profit Legal Services
Corporation-funded program created to provide legal assistance to
low-income residents of 23 northern California counties. The board
meets five times a year.
Interested attorneys should include a resume
outlining work experience, community activity and educational
background with their application. Materials should be sent to Chris
Zupanovich, State Bar of California, 180 Howard Street, San Francisco,
CA 94105. Questions may be directed to 415/538-2534 or chris.zupanovich@calsb.org.
Fee arbitrators needed
The State Bar seeks fee arbitrators for its
mandatory fee arbitration program. Arbitrators serve for a minimum
term of two years. Attorney applicants must be active members in good
standing of the State Bar of California for a minimum of five years.
Criminal lawyers are encouraged to apply.
For more information, please contact Jill Sperber,
Director, Office of Mandatory Fee Arbitration, at 415/538-2023.
MCLE deadline for Group 3 (last
names N-Z) is Feb. 1
Attorneys who are members of MCLE Compliance
Group 3 (last names beginning N-Z) must complete 25 hours of
continuing education by the compliance deadline of Feb. 1, 2002. Those
who did not complete the previously required 36 hours by Feb. 1, 1999,
have until Feb. 1, 2002, to complete a total of 61 hours.
A late fee of $75 will be assessed March 15 for
those who have not complied.
Compliance cards will be mailed at the end of
December.
Questions about MCLE compliance may be directed
to 415/538-2100.
Unpublished opinions now posted
online
Unpublished opinions of the state Courts of
Appeal are now posted on the web site of the California courts, www.courtinfo.ca.gov/opinions/nonpub.htm.
Under the state Constitution, the Supreme Court
has the authority to decide which appellate opinions may be published
in Official Reports. The Rules of Court provide that the opinions may
be published only if they satisfy one or more of a prescribed set of
"standards of publication."
Rule 977 also provides that unpublished opinions
may not be cited or relied upon by other courts or parties, except in
specified circumstances. This rule will be noted at the beginning of
each unpublished opinion on the web site.
Chief Justice Ronald George said the policy that
unpublished opinions may not be cited remains in place, but "their
availability on the web site will afford the public and the legal
community an important information resource."
Sample fee agreements available
for purchase
The State Bar offers sample fee agreement forms
for $5 per set. Each set contains two sample hourly agreements (one
for litigation matters and one for non-litigation matters) and one
sample for contingent matters. In addition, the set contains samples
of 11 other clauses that may be of interest.
You may purchase these by sending a check for $5,
payable to State Bar of California, for each set requested to: State
Bar of California, Mandatory Fee Arbitration, 180 Howard Street, 6th
Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105-1639.
AOC launches new web site on
families and courts
The Administrative Office of the Courts' Center
for Families, Children & the Courts (CFCC) has launched a new web
site that provides both court professionals and court users a valuable
source for information on family and juvenile law and the legal
process. The site is located at www.courtinfo.ca.gov/programs/cfcc.
Primary audiences of the new site are judicial officers, attorneys and
court professionals. Information includes juvenile case law summaries,
training opportunities, grant applications, publications and other
research materials.
The site also addresses the concerns of family
members, children and others involved in court proceedings. For
example, site users can learn about court services; visit the FAQs
section; view an interactive activity booklet that teaches children
about the court system; or download online publications on topics such
as foster parenting, juvenile dependency and divorce.
Volunteers sought for access
committees
Lawyers, former judges and members of the public
are invited to submit an application for appointment to one or more of
the State Bar's five access and fairness committees. They include
the standing committees on Ethnic Minority Relations (EMRC), Legal
Professionals with Disabilities (CLPD), Senior Lawyers (SCSL), Sexual
Orientation and Gender Identity Discrimination (CSOGID), and Women in
the Law (CWIL).
The committees were created by the bar's board
of governors to increase participation in administering bar programs
and activities by attorneys who have been under-represented. The
committees identify and encourage members of their constituencies to
become active participants in the bar.
They also produce MCLE programs and materials,
advise the board on policy affecting their specific areas, collaborate
jointly on projects, and provide input on legislation or court rules
relating to access issues or discrimination within the legal
profession or judicial system.
In making appointments, consideration is given to
geographic location, practice setting, areas of expertise and related
external activities. Committee members serve three-year terms and meet
approximately four to six times per year. Application forms and
information about each committee, qualifications necessary for service
and time commitments are available at www.calbar.org.
Deadline for applications is Feb. 1.
For information concerning CWIL or EMRC, contact
Rhonda Lunsford, 415/538-2173 or Rhonda.Lunsford@calsb.org.;
about CLPD or CSOGID, contact Martin Morales, 415/538-2316 or Martin.Morales@calsb.org.;
or about senior lawyers, contact Rodney Low, 415/538-2219 or Rodney.Low@calsb.org.
7th printing for pamphlet: When
You Become 18
When You Become 18, a booklet designed to help
teenagers understand the consequences of breaking the law, has been
updated in a seventh printing.
Produced by California Law Advocates, this
survival guide for young adults is provided to schools at the request
of teachers and has reached more than 2 million high school students.
The updated version includes a new section on
road rage and expanded information about sexual harassment, and also
covers such areas as voting, jury duty, marriage, divorce, child
support, date rape and the illegality of child pornography on the
internet.
The booklet is funded by CLA chapters as well as
grants from foundations including the Foundation of the State Bar.
Information about obtaining copies of When You
Become 18 is available from the bar foundation at 415/538-2168 or by
writing to CLA at P.O. Box 8905, Calabassas, CA 91372. |
