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Board of Governors election
gets underway
The last day to file nominating petitions for the
2002 State Bar Board of Governors election is April 1, and ballots
will be mailed to practitioners in four bar districts April 30. The
election this year will fill five seats in the following districts:
District 4 (Marin and San Francisco counties); District 6 (Riverside,
San Bernardino, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Ventura counties);
District 7 (Los Angeles County, offices 1 and 2); and District 8
(Orange County).
Any active member of the State Bar who maintains
his or her principal office for the practice of law in the district in
which there is a vacancy is eligible to run for a seat on the board.
The last day to vote will be July 1. Terms are for three years and
begin at the close of the bar's Annual Meeting on Oct. 13.
For further information, or to obtain a petition,
contact Billie Sivanov, 415/538-2274, or Francisco Gomez,
415/538-2170. The petition also may be downloaded from the bar's web
site, www.calbar.org.
VIP offers free mentor
conference, MCLE credit
Volunteers In Parole (VIP) will hold a free
statewide conference March 16-17 for current and prospective mentors
to address the multiple challenges of mentoring disadvantaged young
adults. Presen-tations by experts and experienced mentors will address
communication skills, understanding gangs, addiction and sustaining
effective relationships. Participants can earn four hours of MCLE
credit.
The conference will be held at the Crowne Plaza
San Jose/Silicon Valley in Milpitas. The hotel offers a free shuttle
from the San Jose Airport. There is no conference registration fee and
VIP will cover the cost of hotel rooms and daytime meals. Those
attending will be responsible for their own transportation. To
register or get more information, contact VIP at 1-877/484-7462
(toll-free) or vipinc-statewide@mindspring.com.
VIP was founded by attorneys in 1972 and has
programs throughout the state. It is the only California organization
that recruits and assists attorneys to mentor young men and women on
parole from the Youth Authority and Department of Corrections. Without
mentors, most parolees end up trapped in a new cycle of crime, but VIP
mentors have success rates of 70 percent or more.
398 pass specialist exam
Almost 400 California lawyers passed the most
recent legal specialist examination, certifying them as specialists in
one of eight areas of law.
The State Bar created the certification program
in the early 1970s to help consumers find attorneys who have
demonstrated ability and experience in specialized fields of law. It
was the first such program in the country.
The bar announced that 398 attorneys - 72
percent - passed the Aug. 26 exam.
More than 36,00 attorneys are certified in one of
the following areas: appellate; criminal; estate planning, trust and
probate; family; immigration and nationality; personal and small
business bankruptcy; taxation; and workers' compensation.
To qualify as a certified specialist, an attorney
must be an active member of the State Bar, have substantial experience
in the field, pass a written exam, complete approved legal education
programs and be evaluated by judges and other attorneys.
Information about certification is available from
the State Bar's Office of Certification, 180 Howard Street, San
Francisco, 94105, 415/538-2100, or by visiting www.californiaspecialist.org.
Fee agreement seminar set in
Century City
The Alternate Dispute Resolution Section of the
Century City Bar Association will present a one- hour seminar on
attorney fee agreements April 10 at noon. The workshop - "Will
Your Fee Agreements Survive the Supreme Court?" - will offer an
insider's perspective on fee agreement issues pending before the
California Supreme Court.
Participants will earn one hour of MCLE credit.
Speakers include Sandor T. Boxer, Frank Blundo
and Arne Werchick of the State Bar Committee on Manda-tory Fee
Arbitration.
The registration fee for members of the Century
City bar is $35 pre-paid and $40 at the door; for non-members, it's
$50 pre-paid, $55 at door.
For information, call Mary Jones at 310/589-9648
or e-mail marysjones@earthlink.net.
ABA wants nominees for pro bono
awards
The American Bar Association's standing
committee on pro bono and public service is seeking nominations for
the annual Pro Bono Publico Awards, which honor lawyers and law firms
for extraordinary contributions to extending legal services to those
who cannot afford legal representation.
Nominees may be lawyers, law firms, government
attorney offices, corporate law departments and other institutions in
the legal profession that have demonstrated outstanding commitment to
volunteer legal services for the poor. Nominees may not earn their
income delivering legal services to the poor.
Nominations must be submitted by March 11.
Criteria for the awards are available online at www.abaprobono.org.
Further information may be obtained from Dorothy Jackson at
312/988-5766 or jacksond@staff.abanet.org.
The awards will be presented at the ABA annual meeting in August in
Washington, D.C.
'A Week in Legal London'
scheduled for June 23-28
The State Bar's Litigation Section is
sponsoring "A Week in Legal London" from June 23-28. The London
program offers an extraordinary opportunity to experience the inner
workings of the English legal system, expand litigation skills and
engage in thought-provoking discussion with members of the London
legal community.
Participants will attend sessions at the Royal
Courts of Justice, the Old Bailey, the High Court of Justice and the
Courts of Appeal. MCLE credit will be offered.
For additional information, contact the
Litigation Section at 415/538-2546.
Fee arbitrators needed
The State Bar seeks fee arbitrators for its
mandatory fee arbitration program. Voluntary 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.
The application may be downloaded from the State
Bar's website, www.calbar.org.
For more information, call 415/538-2020.
Law review commission seeks
public comment
A recommendation by the California Law Review
Commission addressing appellate and writ review under trial court
unification is out for public comment. The deadline is March 31.
The recommendation is available at www.clrc.ca.gov
by following the public comment link. Comments should be addressed to
the commission at 4000 Middlefield Road, Room D-1, Palo Alto
94303-4739; 650/494-1335; or Commission@clrc.ca.gov.
Deadline for MCLE Group 3 (last
names N-Z) passes
A late fee of $75 will be assessed March 15 for
members of MCLE Compliance Group 3 (last names beginning N-Z) who did
not complete 25 hours of continuing education by Feb. 1. Those who did
not complete the previously required 36 hours by Feb. 1, 1999, also
were required to complete a total of 61 hours.
The next compliance period affects lawyers in
Group 2 (last names H-M), who must complete 25 hours of continuing
education by Feb. 1, 2003.
Questions about MCLE compliance may be directed
to 415/538-2100. |
