Chief Justice George works to reinvigorate state courts		UPDATE STATE BAR BOARD NAMES STEVE NISSEN NEW EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR STORY FOLLOWS ...
When Chief Justice Ronald M. George traveled to Del Norte County on Aug. 8, he reached his goal of visiting the courts in all 58 counties in California, completing the daunting task one year to the day after he started. At each of what he calls "58 judicial labs," the chief justice met with judges, lawyers and court staff, becoming familiar both with their problems and the wide array of innovations they've created to cope with too little money for too many customers. The dire straits faced by many courts reinforced for George the importance of his number one priority: the necessity of statewide funding for the courts.	"It's of vital importance that we not have the quality of justice, which I think is one of the most significant services dispensed by government, vary from county to county depending on the ability or willingness of the particular county to fund its courts in the face of all the competing demands on (its) government," George says. "It shouldn't depend on whether whoever is presiding judge that year has a good or a poor relationship with whoever's on the board of supervisors." CONTINUED ... RELATED STORIES The George court's first year The chief justice and attorneys George, Chin targeted for '98

NEWS Bar's Charles wins national board seat Four bar senior executives depart Bill would cut dues by $10 Judicial Fellows applicants sought for '98-'99 program Six new members to join bar board REGULARS ASK THE PRESIDENT - Year in Review HYPOTHETHICS LEGAL TECH - Acceptance testing before payment MCLE MCLE Calender MCLE Self-Study - Lost for a Century MCLE Self-Study Test NEW PRODUCTS OPINION Time to be peacemakers Losers don't forfeit right to dissent Letters to the editor PUBLIC COMMENT - Bar circulates three issues TRIALS DIGEST YOU NEED TO KNOW

All Aboard! The bar's new president, Marc Adelman, gives his son Benjamin a lift at San Diego's Union Station

From solo practice to bar president Adelman prepares to lead state's 155,000 attorneys into an era with emphasis on the three P's -- pride, profession and public Story follows ...