California Bar Journal
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE STATE BAR OF CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 1998
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California Bar Journal

The State Bar of California


REGULARS

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Front Page - October 1998
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News
George calls court funding failure 'betrayal'
Court rejects rule to bare secrets
Chief justice, 3 associates seek retention from voters
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You Need to Know
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Opinion
Farewell to an independent bar
The last few gasps of a dues bill
A look toward the future
Getting leaner on our own
Justices and politics don't mix
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Letters to the Editor
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Legal Tech - Deconstructing computer leases
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New Products & Services
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MCLE Self-Study
Amending Irrevocable Trusts
Self-Assessment Test
MCLE Calendar of Events
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Discipline
Ethics Byte - Clients still have right to secrecy
8-year attorney, disciplined 11 times, is finally disbarred
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Service Awards
Neiman receives bar's top honor for helping others
13 attorneys, 2 law firms cited for pro bono efforts
Foundation presents 32 scholarships to California law school students
LA County Bar wins national recognition

OPINION

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A look toward the future
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By MARK ALAN HART
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This year's Conference of Delegates makes history. It is the first self-funded conference; it also may be the last "State Bar" conference. This is not my wish, but simply my assessment of where we have come.

Providing a forum for representatives of voluntary bar associations to debate the merits of proposed changes in the law is a legitimate function of a state bar. But keeping the conference within the State Bar structure may no longer be an option. Gov. Wilson's veto of the dues bill turned many of the bar's functions, including the conference, into unfunded mandates.

The State Bar endorsed legislation that would have spun off the conference and the sections. From that moment, the conference has been an orphan. Even though the legislation failed, the conference is now treated as if it is no longer part of the bar structure.

This is a time of challenges and opportunity. We have been handed the challenge of holding the conference without bar funds. The cost of the event should be covered by delegates' registration fees.

It is also a time for the conference participants to demonstrate that the lawyers who represent the voluntary bars and sections want this forum to continue.

Mark Alan HartIf the State Bar emerges from the dues crisis as a regulatory agency and nothing more, I believe we will continue to have our conference as part of an independent professional association unencumbered by the rules under which the new State Bar must operate.

Mark Alan Hart is chair of the 1998 Conference of Delegates.