Bar Journal gets new editor

Ernde

Joining the State Bar this month is Laura Ernde, the new editor of the Bar Journal and communications manager. She comes to the Bar Journal after nearly six years as a staff writer with the Daily Journal, where her assignments included the Supreme Court of California. She brings some 22 years of journalism experience.

At the DJ, she covered the myriad issues facing the court as well as the various personalities, and she chronicled the judiciary’s transition from Justice Ronald M. George to Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye. Laura also followed California’s same-sex marriage ban through multiple visits to the high court.

“Laura has done a fantastic job covering the California Supreme Court,” said Alexia Garamfalvi, the Daily Journal’s San Francisco editor. “In addition to the key cases in the court's jurisprudence, Laura provided insights into the inner workings of the administrative side of the court. She will be missed.”

Ernde added that her main goal is to help ensure that the Bar Journal is a true resource for the state’s 230,000-plus attorneys by presenting issues that are important to them, such as changes to the law, ethics, court funding, legal services for low-income residents as well as the State Bar’s primary role as a regulatory agency.

“I’ve been very lucky to have met so many fascinating people and learn so much about the law,” Ernde said. “I look forward to keeping my finger on the pulse of the profession.”

Before embarking on legal journalism, Ernde was a reporter for the Oakland Tribune and the San Mateo County Times. She also covered the Maryland General Assembly for a mid-size daily newspaper in Hagerstown, Md.

Ernde, 43, holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Penn State University and lives in San Francisco with husband Michael.

Laura Ernde can be contacted at (415) 538-2028 or laura.ernde@calbar.ca.gov