Apply to
evaluate future judges
The State
Bar seeks active members of the bar, former members of the judiciary and
members of the public who are interested in volunteering to serve on the 2017
Commission on Judicial Nominees Evaluation (JNE Commission). In addition,
former JNE Commission members are sought to fill a three-year term on the
Review Committee (RJNE), which reconsiders “not qualified” ratings by the JNE
Commission. The application deadline for both is May 6. The
application form and information on the commission are available from the State Bar’s website or from the State Bar's Appointments
Office, 415-538-2370, appointments@calbar.ca.gov.
State Bar volunteer application deadlines
extended
If you are interested in
participating on a State Bar committee or commission or in leading a practice
area section, it’s time to apply. Please access the State Bar’s applications
page for details on the volunteer positions for which application
deadlines have been extended.
Nominate a judge for an award
The California
Commission on Access to Justice is
seeking nominations of a California judge for the 2016 Benjamin Aranda III
Access to Justice Award. The deadline is April 4.
The
award honors a California trial judge, appellate court justice or commissioner
who deserves recognition for significant work towards improving low- and
moderate-income Californians’ access to our courts and demonstrating a
long-term commitment to this effort.
The
commission will select the award recipient in consultation with the Judicial
Council, the State Bar of California and the California Judges Association.
Details
and nomination materials are
available online. For questions, please contact Louisa Ayrapetyan at 415-538-2534
or louisa.ayrapetyan@calbar.ca.gov.
Sign up for April ethics symposium in San Francisco
No
fooling: April 1 is the last day to sign up for the 20th Annual
Statewide Ethics Symposium, which will be held April 9 at the University
of San Francisco School of Law.
The
daylong legal ethics program is hosted by the State Bar’s Committee on
Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) and co-sponsored by the law
school’s Graduate Tax Program and the Center for Law and Ethics. Those who
attend will get five hours of MCLE credit.
For more information or to register, visit the symposium’s web page or
contact Angela Marlaud at 415-538-2116 or angela.marlaud@calbar.ca.gov.
Nominate someone for a diversity or education pipeline
award
Attorneys, law firms, bar associations and others who
promote diversity and exemplary legal training can be nominated for the Diversity and Education
Pipeline Awards. The deadline has been extended to April 22.
Nomination forms and information about past winners are available on the State Bar website. For
more information or to submit the forms, contact Patricia Lee at 415-538-2240
or patricia.lee@calbar.ca.gov,
180 Howard St., 10th floor, San Francisco, CA 94105.
Career
resources website launched
The State
Bar’s Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) has teamed up with the California Young
Lawyers Association to expand its career counseling and career development
services.
The
Early Career Support project has launched a new website to
provide career development tips and resources. The website will also serve as
the hub for the formation of Career Development Teams throughout the state.
Visit legalcareerresources.com for
more information.
Legal ethics and technology
resource page is online
The general Ethics Information page on the State Bar
website has an area dedicated to attorney ethics – a collection of resources
that address professional responsibility issues raised by the use of websites,
email, chat rooms and other technologies. The resources include advisory ethics
opinions, articles and MCLE programs.
Most of the resources are internal links to other pages on the
bar’s website and some are external links to local or specialty bar
associations. The page is organized both by the type of resource (ethics
opinion, article, etc.) and by subject matter (law firm websites, electronic
files, social networking, etc.).
The resources focus on providing basic legal research leads on
how the rules apply to new technologies rather than specific law office
systems, hardware or software options. For the latter, see the resources in the
State Bar’s Law Practice Management & Technology
Section.
Register a law corporation
Law corporations are required to register with both the
California Secretary of State and the State Bar of California under
Corporations Code Section 13404. Registration requirements are set forth in
Business & Professions Code Sections 6160 and 6161.
Rules and application materials are available on the State Bar
website. Information required to register a law corporation includes:
- Proof of registration with the Secretary
of State
- Submission of bylaws and a sample share
certificate containing the appropriate restrictions on share ownership
- A completed application that reports all
the attorneys who are associated with the corporation
- Submission of the Guarantee for Claims
in the appropriate amount
- A Declaration of Compliance with Rule
1-400
Limited Liability Partnerships providing legal services are also
required to register with the State Bar. If not registered, attorneys should be
particularly aware of California Corporations Code Section 16306(f), which
specifically removes the protection from liability for claims based upon legal
work.
Before registering with the Secretary of State, be sure to check
with the State Bar to determine if the entity name complies with rules and has
not already been registered. Additional information is available at the Law Corporations page, LLP page or the Law Office Management page. For
questions or help, send an email to LLP@calbar.ca.gov.
Create a
surrogacy agreement
A sample “Agreement to Close Law Practice in the Future” is
available on the State Bar website for
attorneys who want to plan for the possibility they will not be able to
continue to work. The sample agreement, available to all lawyers, spells out
the responsibilities of the primary attorney and his or her successor in the
case of death or incapacity.
If a lawyer designates a successor using the new sample
contract, the designated surrogate goes to court for appointment as the
practice administrator who can take control and dispose of the practice. A
lengthy list of duties is part of the contract and includes the ability to open
mail, become a signatory on bank accounts, notify clients and transfer files,
pay bills and handle funds and accept the original attorney’s clients and
cases. The practice administrator also would have the power to sell the
practice.
Feeling
stressed? The Lawyer Assistance Program can help
Attorneys struggling to cope with the stress of a challenging
economic environment, a health issue or a difficult employment situation are
invited to contact the Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP),
which now offers new support programs in addition to its traditional help with
substance abuse and depression. Support is offered for issues like stress,
relationship and personal problems, grief and anxiety.
The LAP is designed for attorneys who might wish to participate
in a weekly group with other lawyers and would like the support of a mental
health professional (group facilitator) or a trained peer counselor who is
familiar with attorneys’ particular challenges.
The LAP also offers a free Orientation and Assessment (O&A)
to any attorney who wants professional assistance to cope with personal or work
problems, substance abuse, health or mental health issues. The O&A provides
a confidential assessment completed by one of the LAP clinicians located
throughout the state. Referrals to outside resources and an opportunity to
participate in an LAP group for a short period of time also are provided. There
is no fee for this service.
Interested attorneys should call 877-LAP-4-HELP (877-527-4435)
or contact LAP@calbar.ca.gov. All calls are confidential.
Apply for a Legal Services Corporation grant
The Legal Services Corporation (LSC) will soon begin taking
applications for grants to provide civil legal services to eligible clients in
2017.
A request for proposals and other information about the grants
process will be available from www.grants.lsc.gov/grants-grantee-resources during
the week of April 11. See the website for filing dates and submission
requirements. For questions, email LSCGrants@lsc.gov.
Subscribe
to the Daily News Digest
In between monthly issues of
the Bar Journal, you can keep up with the major legal news of the day by
visiting the new Daily News Digest on the Bar Journal’s home page. The State
Bar’s Office of Communications scours the day’s news and culls top headlines of
interest to legal professionals. You may also subscribe by visiting the Daily
News Digest web page.
Follow us
on Twitter, LinkedIn
Stay informed by following @StateBarCA on
Twitter and the State Bar of California page on
LinkedIn. We’ll give you a heads up about important regulatory information and
let you know about other happenings at the State Bar or within the legal
community. If you’re seeking information relevant to your particular practice
area, the State Bar’s voluntary
sections and the California Young Lawyers Association also have a
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of sharing certain information
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Bar of California is subject to the California Public Records Act (CPRA). For
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