Few
U.S. Supreme Court decisions in recent memory have attracted as much attention
as National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, which upheld
most of the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Legal analyst Erwin Chemerinsky offers his take on the health care case and other significant rulings of the 2011 term.
When a client thinks their lawyer isn't being attentive
enough, they often don't know what to do. They might end up calling the State Bar. But in a few
California counties, unique programs are giving clients a locally-based option to voice their concerns and resolve disputes before they warrant State Bar discipline.
Patrick M. Kelly,
a partner at Wilson Elser Moskowitz Edelman & Dicker LLP, was chosen as the 88th
president of the State Bar. Kelly will take office in October. He'll be sworn in with two newly elected members of the State Bar Board of Trustees, Christopher W. Todd of San Diego and David A. Torres of Bakersfield.
Concerned that current guidelines don't hold law schools to
clear enough standards, the State Bar could require schools to maintain a
minimum bar exam passage rate to keep their California accreditation. Proposed rules and guidelines being circulated for public comment would require a 50 percent, cumulative pass rate over a five-year period.
A retired Shasta County jurist has been named the state's new administrative director of the courts, the first judge to hold the position. Judge Steven Jahr, who spent 22 years on the bench before retiring in 2009, was appointed following a unanimous vote by the Judicial Council at its meeting July 27.
For the first time in a
decade, there are two significant admissions cases pending at the California
Supreme Court. One implicates federal immigration policy and the other highlights questions of personal redemption.
The Barristers
and Women Lawyers sections of the San Joaquin County Bar Association teamed up
to offer a newly created mentorship program.