Assistance
available for transcript costs
Attorneys
who work with indigent clients on pro bono civil cases may seek reimbursement
for transcript costs from a state program.
Reimbursement
is available for transcripts provided by California-licensed court reporters
when working with qualified indigent clients. The applicant attorney must be
either employed by or referred the case by a qualified nonprofit legal entity
or be appointed by the court.
Eligible
costs for reimbursement include:
- Transcript fee –
Original, original and one copy, or one copy
-
Exhibits – 35 cents
per exhibit, up to $35 per transcript
-
Expedite fee –
Maximum of $2,500 per the life of the case
-
Attendance fee/per
diem – Maximum of $75 for half day or $125 for full day
-
Shipping
Itemized
invoices must be submitted with the application detailing the charges. If the
applicant wishes to be reimbursed directly, proof of payment must accompany the
application as well. Otherwise, the court reporter or deposition firm will be
paid. Payment is made via the State Controller’s Office and may take six to
eight weeks. Please see the Transcript Reimbursement
Fund Guidelines
for additional information.
Serve
on Southern California legal aid board
The
State Bar of California’s Office of Legal Services is seeking applications from
attorneys interested in filling two vacant positions on the Board of Directors
for Legal Aid Society of Orange County and
Community Legal Services in Southeast Los Angeles County (LASOC/CLS).
Applicants
must practice or reside in the area served by LASOC/CLS, a nonprofit Legal
Services Corporation-funded program created to provide legal assistance to
low-income residents of Orange and southeast Los Angeles Counties. The term of
office is three years, with the successful candidate eligible for
re-appointment for an additional term. Deadline for applications is Oct. 30.
Interested
attorneys should apply by letter to Louisa Ayrapetyan, The State Bar of
California, Office of Legal Services, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105. The
application should also include a resume that outlines work experience,
community activity and educational background. Questions may be directed to Louisa
Ayrapetyan at 415-538-2534 or louisa.ayrapetyan@calbar.ca.gov.
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 a 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.
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
presence on social media through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Opt out
of lists
Attorneys who wish to remove their names from lists the State
Bar provides to qualified outside entities may do so by logging on to My State Bar Profile. Go to
“account information” and select “update my mailing preferences (opt out).”