Serve on the California Bar Foundation board
The California Bar Foundation is accepting applications from attorneys, judges and members of
the public who are interested in serving on its board.
The
nonprofit is the center of philanthropy for the state’s legal profession,
building a better justice system for all Californians by investing in grants,
scholarships, public education and community collaboration. The deadline for
applications is Oct. 15. For more
information, see the foundation’s website.
Farm worker advocates wanted for appointment
The
State Bar of California’s Office of Legal Services is seeking applications from
attorneys with connections to farm worker advocacy or farm worker communities
to serve a two-year term on the California Rural Legal Assistance Board of Directors. The deadline for applications is Sept.
7.
CRLA is
a nonprofit that provides legal assistance to the rural poor. The bar is
seeking applications to fill three available positions on the board. Interested
applicants should apply by letter to Louisa Ayrapetyan, The State Bar of California,
Office of Legal Services, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94015. The
application should also include a resume that outlines work experience,
community activity and educational background. Questions may be directed to
Ayrapetyan at 415-538-2534 or louisa.ayrapetyan@calbar.ca.gov.
California Indian Legal Services board seats
open
The
State Bar of California’s Office of Legal Services is seeking applications from
attorneys interested in serving on the California Indian
Legal Services Board
of Directors. The deadline for applications is Sept.
7.
CILS is
a nonprofit Legal Services Corporation-funded program created to provide legal
assistance to the rural poor. Interested applicants should apply by letter to Louisa Ayrapetyan, The State Bar of California,
Office of Legal Services, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94015. The
application should also include a resume that outlines work experience,
community activity and educational background. Questions may be directed to
Ayrapetyan at 415-538-2534 or louisa.ayrapetyan@calbar.ca.gov.
Have your
voice heard in evaluating judges
The State Bar commission that evaluates the governor’s
candidates for judgeships is seeking the help of attorneys to solicit
information electronically.
For more than 30 years, the Commission on Judicial Nominees
Evaluation, commonly known as the JNE (“Jenny”) Commission, has gathered
information about candidates by mailing paper comment forms to attorneys.
During the past few years, the commission has been using email to gather
comments, but continues to encounter one barrier: the spam filter. Most of
JNE’s emails reach their intended recipients. However, some are blocked.
Attorneys can solve this problem by authorizing the spam filters
serving their email address listed with the State Bar to accept the following
email address: jneccf@calbar.ca.gov. Those who work in
legal offices, public agencies and the court system can help by asking their IT
specialists to authorize the JNE email address for all spam filters serving
office computers.
The electronic comment forms are identical to the written forms.
A hyperlink in the email takes the commenter to a website where a form
identical to the written comment form can be completed electronically. The
electronic comments are maintained confidentially, with access only by
investigating commissioners and staff. The use of email appears to result in
response rates at least as high as the use of written forms. It has proven to
be a cost-effective and efficient method of transmitting time-sensitive, confidential
data.
Questions and comments about the process can be directed to jneccf@calbar.ca.gov.
Updated 2015 bar rules
book available for e-reader
To make it easier for lawyers to readily identify and address
legal ethics issues, the State Bar has published an e-reader version of the
Rules of Professional Conduct and the State Bar Act. The e-reader version of
the rule book is compatible with the Kindle Reader App, a free e-reader
application available for iPads, iPhones, Blackberry phones, Android phones,
MacBooks and PC laptops. The book also works on all versions of Amazon.com’s
Kindle.
The updated 2015 edition of the e-Reader version of the rule book is now available on Amazon.com for $6.99, a significant discount from the price of the print version. It offers several useful features including a search function,
bookmarking, highlighting and annotating. In addition, once downloaded to a
tablet, smart phone or other compatible device, the book can be accessed at any
time, even without the Internet or a cellular data signal.
The bar’s rule book has been published for more than 65 years.
The 30-page edition published in 1949 has grown to more than 400 hard copy pages. In
addition to the rules and State Bar Act, the book includes other related
authorities such as selected Rules of Court, code sections, the Federal
Mortgage Assistance Relief Services Rule, the State Bar Pro Bono Resolution,
the Lawyer Referral Service rules, MCLE rules and more.
New
legislation affects immigration attorneys
Legislation that went into effect in June prohibits attorneys
and immigration consultants from taking upfront fees for services related to
President Obama’s executive actions on immigration.
AB 60, authored by Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, D-San Diego,
was approved by the California Legislature and went into effect when it was
signed by Gov. Jerry Brown on June 17.
Gonzalez also authored a 2013 law prohibiting advanced fees for
immigration reform services to prevent immigrants from being scammed as
Congress considered potential immigration reform measures. The new legislation
was intended to clarify that the ban also applies to immigration services
related to the president’s executive actions.
In addition to prohibiting advanced fees, the 2013 law also:
- Requires attorneys and immigration consultants to account for
any money already accepted for immigration reform services and either refund
the money or deposit it in a client trust account.
- Requires attorneys to inform clients receiving immigration
reform act services where they can report complaints. A notice for attorneys to use has been posted
on the State Bar’s website and is also translated into other languages,
including Spanish and Chinese.
- Increases the amount of bond that immigration consultants must
carry from $50,000 to $100,000 as of July 1, 2014.
- Prohibits the use of the term “notario,” which has been
misconstrued as someone who is qualified to give legal advice.
- Provides that a person who violates the ban on the use of the
term “notario” is subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000 a day for each
violation.
Leverage
the law through a State Bar section membership
Join other leading attorneys and
legal professionals who are passionate about their practices. Each State Bar
section provides its members with valuable tools including e-newsletters,
publications and more. Highly regarded as a premier provider of legal
education, the 16 sections deliver specialized training and practical programs
including symposiums, one-day seminars and multi-day conferences, online seminars,
self-study curricula as well as updates on trends and changes in the law. Visit
our online catalog, which contains more than
1,000 individual seminars.
Sections can also figure
heavily when initiating or advocating legislation and regulations. Plus, most
of the sections participate in major public education efforts and community
service activities, such as consumer radio shows and booklets that explain
legal rights. Your minimal annual membership helps to fund all these essential
programs and services. What’s more, your membership is a tax-deductible
investment.
Membership
benefits from CalBar Connect
State Bar members can save up to 25 percent every time they rent
with Hertz, a participant in CalBar Connect, the State Bar’s member services
and benefits initiative. Visit the Hertz page for
details.
CalBar Connect, which provides discounts to all State Bar
members, also offers a variety of insurance plans including professional liability insurance, workers’ compensation insurance, group and individual disability plans, life insurance,
accidental death and dismemberment (AD&D), auto, home and business office plans.
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).”