A State Bar group exploring ways to help new attorneys get
better equipped to practice law recently unveiled its draft recommendations,
including practical skills training and a pro bono commitment.
Paul W. Vapnek has worked to ensure that California
attorneys have the tools they need to run an ethical law practice. Among other
accomplishments, he was the first editor of the California Compendium on Professional
Responsibility. Vapnek will receive the Harry B. Sondheim Professional
Responsibility Award at the Annual
State Bar Ethics Symposium on April 20.
Lawmakers were briefed last month on the precipitous drop in
funding for providers of legal services to the poor.
While there’s no legal obligation to have a will-like
document for winding down a law practice, the State Bar president calls it a
“moral obligation” in the event of unexpected incapacitation or death.
California Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye joined
forces with former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to raise
awareness of the issue of civic literacy among young people.
Glenda Corcoran won’t be sworn in until October, but the former
State Assembly staffer will participate in upcoming board meetings as a
non-voting member.