Fourteen lawyers are running for five seats on the State Bar Board of Governors in a hybrid election that for the first time permits voters to cast ballots electronically or with a traditional mail-in ballot. The would-be governors include two candidates who have run previously, two with a discipline record, big- and medium-firm lawyers as well as several solo practitioners, a public defender, bar activists and candidates running as outsiders.
When Robert Moss joined the Orange County bench eight years ago, he typically received “stacks of paper and big legal files” when a trial rolled around. He recalls digging through boxes and binders to find the documents he wanted. Although his caseload has grown from 350 to the current 750, it’s now more manageable, he says, thanks primarily to the case management system that is slowly being implemented in California’s state courts.
It’s a scenario heard frequently by elder abuse experts. The son (or daughter) who has been given power of attorney starts cutting back on his mother’s expenditures even though she has enough money to continue living as she had been. He decides where she lives and who she sees. He sells some of her favorite possessions.
Internet scams targeted at attorneys show no signs of abating. The latest focuses on divorce settlements.