Annual Meeting launches first mobile app

Having trouble keeping track of your State Bar Annual Meeting schedule? There’s an app for that.

For the first time, a free application for Apple and Android devices can provide a pocket guide to events. It will provide information about the 142 law-related educational courses offered at the State Bar’s 85th Annual Meeting Oct. 11-14, as well as times and locations for the meeting’s numerous receptions and networking opportunities.

The app allows users to bookmark their favorites and save them to a calendar for easy reference. It also contains maps of the area and the exhibit hall, eliminating some of the guesswork about getting around the Monterey meeting sites.

Theresa Raglen, meeting and event administrator at the State Bar, said she hopes meeting attendees will download the app, CalBarAM12, and try it out ahead of time. In addition, Twitter users are invited to share their thoughts or follow news from the meeting by using the complementary hashtag #CalBarAM12.

“It’s kind of like the first day of college,” she said. “We’re hoping by doing this pre-launch people will go ahead and start using the app.” 

Pre-registration is closed but attorneys can still register online by Oct. 1 or on site at the meeting.

Keynote speakers include CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin and University of Southern California Gould School of Law professor Jack Lerner, an expert in intellectual property. U.S. Rep. Jackie Speier will address attendees at the California Women Lawyers Association Annual Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 11. Former White House Counsel John W. Dean, who served time in prison for his role in the Watergate cover-up, will present “Watergate at 40: The Lasting Lessons for Lawyers” at the State Bar Luncheon earlier that day. Morris Dees, co-founder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, is slated to speak at the State Bar Bench Bar Luncheon on Saturday, Oct. 13.

The exhibit hall will be open from Thursday evening through 5 p.m. Saturday, showcasing more than 100 exhibitors offering an array of products and services geared toward the legal community. Attendees will also have plenty of opportunity to mingle with other lawyers. The State Bar and its sections are hosting a number of receptions, as are local bar associations and law school alumni groups.

Other not-to-miss events include the President’s Reception at the Museum of Monterey, the 2012 Awards Reception and the State Bar Fun Run/Walk for Justice. Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will also be on hand to administer the oath of office to new State Bar President Patrick Kelly, new members of the State Bar Board of Trustees and the board of the California Judges Association.