Public Defender Luis Rodriguez, who will be sworn in as the State
Bar’s 89th president this month, lists his top three concerns as adequate court
funding, the risk of increased immigration fraud and law school debt. He
assumes his duties with an eye to history as the first Latino bar president and
only the second to come from the public sector.
From attorneys determined to improve the lives of LGBT youth, to a mother of three
who works with victims of human trafficking, the recipients of the 2013
President’s Pro Bono Service Awards have varied backgrounds and legal
expertise. But they all share one key characteristic: the drive to help those
struggling and less fortunate.
Perplexed
about the individual insurance mandate under the Affordable Care Act? The
State Bar can help. A new health care program is available to help attorneys
find cost-effective health care insurance by connecting them with health care
broker administrators.
A State Bar Court hearing judge has recommended disbarment for a
San Francisco Bay Area attorney found to have committed what was the single
largest misappropriation in the Office of Chief Trial Counsel’s recent memory.
The
California Supreme Court will hear oral arguments this month in a case that
pits the public’s right to access government records against the privacy rights
of bar exam test-takers.
More than a dozen outstanding law school students are getting a
helping hand paying for their legal education thanks to the California Bar
Foundation.