Legal specialist exam set for
October
The certified legal specialist exam will be
given October 25 in Pasadena and Oakland. Attorneys with three or more years of
experience may sit for the exam in one of 13 areas of law: admiralty and
maritime; appellate, civil; appellate, criminal; bankruptcy; criminal law,
state; criminal law, federal; estate planning, trust and probate; family;
franchise and distribution; immigration and nationality; legal malpractice;
taxation; and workers’ compensation.
Certification
is a two-step process. In addition to passing the exam, specialists must
demonstrate a high level of experience in the specialty field, practice in the
specialty for five years (though they can take the test at three years),
fulfill ongoing education requirements, and be favorably evaluated by other
attorneys and judges familiar with their work.
Attorneys
will have at least 18 months after passing the exam to complete these
requirements, but they can begin tracking requirements for this portion of the
process from their first day in practice using sample applications located on
the website under each area of law.
The
registration deadline for the exam is Sept. 26. The exam, given every
other year, consists of 75 multiple-choice questions and eight short
essays. For a limited time, new specialties in admiralty and legal
malpractice have an alternate route to certification, replacing the exam with
additional requirements. In addition, immigration and nationality standards have been updated to accommodate practice realities for business immigration
lawyers.
State Bar co-sponsors federal
judicial conference next month
The
State Bar will co-sponsor the Court of Federal Claims annual judicial
conference next month in Berkeley. The Oct. 18-19 program, at the Claremont
Resort and Spa, will highlight
many key areas of the court’s jurisdiction, including bid protests,
government contracts, patents, Fifth Amendment takings and Indian law. In
addition, more than a full day will address the court’s vaccine
jurisdiction.
Speakers include
Chief Judge Randall Rader of the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal
Circuit and Assistant Attorney General Tony West of the United States
Department of Justice’s Civil Division.
Details are
available at the court’s website. Early
registration is available until Sept. 16.
Diversity
Awards mark 10 years
Judge
Vanella Johnson of San Diego, Hanson Bridgett LLP, For People of Color Inc. of
Los Angeles, the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley, and
the Berkeley-based Center for Youth Development through Law are among the
recipients of the State Bar’s diversity awards this year. The Diversity
and Education Pipeline Awards will be presented at the Annual Meeting Sept. 18
by the Council on Access & Fairness.
Erwin
Chemerinksy, dean of the UC Irvine law school, will deliver the keynote address
and Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will address the gathering. Special
recognition will go to retired Supreme Court Justice Carlos Moreno, former bar
president Karen Nobumoto and former board of governors member Ruthe Ashley, who
chairs the Pipeline Task Force.
To
attend the reception,
please send your RSVP to awardsreception@calbar.ca.gov.
Take your career to the next level
The State Bar
Lawyer Assistance Program will offer a four-week workshop, “Learn Key
Strategies to Take Your Career to the Next Level” designed for attorneys
in the midst of a career transition or considering making a change. The first
session will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. in Los Angeles Sept. 21.
Participants
will identify their career passions/goals and create a game plan for the career
they want, within a supportive community of other legal professionals. The
program will be conducted by Susan Miller and Jean Brinko of California Career
Services.
The fee is $90
for all four sessions. For more information or to register, contact
Richard Carlton at 415-538-2355 or richard.carlton@calbar.ca.gov.
The LAP also
will sponsor a free, three-hour presentation, “300
Things You Can Do With a Law Degree,” Oct. 20 at the Practising Law
Institute in San Francisco. The presentation will be simulcast live by PLI and
will be available in its
online catalogue for a month. Visit www.pli.edu for further information or to register.
Law corporations and LLPs must be
registered
Law
corporations are required to register with both the California Secretary of
State and the State Bar of California under Corporations Code §13404.
Registration requirements are set forth in Business & Professions Code
§§6160 and 6161.
Rules
and application materials are available on the State Bar website. Information
required to register a law corporation includes:
- Proof
of registration with the Secretary of State;
- Submission
of bylaws and a sample share certificate containing the appropriate
restrictions on share ownership;
- A
completed application that reports all the attorneys who are associated with
the corporation;
- Submission
of the Guarantee for Claims in the appropriate amount; and
- A
Declaration of Compliance with Rule 1-400.
Limited
Liability Partnerships providing legal services are also required to register
with the State Bar. If not registered, attorneys should be particularly aware
of California Corporations Code § 16306(f), which specifically removes the
protection from liability for claims based upon legal work.
Prior
to registering with the Secretary of State, it is advisable to check with the
State Bar to ensure that the entity name complies with rules and has not
already been registered. Additional information is available at the Law
Corporations page, LLP
page, or the Law
Office Management page. Assistance is available at LLP@calbar.ca.gov.
Free substance abuse/emotional
distress MCLE
The State Bar
Lawyer Assistance Program will offer free MCLE presentations this fall that
offer the required one hour of credit in Prevention, Detection & Treatment
of Substance Abuse. Courses are scheduled Oct. 7 and Nov. 11 at the bar offices
in Los Angeles, 1149 South Hill St., and Oct. 21 and Nov. 4 in the bar’s
San Francisco office at 180 Howard St.
Register in
advance. For more information or to register, contact Richard Carlton at
415-538-2355 or richard.carlton@calbar.ca.gov.
Create a surrogacy agreement
An
“Agreement to Close Law Practice in the Future” is available on
the State Bar website for attorneys who want to plan for the possibility they
will not be able to continue to work. The sample agreement,
available to all lawyers, spells out the responsibilities of the primary
attorney and his or her successor in the case of death or incapacity.
If
a lawyer designates a successor using the new sample contract, the designated
surrogate goes to court for appointment as the practice administrator who can
take control and dispose of the practice. A lengthy list of duties is part of
the contract and includes the ability to open mail, become a signatory on bank
accounts, notify clients and transfer files, pay bills and handle funds, and
accept the original attorney’s clients and cases. The practice
administrator also will have the power to sell the practice.
Feeling stressed? The Lawyer
Assistance Program can help
Attorneys
struggling to cope with the stress of a challenging economic environment or a
difficult employment situation are invited to contact the Lawyer
Assistance Program (LAP), which offers support programs in addition
to its traditional help with substance abuse and depression. Support is offered
for issues like stress, relationship and personal problems, grief and anxiety.
Support LAP is designed for attorneys who might wish to participate in
a weekly group with other lawyers and would like the support of a mental health
professional (group facilitator) or a trained peer counselor who is familiar
with attorneys’ particular challenges.
The
LAP also offers an Orientation & Assessment (O&A) to any attorney who
wants professional assistance to cope with personal problems, work problems,
substance abuse or other mental health issues. The O&A provides a confidential
assessment completed by one of the LAP clinicians located throughout the state.
Referrals to outside resources and an opportunity to participate in a LAP group
for a short period of time also are provided. There is no fee for this
service.
Interested
attorneys should call 877 LAP 4 HELP (877-527-4435) or contact LAP@calbar.ca.gov. All calls are
confidential.
Membership Benefits from CalBar
Connect
CalBar Connect, part of the State Bar’s member
services and benefits initiative, provides a wide variety of discounts and
promotions. Bank
of America Merchant Services offers all bar members access to a complete
range of products and services for card processing needs, including point-of-sale
payments, internet and telephone payments, gift cards, terminals and
point-of-sale alternatives. Merchant services specialists are available for
further details and a complimentary analysis of your current provider. Call
toll-free 1-855-205-6714.
Other programs
and discounts include promotions from Hertz and Lenovo Computers. The State Bar also offers a
variety of insurance plans including Professional Liability Insurance, Workers’ Compensation Insurance, Group and Individual Disability plans, Life Insurance, AD&D, Auto, Home and Business Office Plans.
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).”
Members
also may email their opt-out request to memrec@calbar.ca.gov.
Include
your bar number.
Legal services volunteer sought
Lawyers
interested in serving on the Board of Directors for Legal Aid Society of Orange
County (LASOC) and Community Legal Services in Southeast Los Angeles County are
invited to submit an application to the State Bar. One three-year position is
open. Applicants who currently practice in Orange County are
preferred.
The application
deadline is Nov. 1.
LASOC/CLS provides
legal assistance to low-income residents of Orange and southeast Los Angeles
counties. The board of directors meets 10-12 times a year in person, via
teleconference, or via videoconference to make policy decisions governing the
program’s operations.
Interested
attorneys should submit a resume, outlining work experience, community activity
and educational background with a letter listing the reasons they should be
appointed. Bar number must be included. Materials should be sent to Chris
Zupanovich, 180 Howard St., San Francisco, CA 94105-1639. Information is
available at 415-538-2534 or chris.zupanovich@calbar.ca.gov.