Do you know a good pro bono lawyer?
The State Bar of California is seeking nominations for the 2012 President’s Pro Bono Awards and the Loren Miller Legal Services Award. Both recognize extraordinary efforts to provide high-quality legal services to low-income Californians. The nominations deadline is Thursday, March 15, and the awards will be presented during the 2012 State Bar Annual Meeting scheduled for October in Monterey.
(CalBar Journal February 2012)
California Supreme Court Appointment
Governor Jerry Brown has just appointed UC Berkeley Law Professor Goodwin Liu to the California Supreme Court. Liu previously was President Barack Obama’s choice for the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. But that nomination was blocked by Republicans…
(KQED.org – audio – Tue. Jul 26, 2011)
Budget Cuts Slash California Courts
The California Legislature has announced it’s cutting $350 million from the state court system. California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye — who describes the cutbacks as unprecedented — joins us to discuss the repercussions. Judges and other officials in counties around the state say the move puts public services in danger, delays trials and forces the closure of some courtrooms.
(KQED.org – audio – Fri. Jul 22, 2011)
Defense of Marriage Act Repeal?
President Obama is backing a bill sponsored by California Senator Dianne Feinstein called the Respect for Marriage Act, which would repeal the 15-year-old Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). DOMA, signed by President Clinton, defined marriage as a legal union between one man and one woman — and denied federal benefits for same-sex couples…
(KQED.org – audio – Thu. Jul 21, 2011)
Cash for Convictions: A reward for a job well done or an unlawful stake in the outcome of the case?
Stephen McCrohan, a public defender in Colorado, recently filed a motion claiming that the District Attorney’s Office policy of paying bonuses for convictions gave the prosecutor in his case an improper financial interest in the outcome of the matter. District Attorney Carol Chambers had paid bonuses to her felony prosecutors who won convictions in at least 70 percent of their cases…
(Contra Costa Lawyer July 2011)
Supreme Court Roundup
The U.S. Supreme Court closed its term amid a flurry of decisions. We look back at the court’s rulings this year — from the decision forcing California to reduce its prison population to a refusal to allow Wal-Mart employees to band together as a class. What do the court’s recent decisions say about the direction it’s headed?
(KQED.org – audio – Thu, Jun 30, 2011)
Budget accord hits courts and law enforcement hard
California’s courts and the justice department’s anti-gang operations will take a big hit under the budget signed by Gov. Brown last month, with cutbacks totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.
(CalBar Journal June 2011)
As Bulging Client Data Heads for the Cloud, Law Firms Ready for a Storm
Perhaps no case could be a more monumental example of the reality of modern e-discovery than the ongoing Viacom copyright infringement lawsuit against YouTube filed back in 2008. In that dispute, the judge ordered that 12 terabytes of data be turned over…
(ABA Journal April 2011)
The California Supreme Court’s New Chief Justice
Tani Cantil-Sakauye took over as chief justice of the California Supreme Court in January, making her the second woman and first Asian-American to hold the job. She joins guest host Scott Shafer in the studio…
(KQED.org – audio – Tue. Mar 29, 2011)
Three plans to reform bar governance are on the table
Dueling proposals to reorganize the State Bar Board of Governors, ranging from shrinking the numbers to changing the selection process to adding more public members, will be under consideration early this month as a task force wrestles with a legislative mandate to enhance the bar’s public protection efforts…
(CalBar Journal March 2011)
The Elder Law Center
Can you remember your very first day of work? We suspect that not many years, or even days, went by before you began dreaming of your retirement. As we all know, for that dream to become a reality you must plan, work and wait for the day when you can afford to enjoy the wonders of the world without relying on a salary. But what happens when all of your hard work and your plans become a nightmare?
(Contra Costa Lawyer March 2011)