Month: September 2021

President’s Message: September 27, 2021

The SDCBA has twenty-six practice area-related Sections, from Alternative Dispute Resolution to Workers Compensation Law. Each of these Sections is free to join with your membership and you can join as many as you would like. I joined all the Sections several years ago and I’ve enjoyed the feeling of connection with our community and seeing what topics pop up in the various practice areas. Section members can vote in the upcoming Section Elections which will run September 30 through October 21. Make sure to join and cast your vote! (See “Of Note” below for more details.) My sincere thanks to the 2021 Section leadership who have continued to be creative in providing ways to connect and educate our members. They have been tireless in their efforts and dedication. Read More

President’s Message: September 20, 2021

In healthy times, our police, firefighters, paramedics, EMTs, licensed healthcare workers, and corrections/probations officers assume risks to protect our San Diego community in ways that often go unrecognized. With the pandemic, and by the very nature of their work, these s/heroes have faced increased risks of coronavirus exposure and infection and dangerous emotionally volatile situations. Read More

ABA Formal Opinion 499 Provides Critical Guidance for Attorneys Considering Investment in Jurisdictions Allowing Nonlawyer Ownership of Law Firms

By Andrew A. Servais

California Rule of Professional Conduct and ABA Model Rule of Professional Conduct 5.4 feature a number of prohibitions designed to preserve the professional independence of lawyers, including prohibiting the sharing of legal fees with a nonlawyer, forming a partnership with a nonlawyer (if any of the activities of the partnership consist of the practice of law), and practicing in a business structure in which a nonlawyer owns any interest in the business or serves as a corporate director or officer. Read More

Legal Ethics for New Attorneys: Recent State Bar Attorney Disciplinary Actions, Commonalities of Rules Violations

Legal Ethics for New Attorneys: Recent State Bar Attorney Disciplinary Actions

Commonalities of Rules Violations

By Charles V. Berwanger
Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani, LLP

In the past several months, the State Bar of California has disbarred or suspended the license to practice law of at least 10 California attorneys. There are common themes threading their way through the disciplinary findings in each of these cases that are important for practitioners to consider. The purpose of this article is to identify some of those themes. Read More