Categories : Legal Ethics
The Girardi Effect
By David C. Carr
A State Bar Court hearing judge filed her decision this week recommending the disbament of Thomas V. Girardi.
Categories : Law Practice
Diversity Pledge
By Sarcout “Sed” Zangana
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit us unexpectedly, accompanied by stay-at-home orders and newfound limitations on social gatherings, many of us in the legal community wondered what we could do to stay engaged with our community during uncertain times.
Categories : Law Practice
Message from the Chair of the New Lawyer Division
Message from the Chair of the New Lawyer Division
Dear Members,
It is a privilege to serve as Chair of the SDCBA’s New Lawyer Division along with Vice Chair Stephanie Pengilley and Members at Large Sara Gold, Heather Daiza, Elijah Gaglio, and Hannah Theophil.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice Legal Ethics
Moving Up: But With Caution
Moving Up: But With Caution
An opportunity suddenly appears: You’re a solo practitioner or in a small firm. You have the chance to join a larger firm — where the prospects appear brighter — or a chance to join another firm that better fits your practice. Before you leap, however, consider the ethical constraints that could haunt you and your future firm.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice
New Lawyer Lens: Conducting a Virtual Bench Trial in the Pandemic
New Lawyer Lens: Conducting a Virtual Bench Trial in the Pandemic
Pacific Coast Trial Law Firm
Before the pandemic, I had conducted three jury trials, two of them in the Hall of Justice in San Diego. I tried a case on Feb. 20, 2020, and was gearing up for another trial when the pandemic hit. Everything came to a standstill. I still showed up to work to litigate or settle out cases. One year later, things seemed to be getting better. But the trial calendar seemed frozen in time. Nothing was moving.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice
Building a Legal Network When You’re from Out-of-Town
Building a Legal Network When You’re from Out of Town
Schwartz Semerdjian Cauley & Evans LLP
I graduated from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts, on a Saturday in May 2019. On the following Monday, I moved to San Diego to study for the bar exam and start applying for attorney jobs. I found a law clerk position at a civil litigation firm here which turned into my first associate attorney position, and I have stayed in San Diego since.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice1 Comment
NLD Member Spotlight: Jocelyn Russo
NLD Member Spotlight: Jocelyn Russo
Bickel Sannipoli APC
For Jocelyn Russo, being a family law attorney is more than practicing law: “It’s being there for your clients during their most difficult times in their lives.” Russo is an associate attorney at Antonyan Miranda, a prestigious San Diego family law firm specializing in family law.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice
But … I Didn’t Apply to Zoom School of Law
But … I Didn’t Apply to Zoom School of Law
California Western School of Law ’21
As a first-generation law student, I was equal parts eager and nervous for the coming three years. I heard testimonials of the difficulties, the rewards, and the grit it takes to come out alive. I watched countless “How-To” videos on YouTube, spoke to current practitioners to gauge my interest, and even sought real world experience. Nothing could have prepared me for the change that would come.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice
Tips from the Bench: Judges Michael T. Smyth and Maureen F. Hallahan
Tips from the Bench: Judges Michael T. Smyth and Maureen F. Hallahan
Aguirre & Severson, LLP
This year, San Diego Superior Court welcomes new Presiding Judge Michael T. Smyth and new Assistant Presiding Judge Maureen F. Hallahan, who were elected by their fellow jurists to lead the court during the pandemic and through an ever-changing legal field. Judges Smyth and Hallahan will work with Court Executive Officer Michael M. Roddy to oversee the 154 judicial officers and approximately 1,200 employees at the court. Judges Hallahan and Smyth sat down with For the Record to discuss their respective backgrounds and goals for the Court’s future.
Categories : For New Attorneys For the Record Law Practice
The Bite, the Bank, and the Barrister: Lawyer-Targeted Scams
The Bite, the Bank, and the Barrister: Lawyer-Targeted Scams
With her husband in the hospital fighting Covid-19, Vista attorney Natalia Taylor* saw the email requesting legal assistance with a gruesome dog bite as a gift from God.