Year: 2022

Lettuce Meal Plan

By Heidi Weaver

It’s kind of a running joke here at the law school where I work that lunchtime can be feast or famine. Some days you’re lucky if you can grab a stale granola bar or some Pirate Booty from the snack tray in our department, while other days there’s leftover pizza, In-N-Out burgers, and yellow curry coming our way from all the midday programming events that are going on. Neither of these extremes is particularly healthy, but I’m always grateful for any form of sustenance I can get since I’ve never been great at making and packing a lunch for work. Such a thing for me connotes meal planning, and meal planning is an activity I’ve just never been drawn to. In my mind, meal planning means spending all Sunday at the supermarket and then being stuck in the kitchen laboring over cookbooks and a hot stove. A lofty goal, but never a practical one when I only have minutes to spare. Read More

The Significant Costs of Incivility and the Rules of Professional Conduct

By Alara T. Chilton

For many years, improving civility among lawyers has been a serious concern for the legal profession, including in California. In response, the State Bar, district courts, local bar associations, and other legal organizations have published civility codes and guidelines to help lawyers better understand what type of behavior is considered civil and professional. Unfortunately, many lawyers inaccurately view these publications as having little consequence if not followed. Such viewpoints are gravely misplaced. Read More

Ethical Limitations on the Attorney “Overachiever”

Ethical Limitations on the Attorney “Overachiever”

By Mallory H. Chase

As an attorney seeking to advance your career, whether within a firm or within the legal community at large, you may feel the “overachiever” instinct to immediately accept any new assignments, cases, or opportunities within industry organizations. Taking on such additional commitments can be an effective means for motivated attorneys to set themselves apart. While “keeping your nose to the grindstone,” “burning the midnight oil,” or any other hardworking adage of your choice is arguably an occupational hazard of the legal profession, attorneys must remain mindful of their professional obligations and ethical limitations on stretching themselves too thin. Read More

Message from the Social Events Chair

Message from the Social Events Chair

September brings back-to-school excitement to many San Diegans, including law students at our three local law schools. For practicing attorneys, fall may be a return to work after weeks of vacation, or just a return to full calendars and caseloads. The SDCBA and the New Lawyer Division provide a variety of opportunities for lawyers to take a break from their busy schedules – or dive deeper into learning – with social events, CLE, and volunteer opportunities. Read More

The Toll of Declining Trust: Can America’s Faith in the Courts be Restored?

The Toll of Declining Trust: Can America’s Faith in the Courts be Restored?

By Sara Gold
Eastman IP

Less than half of Americans approve of the way the United States Supreme Court is handling its job, according to a July 2022 Gallup poll. Just prior to the Court’s landmark decisions this year in Dobbs, Kennedy and others, only a quarter of Americans reported having a “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence in the Court, a historic low in Gallup’s 50-year survey. Read More

New Lawyer Division Spotlight: Veneeta Jaswal

New Lawyer Division Spotlight: Veneeta Jaswal

By Matthew Spolsky
Ford, Walker, Haggert & Behar LLP

Veneeta Jaswal has known from a young age that she wanted to be a “laywer,” as she wrote in second grade when asked what she wanted to be when she grew up. It is safe to say that this future litigator would be proud to see what became of her dream. Read More

Tips from the Bar: Benjamin Cheeks

Tips from the Bar: Benjamin Cheeks

By Stephanie Pengilley
Bickel Sannipoli APC

Criminal defense lawyer Benjamin Cheeks, an attorney of nearly 20 years, says this profession “fell in his lap” while he was studying to be an engineer. He attended an engineering high school and then began college as an engineering major. In college, Cheeks took a course on the U.S. presidents, which addressed the United States constitution and how the early presidents interpreted it. From there he began taking more political science classes and eventually switched his major to political science and religious studies. Read More

Social Media Competence: An Ethical Requirement

By Shelly Skinner

California Rule of Professional Conduct 1.1 requires that attorneys provide competent representation to their clients. This includes “the duty to keep abreast of the changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” Cal. Rule of Prof’l Cond., Rule 1.1, Comment 1. Read More