How to Set Yourself Up for Career Success While Waiting for Bar Exam Results

Heidi is a career advisor at California Western School of Law where she’s helped students and alumni find their career footing for the past seven and some odd years. Jocelyn is a career advisor at the neighboring University of San Diego School of Law and has been helping law students and graduates find career satisfaction for 10+ years. Heidi and Jocelyn used to be actual office neighbors back in the day and would often converse loudly to each other through their shared office wall. They recently got together on a sunny Thursday to talk about the post-grad life. Here are some points they wanted to share with new graduates waiting for bar results — read on to find out where they agreed and disagreed.  Read More

Message from the Community Service Chair

One lesson I learned from my parents is that we are put on this planet to help others. Some of the greatest lawyers spent their lives helping others: Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Abraham Lincoln to name a few. Nelson Mandela once said, “What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived; it is what difference we have made to the lives of others that will determine the significance of the life we lead.” Read More

What Litigators Want From their Mediations

On July 22, 2022, the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of the San Diego County Bar Association hosted a roundtable titled “What Litigators Want From Their Mediations.” Panelists included Nadia Bermudez, an employment attorney at Klinedinst PC; David G. Greco, a partner at RMO LLP; and Chris Hendricks, a personal injury attorney at Fox Law. The discussion was moderated by Ana M. Sambold of Sambold Law, who is chairwoman of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Section. Read More

NLD Member Spotlight: Justin Isaac

Justin Isaac is the owner of the Lawyer in Blue Jeans Group, a San Diego-based law firm specializing in estate planning, trust administration and probate administration. The Lawyer in Blue Jeans Group was founded by his father and mentor, Jeff Isaac, 24 years ago. His father coined the term “Blue Jeans Law” to connote affordable legal services without unnecessary legalese. Read More

Leadership Academy: Leading and Lawyering with You in Mind

Calling new lawyers! The word is out, and the word is LEADERSHIP! The San Diego County Bar Association is a champion of leadership in our profession and understands that the community looks to lawyers for strong leadership, whether it be within a firm, on a board of directors, or in other community activities. With this appreciation solidified in its core values, the SDCBA adopted building lawyers as leaders as one of its six strategic priorities for 2020-2022 and set out to create a brand-new Leadership Academy in furtherance of this goal. After months of the Leadership Academy Sub-Committee’s careful designing and planning, the SDCBA launched its first-ever, long-awaited Leadership Academy in January of this year. Read More

Message from the Continuing Legal Education Chair

Hello all:

I am honored to serve on the New Lawyer Division’s Executive Committee where I help organize continuing legal education presentations for new lawyers in the San Diego area. I graduated from California Western School of Law in 2018, and I am an associate at Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP. I am in my fourth year of practice. Read More

Ethical Criticism of Judicial Decisions

Every lawyer who litigates will sometimes disagree with judicial decisions in their cases — often strongly so. And nearly all lawyers will sometimes disagree with decisions of the Supreme Court or courts of appeal on questions of profound social importance — sometimes vehemently so. Read More

NLD Member Spotlight: Tyler Barclay

“Few things in life are as satisfying as pursuing justice for those that need it the most,” says Tyler Barclay about why he is passionate about being a public defender. Read More