8 Tidbits of Advice from an International Student Turned U.S. Lawyer

In August 2018, I hopped on a plane from my hometown in Bangalore, India, and came to the United States to study law for a second time. I had just spent the last five years of my undergraduate life learning antiquated common law norms that govern the Indian legal system. I can’t for the life of me recall why I decided, “Oh yes—let’s go halfway across the world and jump into another cesspool of trauma”—but I did—and now my life is decidedly better because I took that plunge. I began my studies at California Western School of Law, not knowing a single person and having no family in the surrounding area to lean on. Read More

Tips from the Bench: Hon. Jill L. Burkhardt

While working for her father one summer as a teenager, U.S. Magistrate Judge Jill L. Burkhardt began to feel like she could never learn all there was to know about the job.  When she shared this concern with her father, she was surprised by his response.  “He told me, ‘That is the best thing you can say about any job.  If you ever have a job where you can learn everything there is to learn, you will be unhappy because you will be bored.’”  Having worked as a civil litigator for Baker & McKenzie, a criminal prosecutor for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and now approaching ten years on the bench as a federal magistrate judge, Judge Burkhardt has found the legal profession to pass her father’s test.  “Whenever I feel daunted by what I don’t know, I remind myself that that’s what makes this such a wonderful, fascinating career—you can be in it for decades and never stop learning.”  In that spirit, Judge Burkhardt sat down to share with SDCBA’s New Lawyer Division some of the lessons she has learned throughout her illustrious career. Read More

Message from the Vice Chair

Happy February Current (and Future) NLD Members! Read More

Memo to a New Litigator

Abusive litigation tactics do little for the client or the lawyer. Rather, such behavior is the hallmark of a second-rate attorney. Under both the state and federal judicial systems, a newly-minted lawyer is required to maintain the respect due to the courts of justice and judicial officers.[1] Read More

Tips from the Bar: Katharine Tremblay

A firm believer in the saying “everything happens for a reason,” Katharine Tremblay recently joined the California Department of Justice as a Deputy Attorney General in the Employment and Administrative Mandate section of the Attorney General’s Office. Prior to heeding the call to public service, Tremblay enjoyed a successful and over decade-long career in private practice, where she focused mainly on employment, business, and contract law. Read More

Honing Your Negotiation Skills to Become a Better Leader

On November 9, 2023, the San Diego County Bar Association hosted its final virtual Leadership Speaker Series for the year, titled, “The Art of Leading Through Negotiation — Developing and Utilizing Negotiation Skills to Become a Better Leader.” The program focused on how attorneys can maximize their negotiation skills in leadership positions. Read More

Fall Marks the Final Season to Prepare for the Corporate Transparency Act

The Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) was designed to assist the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) in combating money laundering and other financial crimes by imposing new reporting requirements on qualifying entities.[1] The CTA became law on January 1, 2021, as part of the William M. (Mac) Thornberry National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021.[2] However, the regulations that implement Section 6403 of the CTA were not issued until September 30, 2022; these regulations will become effective on January 1, 2024.[3] Read More

Message from the NLD Chair

Holiday Greetings NLD! 

As this year comes to an end, I find myself bidding farewell to 2023 with a sense of gratitude for the NLD executive committee that I have served with this past year. Their hard work and dedication in helping new lawyers be successful in their careers is unmatched. I have had the privilege of working alongside a group of talented individuals who are passionate about serving their legal community.  Read More