President’s Message: October 13, 2020

Election season is in full swing! Our Board of Directors election opens tomorrow, October 14, and will run through November 13. To vote online, please watch for an email from vote@simplyvoting.com with the link to your ballot. (If you don’t get it directly, check your spam folder.) For further information about our online election or to request a paper ballot, contact Olga Blankson at oblankson@sdcba.org. Thursday, October 22, is the final day to submit your ballot for Section and New Lawyer Division Leadership elections. Vote in the contested races here. Stay up to date on election happenings with our Elections Update in the dark blue box below.

Regarding the November 3 general election—please see our Leadership Opportunities section below for local and national opportunities to volunteer. And, don’t forget that the SDCBA has published our evaluations of judicial candidates in the local race of San Diego Superior Court Office No. 30. See our evaluations here and our news release here. Finally, I spoke with NBC7 recently about the race and judicial elections in general. Please help us carry the message to the broader public about the role of judges in our state trial courts and the importance of judicial elections. Feel free to share NBC7’s news clip and article.

Calling all lawyer leaders! This Friday at noon is the next installment of our Leadership Speaker Series, Boards & Commissions at the County and Surrounding Cities: How to Get Appointed and Why Serve. Join expert panelists for a presentation on how to get appointed on Boards and Commissions, the importance of serving, how appointments are made, and how to make your application stand out in a crowded field. Register here.

Got questions about the voter initiatives on your ballot? Next Tuesday, October 20 at 12:00 p.m., the Environmental Land Use Section and the Government Law Section will host BYOM: Bring Your Favorite Ballot Measure, a roundtable that will analyze local measures on the November ballot. Register here to join us. Then on Thursday, October 22 at 12:00 p.m., the Estate Planning, Trusts & Probate Section will offer a Specialization in Estate Planning CLE, Now What? Enforcement and Collection of a Surcharge Order. Register here to attend. 

And for a bit of fun and to show your support for our new lawyers, get out your most extravagant face mask, or any unique facial attire, and join the New Lawyer Division for a virtual Face Mask-erade on October 30 at 5:30 p.m. Our exciting new virtual “venue” (through a platform called “Remo”) lets you meet people at “tables” around the “room” for all kinds of fun. Plus, there will be costume contests and prizes! The event is FREE and open to ALL members and guests. Register here for this spooktacular event. 

Please also join us for our regularly scheduled series, Wellness Wednesday: Mindful Meditation Series on October 14 at 12:00 p.m. and Tech Tuesday: Introduction to Website Builders: Choosing Your Website Platform on October 20 at 10:00 a.m. 

Lastly, the San Diego County Bar Foundation will host the Distinguished Lawyer Memorial tomorrow, October 14 at 5:30 p.m. The free, virtual event will honor inductees who demonstrated superior legal skills, high ethical standards, and service to their community throughout their legal careers. This year, seven individuals will be honored, including SDCBA Past Presidents Craig D. Higgs and Andrew S. Albert, along with Judge David Bartick, Roberta R. Sistos, Michael T. Thorsnes, Judge Leollia “Leo” Valentine Jr., and Donald R. Worley. Register here to attend the free event. 

We wish you a pleasant and productive week. Please feel free to reach out if there’s any way we can better serve you.

Johanna Schiavoni 
2020 SDCBA President