This year, the legal community has adapted to many challenges, including unprecedented court closures. We continue to provide the latest COVID-19 updates on our Courts Update page. Here’s the latest from the San Diego Superior Court on Services Available During COVID-19 as of September 10, 2020. To address the family law caseload and provide an alternative to court moving forward, the SDCBA’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service has created a Family Law Mediation panel. Learn more, or apply to serve on this new panel, email esorensen@sdcba.org or mchavez@sdcba.org.
As a reminder, consider nominating yourself for a leadership position in a Section or the New Lawyer Division for 2021! The deadline for self-nominations is Thursday, September 17. Learn more and submit your name here »
Tonight, the SDCBA’s Anti-Racism Subcommittee will host an Exchange on Equity Roundtable Discussion from 5:30-7:30 p.m. All participants and anyone interested in the recent 21-Day Racial Equity Habit-Building Challenge© are invited to join this conversation. During this virtual event, we will share our reflections and experiences of taking the challenge. Register here »
It’s not too late to register for tomorrow’s Bench-Bar Media event at 5:30 p.m.: Meeting This Moment—How the Bench, Bar, and Media are Addressing the Intersection of COVID-19 and the Social Justice Movement, sponsored by the San Diego Superior Court, the SDCBA, and the San Diego Society for Professional Journalists. The program will kick off with a short feature video of impactful stories told by a lineup of legal leaders and journalists, followed by a live discussion among a diverse panel of experts from the bench, bar, and media, concluding with an audience Q&A. I promise, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Please join us from 5:30-6:45 p.m. Register here »
Next week, the Appellate Practice Section will host its regularly monthly Wednesday, September 23 at 12:00 p.m. Members of the Appellate Practice Section, or those wishing to learn more about the practice, can register here. And, on September 29 at 12:00 p.m., the Section will host an MCLE session called “Appellate Brief Show & Tell.” Utilizing actual briefs filed in the 4th District Court of Appeal, this program will provide tips, suggestions, and creative ideas to add to your appellate brief skill set. 1.25 hours of General MCLE & Appellate Specialist MCLE is available—register for this unique program here »
With the November 3 General Election quickly approaching, here are some important opportunities to volunteer:
- The American Bar Association, in partnership with the National Association of Secretaries of State and the National Association of State Election Directors, has launched the Poll Worker, Esq. initiative. Lawyers and law students across the nation are encouraged to ensure the safety and efficiency of the voting process by becoming poll workers in their communities.
- For more opportunities to get involved locally, the San Diego County Registrar of Voters is seeking poll workers (particularly bi-lingual poll workers), in addition to temporary full-time site managers (which oversee teams of poll workers) to operate assigned polling places for the General Election. Both the poll worker and site managers positions are paid and training is provided. Learn more at the links above.
For a bit of fun, I invite you to help us compile our musical “Lawyer Playlist,” full of your favorite songs when you’re working. With input from our members, this playlist will appear in the November/December 2020 issue of San Diego Lawyer Magazine. Share the title and artist of your favorite song here »
For those affected—or with friends, family, colleagues, or clients affected—by the devastating wildfires, our thoughts are with you.
Johanna Schiavoni
2020 SDCBA President