Bar Newsletter   

BARNEWS

INFORMATION ON THE HAPPENINGS OF  THE EL DORADO COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Dear El Dorado County Attorneys

It is a time of great change in the legal community in El Dorado County.   First I would like to introduce myself as your new El Dorado County Bar Association President.  Should you have concerns about the Bar Association or issues you believe demand the attention of the Bar Association, please don’t hesitate to contact me either by phone at (530) 672-5770 or by e-mail at rob@edclaw.com.    This is your Bar Association so your input is essential.  

I would also like to introduce the new members of the Executive Committee.  Jeff Corzine is our Vice President, Tom Parker is our Secretary and Steve Bailey is our Treasurer.   I would also like to thank last year’s officers, and especially Rick Mayer for a fine job as our president.

I know you are asking, “What do I get for my membership?”    Let me answer that question by telling you all the exciting changes that will be taking place this year and what your membership will do for you.   First, our web page is up and running.   Here you will see a directory of attorneys that is searchable by anyone who visits our web page.   Your membership automatically places your name and desired specialties in the web directory.  But the directory serves no purpose if no one visits the page.   To that end we are taking steps to have the web page accessible from all the major search engines.   We have also had outstanding business cards printed with the Bar’s phone number and web address.     Thanks to the Presiding Judge Suzanne N. Kingsbury and Court Administrator Mark Nielson, Bar Business Cards are now found at all public counters in all the Courtrooms of the County.   In addition, we are circulating a supply of cards to numerous sources of potential clients throughout the county.    When members of the public call the Bar Phone Line looking for an attorney, they will receive only the names of Bar Members.   If you don’t belong you are missing out on a valuable source of potential clients.

No matter who you are and how long you have practiced there is only one certainty.   We all need MCLE hours.   Thanks to the efforts of Tom Parker and Jeff Corzine, the El Dorado County Bar Association is in the process of applying for MCLE accreditation.   Our goal is to be able to provide MCLE hours at our general meetings with a focus on the mandatory hours required by all active members of the State Bar.    This opportunity will only be available to EDCBA members.    

As you know, three of our sitting Judges have decided not to run for re-election this year.   This means that in January 2003 there will be three brand new Judges sitting on the bench.    Our Presiding Judge, Judge Kingsbury has already commented that there will be all new assignments coming with the New Year.    Judge Kingsbury has asked for two members of the Bar to assist in the planning of the new assignments and to assist in the transition.    In addition, Judge Kingsbury has also asked for Bar participation as the Courts prepare a new Strategic Plan for the new millennium.    The EDCBA will be participating in this important process.   The Bar is there to be the voice of the attorneys as the Court sets its’ course for the coming years.   Your membership is essential in order to be sure that we, the lawyers, are a part of the planning process.

There are other changes coming to the Courts.   In the coming year the Patrick J. Riley Family Justice Center will be opening.    As the representative body of the lawyers practicing in this facility, the EDCBA will be working with the Judges, Commissioners, and the Court Administration in order to develop a family law center that is not only effective for the administration of justice but also easily gives the community access to the legal system.    If you practice family law, then your participation in the EDCBA is important as it give you a voice as to how you will practice law in this county for the next several years.

In the next year, the EDCBA will be working with the Courts to address certain one time needs in the Court system.    The Court is looking for EDCBA members to assist in grant writing for these needs.    Initial considerations include applying for a grant for evidence presentation improvements for the civil courtrooms.   If you have suggestions, then make your voice heard through your membership in the EDCBA.

As many of us are aware, the civil calendar is very busy.   In preliminary discussions, the Court has agreed to look at the possibilities of appointing EDCBA members as Special Masters and/or discovery referees in complex litigation.    If you would be interested in working on the Special Master/Referee Program, then joining the EDCBA will give you the opportunity to do so.

Thanks to Lou Green, County Counsel, and Ed Knapp of the County Counsel’s office, last year public attorneys began to join the EDCBA.    This year we would like to expand our public attorney membership, from the County Counsel’s Office, the District Attorney’s office and the Public Defender’s Office.   The public attorneys represent the three largest law firms in this county.  It is important that the voice of the public attorney is part of  the EDCBA.   Since more public attorneys are in the Courtroom every day than private attorneys, EDCBA wants to make sure their concerns are addressed in the changing El Dorado County legal landscape.

The last committee that needs members is our Communication Committee.  I am looking for individuals to assist in the dissemination of information about the EDCBA both to members and the public, a self promotion committee.   This committee will assist in keeping our Web Page current and in generating a newsletter to the membership.  

Finally, as attorneys it is our responsibility to serve the public.    To that end the EDCBA will be presenting Street Law Forums thanks to the  assistance of Presiding Judge Kingsbury and a grant from the Judicial Council of California.    The Forums are a series of free seminars aiming to assist and educate the public in various areas of California Law.    The forums will be presented by EDCBA members to the public on numerous subjects.    The tentative subjects for Street Law Forums are:  “Personal Injuries: Expectations and Realities”; “Consumer Rights: Outscamming the Scammer”; “I Don’t Want the State Taking My Property After I Die”;  “Cherry Picking the Right Entity for Your Newest Commercial Brain Child”;  “Avoiding the Pitfalls of Buying, Selling and Brokering a Home”;  “Avoiding the Courthouse Using Mediation and Arbitration”;  “ Divorce and You”; “Mold Litigation and Insurance Coverage”; “To Search or Not to Search, An Overview of Law Enforcement Searches”;  “Recent Developments in Drug Laws”;   “Effective Presentations before Public Boards”; “Overview of Bankruptcy”;  and “Hurt at Work, You and the Workers’ Compensation System”.    As an EDCBA member, you will have the opportunity to show the public your experience in a area of law of concern to the attendees of the seminar, as presenter.    This program is a valuable bridge between our members and the public.  

The EDCBA has the potential to be a powerful voice for attorneys in this community.  However, without your participation none of the goals I’ve presented will be possible.  It is up to all of you, El Dorado County’s attorneys, to make the EDCBA a strong presence in our legal community.  To that end, it is vital that all of you show your support by returning the enclosed forms with your $50.00 membership dues for 2002.   Again, feel free to call me with questions or concerns.

I look forward to serving this year as your president.   I also look forward to speaking with each of you and meeting with many of you at our first meeting.    Our first meeting will be announced in a separate upcoming newsletter.  

Sincerely

Robert H. Greenfield