“Women Lawyers of Ventura County presents “Hanging with the Judges: An Historical Perspective of the Judges Whose Portraits are Displayed in Courtroom 22.” Come hear Judge Henry J. Walsh explain who those “old guys” are on the walls in Dept. 22. Brown bag lunch, Friday, April 13 from 12:15 PM – 1:15. No RSVPs are necessary for the April meeting. The meeting is open to anyone who is interested, former members, current members, WLVC-curious and all are encouraged to come and bring guests.”
SO, YOU WANT TO BE A JUDGE?
April 10, 2012 By
By Rachel Coleman
Whether appointed or elected, every six years each superior court judge in California must hit the streets to shake hands, kiss babies and raise campaign funds for the upcoming election – if they have an opponent. On June 5 this year, Ventura County will see the following Superior Court judges up for re-election: John R. Smiley; Colleen Toy White; Brian J. Back; Henry J. Walsh; Glen M. Reiser; Mark S. Borrell; and
David M. Hirsch. Most run unopposed, which means avoiding the campaign trail and the scramble to drum up much-needed campaign dollars.
This June, Brad Bjelke, a Thousand Oaks business and employment attorney, is gunning for Judge Walsh’s seat on the bench. George Manus, also a local Thousand Oaks attorney, filed a Declaration of Candidacy and paid the filing fee to run against Judge Hirsch. However, Mr. Manus did not file the nomination paperwork with the elections division of the county recorder’s office by the March 9 deadline. As such, it appears that Judge Hirsch will now run unopposed.
While the life of a judge may seem glamorous to all those people who watch “Law and Order” or re-runs of “Perry Mason,” come election time that life isn’t so glamorous. In order to start the process of re-election,
all superior court judges up for re-election must file a Declaration of Candidacy “within 30 days before August 16 preceding the expiration of the judge’s term.” If the declaration is not filed, the Governor shall
nominate a candidate before Sept. 16. (Cal.Const., Art. 6, §6(d) (1).)
JUDGE REISER SUMMARIZES THE “STATE OF THE PROBATE COURT”
April 3, 2012 By
By Amber Rodriguez
In February, the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Ventura County Bar Association was fortunate to have Judge Glen M. Reiser, presiding probate judge, present a State of the Probate Court address. The presentation was not only amusing, but very informative for the standing-room-only crowd. Following the presentation, I was contacted by numerous VCBA members who, having heard about Judge Reiser’s information-packed presentation, asked if we could prepare a summary for those who were unable to join us. Judge Reiser has been kind enough to work with me to put together this summary for you:
CRC 7.575: Reporting Requirements for Standard versus Simplified Accountings Although these requirements have not been consistently enforced in the past, the court feels it is necessary and appropriate to have all accountings, from here forward, conform with the requirements of this Rule. If you have an accounting pending hearing, please review your accounting carefully to make sure a supplement is not required to meet CRC 7.575.
CRC 2.104 The court reminded us that all papers must be printed or typewritten or be prepared by a photocopying or other duplication process that will produce clear and permanent copies equally as legible as printing in type not smaller than 12 points. This includes accountings.
Conservatorship File Reviews Judge Reiser actually reads the files and does not rely primarily on the research attorney or investigator’s report to make his decision in these matters. Please be certain to file all necessary documents and review those documents carefully to help minimize the need for continuances.
Continue reading – April issue of CITATIONS
Amber Rodriguez is the current chair of the executive committee for the Estate Planning and Probate Section of the Ventura County Bar Association. Her practice focuses on probate and trust litigation and administration, conservatorships and estate planning. You can reach Amber at arodriguez@estateattorneycalifornia.com
APRIL CLASSIFIEDS
April 1, 2012 By
OFFICE SPACE
Rent a piece of history – Beautifully restored Victorian home built in 1892. 5660 square ft. Ventura historical landmark No. 61. Two-story. 143 Figueroa Street, Old Town Ventura, 93001. Walk to beach, Ventura Mission and shops and restaurants on Main Street. Easy 101 freeway access. 16 executive offices plus reception area, three fireplaces, three conference rooms and two coffee areas. Wheelchair access. On-site parking. Rent all for $8900/mo or rent part. Call Don Parrish at (805)340-1204.
Tower office spaces available – Free Rent! Rare opening in suite 1180 in the “Tower,” Ventura County’s premier office address. “King’s Corner” office with great views as well as individual window offices available in multi-conference room, established full attorney Suite 1180. Full amenities available, including potential for overflow or start-up assistance. Great turnkey location for solo, small firm and mediators. Short-or long-terms. Best offers accepted! Call (805) 988-4848.
Office space available – Beautiful, historic turn-of-the-century law office building at Heritage Square in Downtown Oxnard. Rents range from $400 to $600 per month, depending on office size. Private parking available. If interested, please call (805)487-2000.
SEEKING EMPLOYMENT
Legal Assistant seeks job: My experience includes office management, calendaring, editing, drafting, filing, researching, writing demand letters through appeal for civil, family, criminal, and administrative law attorneys in the private and public sector. Please contact: Leah Adams, Leah. Adams072@yahoo.com; (805) 791-4373.
BET ON YOURSELF
March 30, 2012 By
By Jasmeen A. Ubhi
I’ve always wanted more in life. I spent my undergrad taking as many classes as I could, trying to figure myself out. I spent a considerable amount of time switching majors but I eventually narrowed myfocus to two majors: Psychology & Social Behavior and Criminology, Law & Society. Instead of choosing a major, I decided that I would just double major. During this time, I was working at a personal injury/workers compensation law firm where the lead attorney pushed me to take the LSAT. Having no desire to actually attend law school, I sat for the exam mostly just to appease my boss. After taking the exam, things just snowballed and I ended up applying to law school. Throughout law school I continued to work in the legal profession to gain more experience.
While awaiting bar results, I was hired by a healthcare financial management organization to assist in third party recovery. After I passed the bar, the president of the company offered me the position of in-house counsel. This was a huge task as I had to quickly learn the laws governing MediCare/Medi-Cal. I was lucky enough to have a wonderful paralegal who took me under his wing and showed me the ropes. Before
I knew it, I was preparing and facilitating resolutions for writs of mandamus on behalf of healthcare institutions. My roles and duties changed throughout my employment there but I still wanted more. After a couple of years, I started applying to various attorney positions but nothing seemed to fit. So I took the plunge and opened up my own workers compensation defense practice working for a small group of clients. I had some background in workers compensation from working as a legal assistant during law school, but had to learn a great deal on my own.
During my career as an attorney, I have had to rely on myself to learn the various nuances of the law. Honestly, you really do not know how strong you are until you push yourself. Being successful as a solo practitioner does not mean you have to work in a firm to “learn the ropes.” Law school does not have a residency program – unlike medical school – so we are pushed into the practice of law with little or no experience.
Jasmeen Ubhi just described her practice. Her office is in Simi Valley
jubhi.esq@gmail.com
Continue reading – April issue of CITATIONS
29th Annual Law Day 5K – Early Bird Entry Fee!!!
March 28, 2012 By
Proceeds benefiting the VLSP, Inc.
$2,000 in prize money!! Chip Timing, Awesome raffle prizes & more!!
Register online or print & mail registration form
Saturday, May 19, 2012 @ 8:30 AM
Ventura County Goverment Center
800 South Victoria Avenue, Ventura
Exec’s Dot…Dot…Dot…
March 23, 2012 By
I just knew I would miss some of the Super Lawyers out there. Each year, a Thomson Reuters business identifies thousands of outstanding lawyers in very small print and not by jurisdiction, but by area of practice. So my annual mea culpa to more than 30 Ventura County Super Lawyers, including prez-elect of the bar, Joel Mark, for leaving out their names. Word has it I may be able to keep my job. Don’t think I’ll attempt the list next year. Well done people!…Montana’s chief federal judge admitted March 1 that he forwarded an email comparing African-Americans to dogs and implying that President Barack Obama’s mother had sex with animals. Richard Cebull’s email, obtained by the Great Falls Tribune, read: “Normally I don’t send or forward a lot of these, but even by my standards, it was a bit touching. I want all of my friends to feel what I felt when I read this. Hope it touches your heart like it did mine.” A so-called joke then follows: [we are not going to repeat it hear.] Judge Cebull maintained he did not send the emails because it was racist, but because it was “anti-Obama”…Australia? Dan Higson at higsonatty@aol.com or 642.6405 and Katie Hause at katie.hause@baslawoffice.com or 525.7104…
There was a really excellent profile of Judge Ryan Wright in The Daily Journal March 12, check it out at www.dailyjournal.com… The Barristers’ Annual Darts Night held March 2 at Garman’s in Santa Paula brought in 40 throwing arms and $320 for the vlsp,inc. Thanks Amy Dilbeck for leading the charge and congrats John Dixon for bring home the First Place hardware and Katie Hause Runner-up!…A lawyer participating in suits against fourteen law schools has more ambitious plans in his quest to improve reporting of employment rates for graduates. New York lawyer David Anziska announced plans to sue 20 more schools. He hopes there will be more. “I truly believe that at the end of this process nearly every law school in the country will be sued.” Two of the targeted law schools – Pepperdine and American University – are ranked among the top 50 by U.S. News and World Report. The average debt load for graduates of the 20 targeted schools is $115,000… Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid’s attorney Kimberly Shean was recognized by the Ventura County Board of Supervisors for all her good works for the county, including establishing the drug court. She was honored in 2008 with the State Bar President’s Award for Pro Bono Service for her efforts with Santa Clara Valley Legal Aid…Costa Rica? David
Shain at 659.6800 or dshain@fcoplaw.com…
New admittee Stephen Wood has gone solo and may be reached at 202.9444 or Stephen@swoodlaw.com. He does Estate Planning & Probate – www.swoodlaw.com…Watch your peas and Qs!!! – The State Bar is peeved and heads are going to roll. Of the 65,000 lawyers who are eligible for MCLE audit during the last reporting period, the State Bar did indeed audit 1 percent, or 650. Of those 650, 95 were not altogether truthful about their reporting and fifteen are headed to the discipline machine. This has the Board of Governors fuming and we can expect more audits in the future, on-going warnings, and an increase of the number of CLE units back to 36, with plans for 45 or even 60. Keep your records on-hand and accurate… The proposed revisions to local court rules and revised forms for the Ventura County Superior Court are available for you consideration and recommendations. Go to the court’s website at www.ventura.courts.ca.gov and go to “What’s New.” Comments by April 27. Victoria Borjesson is in charge at 654.2965…
VCBA/VLSP, Inc. Emeritus Attorneys do lots more than volunteer for us. Fred Tschopp recently completed 28 hours and received his Certificate of Completion for Mediation Training from VCDS in cooperation with CSU Channel Islands. EA Carolyn Tulberg assists the “Spirit of Santa Paula” in providing services to the homeless and is responsible for assuring that the winter warming shelter has food and supplies. Carolyn is also a docent at the Santa Paula Art Museum. Not to be outdone, EA Pauline Zebker has been volunteering hundreds of hours for the past fifteen years as a docent at Community Memorial Hospital Auxiliary. The Auxiliary raised $105,000 this past year, which it gave to CMH to go towards the new hospital… Jasmeen Ubhi is going to resuscitate the Solo Section and would like a small core group to assist in their efforts. Please contact Jasmeen Ubhi at 813.8043 or juhbi.esq@gmail.com… In that same vein, Matt Bromund wants to start an Immigration Section, so if you’d like to help him, do so by contacting him at 650.1100 or mbromund@bromundlaw.com…
CITATIONS Editorial Board Greg May member is doing a story about lawyers who participate in extreme sports – yacht racing not included. He’s looking for attorneys to interview, so contact him at gmay@joneslester.com or 604.2655…On Feb. 23, James McDermott appeared on CNBC’s program “Filthy Rich”…Talented pal of mine with a JD but no license is desperately in need of employment. Any kind of work as she is $1,600 from being homeless as she cannot afford to pay the State Bar fee to retake the bar exam. She comes with fine references including two judges and a DDA. Call me at 650.2544 and thanks in advance.
“A Separation”
March 23, 2012 By
By Bill Paterson
“A Separation”, Iran’s Oscar entry for best foreign language film, is one of the most acclaimed films of the year. It is a brilliantly executed and morally complex tale chronicling what happens when otherwise decent people
are led astray by ingrained cultural norms and a stubborn refusal to consider any point of view but their own.
As the film opens, a couple are sitting side by side speaking to an unseen man in what passes for divorce court in present day Iran. Simin (Lelia Hatami) has obtained a visa to leave Iran, a country in which she sees no future for herself or her family. Her husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) refuses to either leave or to consent to a divorce, insisting he cannot abandon his father who has Alzheimer’s. They each have valid claims on the other. Life will
be better for the family outside the reign of the Mullahs, but how does one leave a terminally ill parent, and what effect will either of their choices have on their 12-year-old-daughter, Termeh (Sarina Farhadi)?
As the emotional temperature ratchets up, Simin and Nader set the stage for virtually every human interaction in the film. Compromise is spurned and shrill argument is the default discussion mode. The upshot is that Simin is refused a divorce and moves in with her parents, leaving Nader with his gravely incapacitated father and Termah.
Continue reading – March 2012 CITATIONS
Bill Paterson is Of Counsel at Ferguson Case Orr Paterson LLP in Ventura. He is an avid filmgoer.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR – BEWARE OF EMAIL SCAMS
March 23, 2012 By
Dear Editor:
BEWARE OF EMAIL SCAMS
Please be aware that there has been a recent surge of email scams directed at attorneys. I have received at least ten in the last two months and many more in the past year. Luckily, I was able to avoid these scams. As an example, I received one of these emails last week, and a follow-up today that were very convincing. They purported to be from Mazco Medical Healthcare for a case against Lincare Holdings. Both turn out to be real companies, but the case is fictitious. I found a fraud alert from a Canadian fraud blog. You can find the alert here: http://avoidaclaim.com/?p=3025 In my case, they tailored the email to indicate that the target company was based in Moorpark. These are not simple bot emails spamming attorneys found on the Internet. They are spending some time crafting details that could be convincing to local attorneys.
Please be careful as these scams can create great liability issues for attorneys and have already done so. Do you know if the State Bar or any other organization maintains any database regarding these scams to help attorneys ferret them out? If not, do you think it would be advisable and manageable for the Ventura County Bar Association to begin keeping such a database and posting them on the VCBA website? If so, I would be interested in helping organize and lead such an effort. These emails and phone calls are becoming a big problem in our community and could lead to serious problems for VCBA members.
Joshua A. Burt has a solo practice in Ventura. He advises clients about intellectual property and employment and handles civil litigation, including personal injury.