Barristers February meeting will be at Winchesters at 5:00 p.m. followed by our Thirsty Thursday.

Hope to see you there!

Barristers Mentor Questionnaire 2013 Barristers Mentee Application 2013

The following slate has been nominated to serve as the 2013 Barristers Board:

Rennee Dehesa – President

Rachel Coleman – Vice President

Amy Kiesewetter – Treasurer

Tom Adams – Secretary

Robert S. Krimmer – Past President

Katie Hause – Member at Large

Josh Hopstone – Member at Large

Brier Miron – Member at Large

Melanie Murphy – Member at Large

Andrew Reid – Member at Large

Any qualifying member of the Ventura County Bar Association may nominate him or herself to serve as one of the above-listed Barristers Board positions. A qualifying member is a member of the Ventura County Bar Association who on December 31, 2012 meets at least one of the following criteria:

• Under the age of thirty-six; or
• Has been admitted to practice for a period of seven years or fewer; or
• Has been in practice for a total of seven years or fewer.

 Nominations must be sent by the nominee to steve@vcba.org, and received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, December 14, 2012.

By Amy R. Dilbeck

The Barristers hosted their first Trivia Night at Garman’s Pub in Santa Paulain June, raising $400 for the Volunteer Lawyer Services Program, and stumping some of the best and brightest attorneys in town, including a prime selection of local judges in the team affectionately named “Judicial Counsel.” Participation was exuberant, and facial expressions were priceless. These brainy attorneys battled it out for four rounds of ten questions each. John and Sue Mathews and Tony and Kathy Trembley, the dynamic foursome known as the “Steelheads,” were declared the victors, earning a score of 20 questions answered correctly out of the 40 asked. Think you could have done better? See if you can answer the following actual questions from Trivia Night:

1. Which military rank does James Bond hold?

2. This item is made from thermoplastic paper and the manila hemp used to make rope and is designed to withstand boiling water, what is it?

3. John Jay, John Marshall, Roger B.Taney, and Salmon P. Chase were all chief justices of the U.S. Supreme Court. What other distinction did they share?

*Answers in the 2012 August issue of CITATIONS – Page 6*

The next Trivia Night is tentatively scheduled for October, so make sure to mark your calendars, and start watching more Alex Trebek!

Amy Dilbeck is an associate at the Strauss Law Group inVentura, handling estate planning.

All Attorneys, Judges/Justices, Friends and Families Are Invited to the Sixth Annual Barristers Bowling Night

Thursday, July 19, 2012
Registration starts at 5:00 pm
Bowling starts at 6:00 pm

HARLEY’S BOWLING CENTER (305 Arneill Road, Camarillo, CA 93010)

Please RSVP by Thursday, July 12, 2012. Call VCBA at (805) 650-7599 or email bar@vcba.org
Fee: $10.00 per bowler

Our sponsors will be covering 100% of the cost of this event so that 100% of your $10.00 per bowler fee will be donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties.

Ventura County Bar Association Barrister Invite all Attorneys & Judges to attend the:
Barristers’ Annual Dart Night
Friday, March 2, 2012 at 5:30 pm
at
Garman’s Restaurant & Irish Pub 932 E. Main St. Santa Paula, CA

By Christina Stokholm

My term as Barristers’ President is at an end.  What fun we had in 2011! And we helped some people along the way, too. Our 2011 activities included Barristers’ Build Day with Habitat for Humanity; our annual darts tournament; our 3-on-3 basketball tournament, which raised money for the local YMCA; our bowling night, which raised money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation; and Judges’ Pizza Night, through which we raised money and recruited volunteers to serve Thanksgiving dinner to the local homeless. Also in 2011, the Barristers launched a series of self-help nights at the TransitionalLivingCenterin Ventura, where we assisted indigent residents who need access to our courts. It has been an honor to work with the other Barristers board members and the numerous others who have always support our group. I especially want to thank outgoing VCBA President Joe Strohman, Presiding Judge Vince O’Neill and VCBA Executive Director Steve Henderson, for their overwhelming support of Barristers events.  Now, Barristers, get ready for even more fun as the amazing, multi-talented Bob Krimmer steps in as 2012 Barristers President!

Chrstina Stokholm is an associate in the Camarillo-based Law Offices of Mark R. Pachowicz, where she practices primarily in the areas of criminal defense, business law, and civil litigation.

By Rachel Coleman

Captain William Finley from the Salvation Army reported that over 600 people are expected at this year’s “One City One Meal” event to be held on Thanksgiving Day at the Ventura County Fairgrounds from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. According to Finley, “the purpose of ‘One City One Meal’ is not only to feed the homeless and needy but also to unite different people from all different walks of life by sitting down together and sharing their life experiences over a meal.” He encourages anyone interested in attending the dinner to host a table. For example, someone like a city council member, local attorney or local business

owner can help less fortunate people just by sitting down together over a meal and sharing their experiences in overcoming difficult situations and offer much needed moral support. Not to mention that these types of contacts often result in job and housing opportunities for needy people in attendance.

Finley estimates that this year’s “One City One Meal” will cost the Salvation Army $3,500 to $4,000. The group is able to keep down the costs with donations from local businesses and local residents. The Salvation Army still needs over $2,000 to meet its goal for the event this year.
 
In addition to the Thanksgiving meal, the Salvation Army sponsors a food pantry year round which is always in need of supplies and donations. The food pantry feeds over 400 households per month. The food pantry supplies local homeless, needy families and families living in downtown hotels with living in downtown hotels with weekly boxes of food and various items such as soap, shampoo, and diapers.

The Salvation Army supplies over 400 families each year with toys for the children at Christmas time. The Salvation Army also collects much-needed donations to support its programs through the “Christmas

Kettle” campaign. Also featured during the holidays is the “Adopt a Family Project,” which fosters long term relationships with families to provide them with specific items or assistance on a case-by-case basis. For example, a father may need a new suit in order to go on job interviews or a pair of new shoes, or an adoptee may have employment or a housing opportunity to offer an adoptive family member.

The Salvation Army also provides housing to nine families and nine single women at its facilities on Oak Street in Ventura, as well as off-site housing. Finley reports the average stay at the Oak Street facility is twelve to fourteen months. The residents are provided three meals per day made in the on-site commercial kitchen. Families are provided their own private room which includes beds, bedding and a private bathroom and shower.

Residents are required to attend two counseling groups per week. The Salvation Army provides drug and alcohol counseling, therapy, and parenting classes. Finley pioneered a new twelve-week financial planning class which provides residents information on how to make long-term financial plans and how to manage their finances. In his experience, “the main reason for homelessness is the inability of people to appropriately manage the finances that they do have available. Teaching the residents to manage their finances appropriately and encouraging the residents to save up to 50% of their adjusted income while residing at the facility will result in fewer families returning to the facilities or the streets.”

 Anyone interested in making a donation to the Salvation Army, hosting a table at “One City One Meal” or serving Thanksgiving Dinner should contact Captain Finley at William.finley@usw.salvationarmy.org.

Rachel Coleman is an associate at DK Law Group in Oxnard and a member of CITATIONS’ editorial board.

 ATTENTION BARRISTERS:  The following candidates are being proposed to serve on the Barristers Board for 2012:

Robert S. Krimmer, President
Mathew M. Purcell, Vice President
Rachel Coleman, Secretary
Rennee R. Dehesa, Treasurer
Christina S. Stokholm, Past-President
Tom Adams, Member-at-Large
Amy R. Dilbeck, Member-at-Large
Katherine T. Hause, Member-at-Large
Joshua Hopstone, Member-at-Large
Chris Kunke, Member-at-Large
Brier K. Miron, Member-at-Large
Melanie J. Murphy, Member-at-Large
Kathryn Pietrolungo, Member-at-Large
Jon Schwalbach, Member-at-Large
Jaclyn Smith, Member-at-Large 

To vote in this election, click here to print the ballot, fill it out, and return it to the VCBA office by December 15, 2011.

Only Barristers may vote.  A Barrister is defined as any member of the Ventura County Bar Association who is: (1) under age 36; OR (2) has been admitted to practice law for seven years or fewer; OR (3) has been in practice for a total of seven years of fewer.