Law Practice Management and Technology Section
News from the Section
Social Media: Balancing Benefits and Ethical Burdens
Tuesday, June 26, 2012, 12 p.m. - 1: p.m. Pacific Time.
1.0 Total Participatory MCLE Credits, all of which may be applied toward Ethics
With speaker Mari Frank.
Attorneys are using social media to communicate with other attorneys, clients, and the public. There are benefits, including educating the public, although there are ethical burdens regarding confidentiality, advertising, and competence. This program will show you how to balance your ethical duty with the new age communication.
Four important items participants will learn:
- The most ethical ways to communicate and educate clients and other attorneys.
- To build community involvement with other attorneys and learn from each other.
- Caveats of confidentiality in social media.
- How to deal with conflicts, avoid problems with ethical issues in advertising, and competence issues.
To register, see Social Media: Balancing Benefits and Ethical Burdens Law Practice Management & Technology Section or go to http://www.legalspan.com/calbar and select Tele-Seminars and Webinars.
Great Things Are Expected of You – How To Survive
This program is SOLD OUT.
The State Bar of California Law Practice Management & Technology Section and the Multicultural Bar Alliance present:
Great Things Are Expected of You – How To Survive
Two Hours of Special MCLE Credits for Free!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Skadden Arps
300 S Grand Ave #3400
Los Angeles, CA 90071
(Parking Flat Rate $11.30 after 5 pm)
Reception 6 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
MCLE (Limited to 50 people) 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Getting Into and Out of the Cycle of Substance Abuse
(1 hour of MCLE credit in Detection/Prevention of Substance Abuse)
Lawyering is widely recognized as one of the most demanding professions. Numerous studies have documented higher rates of substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and suicide among lawyers. Too many lawyers deal with the demands and stresses of lawyering by "self-medicating" themselves with alcohol, drugs, and other addictive behaviors. Learn healthy alternatives to self-medicating, the difficulties of acknowledging addiction, and what is necessary to overcome it.
Panelists: Jim Heiting, Esq., Past President, State Bar of California; Andrew Elowitt, Esq., New Actions
Managing Client Expectations
(1 hour of MCLE credit in Legal Ethics)
Many attorneys face State Bar disciplinary complaints primarily because they fail to address and manage the expectations of their clients. We will present selected issues of concern to clients, and issues that cause them to complain to the State Bar, and how you might deal with them in order to avoid complaints. Coincidentally, dealing successfully with clients’ expectations has multiple benefits: eliminates time and energy defending yourself before the State Bar, assures that your bills will be paid, on time and in full, a major issue in today’s economy, and less stress. Happier clients also become your advocates, thus reducing the need to market your services. These multiple benefits behoove us to pay more attention to our clients. Join us and learn how to improve your practice on all levels.
Panelist: Ed Poll, Esq., LawBiz® Management
Co-sponsor information
Multicultural Bar Alliance
The Multicultural Bar Alliance (MCBA) is a coalition of minority bar associations dedicated to the inclusion, empowerment and advancement of underrepresented groups and individuals in the legal profession. The purpose of the MCBA is to advocate and support the principles of equality, fairness and justice to improve the legal profession, our communities and our society.
The Multicultural Bar Alliance of Southern California (MCBA) is:
Arab American Lawyers Association of Southern California*Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Los Angeles County (APABA)*Asian Pacific American Women Lawyers Alliance (APAWLA)*Black Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (BWL)*Iranian American Lawyers Association (IALA)*Italian American Lawyers Association (IALA)*Japanese American Bar Association (JABA)*John M. Langston Bar Association*Korean American Bar Association (KABA)*Latina Lawyers Bar Association (LLBA)*Lesbian and Gay Lawyers Association (LGLA)*Mexican American Bar Association (MABA)*Philippine American Bar Association (PABA)*South Asian Bar Association of Southern California (SABA)*Southern California Chinese Lawyers Association (SCCLA)*Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles (WLALA)*and Associate Member, San Fernando Valley Bar Association (SFVBA)
Executive Committee News
(a) Special Advisors for 2011-2012.
Special advisors for 2011-2012 have been selected. The following persons, all of whom have served as voting members on the Executive Committee, will serve as special advisors for the coming year: Andrew Elowitt, Christele Demuro, Ed Poll, Gideon Grunfeld, Larry Meyer, Neil Quateman and Yvonne Waldron-Robinson, CCLS. We are pleased to have the guidance and experience of these members on the Executive Committee and appreciate the contributions that these members bring to the LPMT Section.
(b) Officers for 2011-2012.
The following Executive Members were elected to serve as officers for 2011-2012:
Chair: Will Hoffman
Vice Chair: Perry Segal
Secretary: Patty Miller
Treasurer: Cynthia Mascio, ACP, CAS
The officers will begin their one-year terms following the State Bar Annual meeting in September.
(c) Volunteers are Always Needed for the LPMT Section Executive Committee.
The deadline for applying to be a member of the LPMT Executive Committee for 2011-2012 has passed, and the applicants have been reviewed by the Executive Committee and the selection process continues with the Board of Trustees' approval. Even though this year's application deadline has passed, recruitment is an ongoing process to locate new members to serve on the LPMT Executive Committee.
LPMT Section members are also encouraged to participate in the Section by writing articles for The Bottom Line or eNews or presenting a webinar. Will Hoffman is chairing the committee to search for new Executive Committee members and looking for Section members who want to participate in a particular project. If you are interested in serving on the LPMT Executive Committee or offering your assistance, please contact Will at willhoffman@verizon.net.
(d) Executive Committee Members in the News.
- Perry Segal presented How to Lose an eDiscovery Case in 30 Days when the Inn of Court met on June 1, 2011. The steps you take in the first 30 days leading up to the initial "Meet & Confer" can make or break your case. This program discussed what to do before, during and after to keep you on track. For more information on the program, contact the Los Angeles County Bar Association at www.lacba.org.
- Special Advisor, Ed Poll, continues on the move -- he will be combining work and fun with a national tour, first going up the Pacific Coast and then east to New York and Boston. He will be visiting law schools and bar associations to talk about practice management issues. He will also take time to visit the many sites around our country. Follow Ed's travels on Facebook. He may be coming to a town near you! Follow his adventures on the LawBiz Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=logo#!/LawBizTour
- Paralegal Cynthia Mascio, ACP, CAS was recognized as part of the litigation team from Rutan & Tucker who scored an arbitration victory for Neurological Surgery Medical Associates. http://www.rutan.com/rutan--tucker-llp-scores-arbitration-victory-for-neurological-surgery-medical-associates-05-02-2011/
- Yvonne Waldron-Robinson, CCLS, was recently elected president of the Bay Area Legal Secretaries Forum (BALSF). BALSF is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing quality, continuing education for the legal community. Congratulations, Yvonne, and best wishes for your term as president.
- Derick Roselli spoke and moderated an all-day Electronic Discovery and Document Retention program for Lorman Education Services on May 24, 2011, in Orange County. Reference materials, Self Study CLE credit and citations from the experts John Izasa, Jonathan Hersey, George Hampton, Dan Rasumssen, and Derick Roselli are available here: http://www.lorman.com/bookstore/387418TMX
Members: Let us know what you are doing so we can include your activities and accomplishments in our next eNews.
Online CLE
Webinars presented by the LPMT Section are now available on the State Bar's Website in the Online CLE section.
The following webinars may be of interest to you:
Review the other LPMT programs presented by the Law Practice Management and Technology Section at the State Bar Annual Meetings and webinars which are also available through Online CLE.
NALA Affiliate Award Bestowed on Executive Committee Member
The National Association of Legal Assistants/Paralegals (NALA) has bestowed its NALA Affiliate Award on Cynthia Mascio, ACP, CAS. Cindy is a non-attorney/public member of the Executive Committee of LPMT and its current treasurer. The NALA Affiliate Award is given to paralegals who have demonstrated outstanding achievement in a NALA affiliated local paralegal association. Cindy belongs to the Orange County Paralegal Association. Congratulations, Cindy!
Do you, as a member of LPMT, have news of a recent achievement of yours we should know about? Let us know. We would love to hear from the members of LPMT! Email us at TheBottomLine@calbar.ca.gov.
State Bar News: Public Comment
Members of the State Bar and the public have an opportunity to submit written comments about issues before the Board of Trustees which affect the practice of law in California. These issues may include proposals such as amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct and ethics opinions. Do check this portion of the State Bar's website to see what amendments to the Rules of Professional Conduct and ethics opinions are being proposed. Let your voice be heard!
Now Available: The California Guide to Opening and Managing a Law Office
The California Guide to Opening and Managing a Law Office, newly written and published by the State Bar of California, is now available for purchase online. As a sole practitioner or the head of a small firm, you must act as so much more than just CEO; you must also wear the hats of Chief Financial Officer, Human Resources Director, Chief Technology Officer, and more. This is the guide, created by experts, to help you with all the roles you must undertake and tasks you must accomplish to make your practice flourish. See the Sections Bookstore for more details.
Contact Us
Law Practice Management and Technology Section
The State Bar of California
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-538-2520
FAX 415-538-2368
lpmt@calbar.ca.gov