October News- San Diego County Public Law Library

2003 Witkin Dinner a Success! On Sept. 17th, over 190 lawyers and judges of San Diego's legal community came together to honor three outstanding members of San Diego's legal community and to raise money for the Law Library at the Bernard E. Witkin, Esq., Awards Dinner. The Witkin Award recognizes and honors leaders of the San Diego legal community for "civic leadership and excellence in the teaching, practice, enactment, or adjudication of the law." Read about the winners, sponsors, and see the photos!

Time for Membership Renewals! As of Nov. 1st, members who have not renewed their annual dues will have their borrowing privileges suspended. If you'd like to pay your dues, are not sure whether you are a member, or if you'd like to become a member, please call Access Services at (619) 531-3900.

Shiver me Timbers! Subpoenas for Music Pirates! Ahoy cybercruisers! Have ye been pirating music from the Web (i.e. downloading music illegally)? The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) may have issued a subpoena for either your username or IP address! They are even suing 12 year olds! Check this database to see if you are going to be made to walk the plank!

New ABA Rule- Squealing on Financial Wrongdoing OK'd Back in August, the ABA House approved a rule that will allow lawyers to disclose client confidences to prevent crimes or frauds that result in financial losses. "We're talking about a client who uses you or attempts to use you as an accomplice in his dirty work," said incoming ABA President Dennis W. Archer during the debate on one of the measures. Too bad this wasn't in place during the Enron years!

Article Discusses Prosecutorial Misconduct in San Diego In September, the Center for Public Integrity published an article about the San Diego Prosecutor's Office as part of a series of articles about prosecutorial misconduct. Entitled "Changing an Office's Culture: In San Diego County, prosecutors have tried to do the right thing-but haven't always succeeded," the article discusses the history of the San Diego office and some of its most famous (or infamous) cases.

Closed for Columbus Day- Oct. 13th All locations of the San Diego County Public Law Library will be closed on Oct. 13th for Columbus Day. Locations will reopen Tuesday Oct. 14th with regular hours.

Oct. Cartoon- Party Animal? This cartoon is one of Stu's Views. These are cartoons by a local lawyer, geared for lawyers. Stu is an entertainment lawyer here in San Diego who represents mostly visual arts creators. As he says in his bio on his home page, "Stu is the lawyer for cartoonists and the cartoonist for lawyers." See other cartoons by Stu at www.stus.com.

A-List Law Firms Announced The American Lawyer's A-List of law firms for 2003 is out, and 18 San Diego firms are listed. These firms are either headquartered in San Diego here or have offices here. The rankings are based on four factors: revenue per lawyer, pro bono performance, associate satisfaction, and diversity of workforce. The top 20 firms make up the A-List. Firms with offices in San Diego that made the A-List are Latham & Watkins and Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe LLP. The top 50 firms listed are considered the honored top quarter. Firms with offices in San Diego that made the top 50 are Pillsbury Winthrop LLP and Cooley Godward LLP. Others on the list of the top 200 firms in the nation with offices in San Diego are: Foley & Lardner, Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP, Fish & Richardson, Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton LLP, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP, Cozen O'Connor, Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, Knobbe Martens Olson & Bear LLP, Baker & McKenzie, and Littler Mendelson PC.

Getting Hosed by the Triple Car Tax? Preserve Your Right to a Refund Gov. Davis has signed legislation that will triple the car tax effective Oct. 1, 2003. The California Department of Motor Vehicles has a frequently asked questions page relating to the Vehicle License Fee, such as whether you can make payments and if you can renew your registration before Oct. 1st to avoid the increase. However, the Howard Jarvis Taxpayer Association has filed a lawsuit alleging this increase is illegal and tells you how to make a claim for a refund providing their lawsuit is successful.

Legal Links- Oct. 2003 California Recall Cartoons- this is a collection of cartoons by various cartoonists (as if the whole situation isn't funny enough?) Fraud, Scams and Misinformation on the Web - Sure, everything seems to be on the web, but how do you know if it is authoritative or even current? This is a good article describing how to spot misinformation on the web and suggestions on how to verify information. Justia SEO - The Justia SEO Center provides free information for lawyers, law firm Web masters, marketing directors and marketing consultants on how to optimize a law firm Web site successfully to attract and obtain clients online. They have a free newsletter you can sign up for to help you make your website a winner!

Fines for Overdue Materials A gentle reminder: Remember that we are no longer deducting fines for overdue materials from your security deposit account. This means you need to clear your fines when you receive an invoice. If you have any questions, contact the Access Services Department at 619-531-3900.

Sign(s) of the Times By now we all know that we need to be prepared in case of nuclear blasts, biological or radiation threats, or explosions. The U.S. Government has decided to help by posting a web page with instructions on how to be prepared. Not wanting to exclude illiterate citizens, they have also designed emergency signs. However, many of the signs are bizarre or downright confusing. A discussion group of irreverant individuals has posted their interpretations of these signs. Warning- do not drink beverages while looking at this or they may end out coming out your nose.

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please visit us online at: http://www.sdcpll.org/. And come see us in person at one of our locations. For locations and hours please click here: http://www.sdcpll.org/location.htm. For more information contact: Amy Hale-Janeke ahale@sdcll.org Media Coordinator / Reference Librarian (619) 531-3900