San Diego County Public Law Library E-Newsletter

Wireless Access Now At Main Library ABOUT WIRELESS ACCESS Wireless access for the public has finally arrived at the Main Library! Not only will wireless users be able to surf the internet without signing up for a patron computer, but they will also be able to access our electronic legal resources directly from their wireless device. As many of our long time supporters and users know, the Library subscribes to many electronic legal resources, including databases, e-books and e-journals, from a variety of legal information providers. Visit the electronic legal resources section of our Useful Links page to access these resources directly from your wireless laptop. Links to these resources are also available from our online catalog. Please review our Wireless Information page for additional information. Wireless access is available to all users of the Library, not just members. Service is available in the upper and lower reading rooms, the front lobby and in the conference room. Wireless service at the branches will be available later in the calendar year. WIRELESS SECURITY Our publicly available wireless network, like most wireless hot spots, is not secure. This means that other users could listen in to your conversation if you are not connected to a secure web site (where the padlock icon appears in your browser window), or when you are not connected via a virtual private network (connectivity option offered by some companies). Listening in on a conversation is not as easy as it sounds, however, it is possible and it does happen. The web is full of useful information about protecting yourself, but here are a couple of tips which are repeated often: (1) If the web site is not secure, then the information you are typing is not secure. This includes login names, passwords, account numbers, etc.... (2) Disable file & print sharing on your computer, unless you want to share your files with the unknown masses. (3) Use that firewall and make sure your anti-virus software is up to date.

2007 Witkin Award Winners Announced! We are pleased to announce this year's recipients of the Witkin Awards, which will be held on November 8, 2007 at the El Cortez, located at 702 Ash Street, San Diego, CA 92101. Each year, the Law Library Justice Foundation presents the Bernard E. Witkin, Esq. Award to honor members of the San Diego legal community for civic leadership and excellence in the teaching, practice, enactment, or adjudication of the law. This year, we are honoring four individuals with the creation of a new leadership category. The recipients are: - The Hon. David M. Gill, San Diego County Superior Court, Judicial category. - Marjorie Cohn, Professor of Law, Thomas Jefferson School of Law, Educator category. - Herbert J. Solomon, Partner, Solomon Ward Seidenwurm & Smith, Practitioner category. - Carol Lam, Senior Vice-President and Legal Counsel, Qualcomm, Inc., Leadership category.

The Honorable David M. Gill Judge David M. Gill is this year's Witkin award recipient in the Judicial category. He was first appointed to the San Diego Municipal Court by Governor Ronald Reagan in March 1974. In 1978, he was elected to the San Diego Superior Court, and reelected in subsequent elections. Judge Gill served as the criminal court supervising judge for a year in 1980. Prior to being appointed to the Bench, he worked in the City Attorney's office in 1963, the District Attorney's office from 1963-67, and was in private practice from 1967-74 as a partner with Harrington, Waddell, Gill & Briggs. Judge Gill was an Adjunct Professor at California Western School of Law for over 20 years. In 1990, he retired as a Colonel (AUS) after 35 years in the military, much of that time as a reserve officer. His longtime civic activities include work with San Diego-Imperial Council Boy Scouts of America, the Salvation Army, San Diego Armed Services YMCA, Goodwill Industries of San Diego, San Diego Inns of Court, and as a Master of the American Inns of Court. Judge Gill received his B.A. from Stanford University in 1956 (with distinction), his JD from Stanford University in 1959, and his L.L.M. from Georgetown University in 1962.

Marjorie Cohn Marjorie Cohn, Professor of Law at Thomas Jefferson School of Law and President of the National Lawyers Guild is this year's Witkin award recipient in the Educator category. Professor Cohn lectures throughout the world on international human rights and U.S. foreign policy. She serves as a news consultant for CBS News, legal analyst for Court TV, and also provides legal and political commentary on BBC, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, NPR and Pacifica Radio. Co-author of the book Cameras in the Courtroom: Television and the Pursuit of Justice, Professor Cohn's new book is Cowboy Republic: Six Ways the Bush Gang Has Defied the Law. She has published numerous articles in such journals as the Fordham Law Review, Hastings Law Journal and Virginia Journal of International Law, as well as The National Law Journal, Christian Science Monitor and Chicago Tribune. Professor Cohn is a contributing editor to Jurist, MWC News and Guild Practitioner and her weekly columns appear on AlterNet, Counterpunch, CommonDreams, HuffingtonPost, AfterDowningStreet, ZNet, and GlobalResearch, and are archived at http://www.marjoriecohn.com. She has been a criminal defense attorney at the trial and appellate levels for many years, and was staff counsel to the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board. Professor Cohn is the U.S. representative to the executive committee of the Association of American Jurists. The recipient of the San Diego County Bar Association's 2005 Service to Legal Education Award, Professor Cohn was recognized as one of San Diego's Top Attorneys in Academics for 2006. She sits on the Advisory Committee of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice at the University of San Diego and the Advisory Board for the Haywood Burns Memorial Fellowships for Social and Economic Justice, and serves on the Roster of Experts at the Institute for Public Accuracy. Professor Cohn was a legal observer in Iran on behalf of the International Association of Democratic Lawyers in 1978 and she has participated in delegations to Cuba, China and Yugoslavia. Professor Cohn received her B.A. from Stanford University and her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law.

Herbert J. Solomon Herbert J. Solomon is a partner at Solomon, Ward, Seidenwurm & Smith, and recipient of this year's Witkin award in the Practitioner category. He has extensive experience in various aspects of business and real estate transactions including loan workouts and restructurings. He provides a wide range of advice and counseling to both individual and business clients and assists clients in strategic and tactical business planning. Mr. Solomon served as president of a nationwide real estate development firm for seven years, headed a mortgage banking company, and also served as court-appointed Reorganization Trustee in a nationally prominent bankruptcy of a diversified real estate and insurance company. His extensive experience provides him with a unique understanding of the practical, as well as the legal, concerns of his clients. Mr. Solomon is a graduate of San Diego State University and UCLA Law School, where he was Associate Editor of the Law Review and was elected to membership in the Order of the Coif. He was selected as the UCLA Law School Alumnus of the Year in 1988, and he received the 2005 Distinguished Alumnus Award ("Monty"), from the College of Arts & Letters, San Diego State University. He is a member of the Council of Visitors of California Western School of Law and on the Dean's Advisory Council of San Diego State University College of Arts and Letters. He has also been a mediator in a variety of cases and subject matters for the past ten years. Mr. Solomon has served as Vice Chairman of the California State Bar Committee of Bar Examiners, Chairman of the City of San Diego Housing Commission, and President of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra Association, Hillel of San Diego, United Jewish Federation of San Diego County, and Jewish Community Foundation of San Diego County.

Carol Lam In February 2007, Carol Lam joined Qualcomm Inc. as senior vice president and legal counsel, managing and directing the company's litigation worldwide. She is this year's Witkin award recipient in the Leadership category. Carol Lam was appointed to San Diego Superior Court by Gov. Gray Davis in 2000, and was appointed as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California by President George W. Bush in 2002. She began her legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Irving R. Kaufman of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. She joined the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of California as an assistant U.S. Attorney in 1986, where she was chief of the Major Frauds section until her 2000 Superior Court appointment. She is an experienced trial lawyer who has litigated complex cases with national impact, and is the recipient of both the Director's Award for Superior Performance and the Attorney General's Award for Distinguished Service. Ms. Lam received her B.A. from Yale University in 1981 (cum laude) and her J.D. from Stanford Law School in 1985.

Craigslist Job Scam: Even Lawyers Are Not Immune Approximately 80 people, many of them attorneys, fell for a fake job ad listed on the popular Craigslist website. Not only did they spend two months researching information that was never to be used, but they willingly gave their supposed employer all of their personal data, including social security numbers and bank account information. All of the hired employees responded to an online ad for temporary work promising $14,000 a month for a extensive legal research project. They were even sent an employment contract and direct deposit forms to sign. The employees participated in telephone conferences with their colleagues and employer and spent countless hours researching European financial information. Many turned down other (legitimate) offers to work and some incurred expenses working on the project. Those that fell for the scam had one thing in common; they were all desperate for work and needed the money. As a result, they were willing to disregard their suspicions about their new employer's legitimacy, even when thoughts of identity theft seemed a likely consequence. So far, their identities have not been stolen, but they were never paid any money. Several people have since filed a suit against John McDonald (a.k.a. Gerald Edward) and his phony company Global Speculator/Alulim Willow Property Group, LLC, in Maryland's federal court claiming breach of contract, fraud/misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, Civil Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO), unlawful access to stored communications, and Maryland Consumer Protection Act violations. They are now awaiting a trial date.

Supreme Court Back In Session Each year, on the first Monday in October, the U.S. Supreme Court meets to begin their yearly term. During the last term we saw opinions issued on cases as wide ranging as desegregation, partial-birth abortion, and free speech. Every year our Constitution is interpreted and applied to novel situations that reflect the very direction of our society's progress. But what do you know about the history of The Supremes? To take a fun and informative quiz to test and inform you about the Supreme Court as well as other aspects of our legal system try http://www.abanet.org/yld/chooselaw/trivia.shtml Also, the Supreme Court website is chock full of useful information, such as opinions, briefs and oral argument transcripts.

Federal Court Hearing Transcripts Online The Judicial Conference of the United States voted to make it easier for both lawyers and the public to access federal court materials. The Judicial Conference is the main policy-making body for the federal courts. The plan is to put transcripts of district and bankruptcy court proceedings online. Most other federal case documents are already accessible remotely to computer users via PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records ). Transcripts will be available through PACER within 90 days of when they are delivered to the court clerk. Source: ABAJOURNAL.com Sept 18, 2007

Website of the Month: International Travel: Should I go there? The State Department issues travel warnings and recommends that Americans avoid traveling in certain countries. To see a list of current travel warnings go to: http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_1764.html For information on such matters as the health conditions, crime, unusual currency or entry requirements, any areas of instability, and the location of the U.S. embassy or consulate check out the consular information sheets at http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1765.html

Upcoming Classes for October & November Members of the public may sign up for these classes by calling (619) 531-3900. The Classes are free to Law Library members and are $5 for non-members. Participants may bring lunch. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. For a complete description of the classes, go to: http://www.sdcpll.org/calendar/calendar.html. All classes are at the Main library, unless otherwise noted. Wednesday, October 10th 3-4pm Using Onlaw* Friday, October 19th 12-1pm Using Lexis* Saturday, October 20th 2-3pm Law Made Public Tuesday, October 30th 12-1pm IDENTITY THEFT: Avoid Being a Victim* Guest Speaker, Special Agent Lamont Siller with the FBI South Bay Library: 500 Third Ave, Chula Vista CA 91910. Call 619-691-4929 to sign up and reserve a seat. Monday, November 5th 12-1pm Legal Research Using Free Websites* Wednesday, November 7th 12-1pm Foreclosure Scams & Predatory Lending* By Attorney John Brady Thursday, November 8th 12-1pm Using Westlaw* Friday, November 30th 3:30-4:30pm The Effective Use of California Legislative History* By Carolina Rose, Legislative Research, Inc. * MCLE Credit is available for these classes. The San Diego County Public Law Library is a State Bar approved MCLE provider.

New Books Added to The Collection The following is a selection of books or new editions recently added to our collection. Click on the titles to see the record in our online public access catalog. FORECLOSURES: DEFENSES, WORKOUTS, AND MORTGAGE SERVICING By John Rao, Odette Williamson, Tara Twomey; contributing authors, Carolyn L. Carter ... [et al.]. 2nd ed. Boston, MA: National Consumer Law Center, c2007. KF697.F6 R36 2007. Available at Main and North County. CHILD SUPPORT HANDBOOK By California Department of Child Support Services. Sacramento, Calif.: State of California, Dept. of Child Support Services, 2007. KFC133 .C56 2007. Available at Main. HOW TO PREPARE AND PRESENT A LABOR ARBITRATION CASE: STRATEGY AND TACTICS FOR ADVOCATES By Charles S. Loughran. 2nd ed. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs, 2006. KF3544 .L68 2006. Available at Main and North County. BASIC SKILLS FOR THE NEW ARBITRATOR By Allan H. Goodman. 2nd ed. Rockville, MD: Solomon Publications, 2004. KF9085.Z9 G66 2004. Available at Main and North County. LABOR RELATIONS By Arthur A. Sloane, Fred Witney. 12th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J. : Pearson/Prentice Hall, c2007. KF3408 .S56 2007. Available at Main. CALIFORNIA WILLS & TRUSTS FORMS By editorial consultants, John A. Hartog, Albert G. Handelman, James B. Ellis. New York, NY: Matthew Bender, 1991- KFC201 .C35 Forms. Available at Main. MEDICAL-LEGAL ASPECTS OF ALCOHOL By James C. Garriott ; contributing authors, William H. Anderson ... [et al.]. 4th ed. Tucson, AZ : Lawyers & Judges Pub. Co., c2003. RA1061.5 .M42 2003. Available at Main. CONN'S CURRENT THERAPY 2007 By Robert E. Rakel and Edward T. Bope. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders, 2007. RM121.5 .C66 2007. Available at Main.

Cartoon by Stu Rees Stu's Views are "Cartoons About Law and Lawyers." Stu Rees is a local entertainment lawyer who represents mostly visual arts creators.

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter! If you are a guest and would like to subscribe, please click here. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please see us online at www.sdcpll.org or visit us at one of our four locations. For more information, or to send comments about this newsletter, contact Gina S. Catalano, Senior Reference Librarian & Media Coordinator.