Law Library Newsletter - September 2008

Attorneys As Authors - Special Speaker Series Join us at the Main Law Library downtown for our 3rd Annual Attorneys As Authors Special Speaker Series, September 15-18, 2008. Hear interesting stories about the law from local judges and attorneys who have written on a variety of topics. *MCLE credit is available for each lecture. (SDCPLL is a State Bar of California approved MCLE provider) Monday, September 15, 2008 (12-1pm)*Wendy Patrick Mazzarella, Deputy District Attorney Reading People: How to Better Understand People & Predict Their Behavior - Anytime, Anyplace Tuesday, September 16, 2008 (12-1pm)*Prof. William J. Aceves, California Western School of Law The Anatomy of Torture: A Documentary History of Filartiga v. Pena-Irala Wednesday, September 17, 2008 (12-1pm)*Judge Norbert Ehrenfreund, Retired You Be the Judge: 20 True Crimes and Cases to Solve Thursday, September 18, 2008 (12-1pm)*Prof. Aaron Schwabach, Thomas Jefferson School of Law "Harry Potter and the Unforgivable Curses," chapter in The Law & Harry Potter Already have the book? Bring it with you. Authors will be available to sign previously-purchased copies of their books after their lectures. The lectures are FREE to Law Library members and $5 for non-members. Pre-registration is required. Please sign up by calling (619) 531-3900. Participants may bring lunch.

FREE Continuing Education of the Bar MCLE Webcast Join the San Diego County Public Law Library and CEB for a FREE MCLE Webcast* that includes 3 hours of general participatory MCLE credit and FREE lunch Wednesday, October 8, 2008 10:00am to 2:00pm San Diego County Public Law Library 1105 Front St., San Diego, CA 92101 CEB presents: MCLE Anytime Anywhere, an On Demand webcast presentation of: In The Courtroom: Learn from the Masters About What Really Matters at Trial Four of the nation's leading trial attorneys will discuss the lessons they have learned about what really matters in determining the outcome of a trial and share their techniques for: Selecting a jury Powerful opening statements Effective direct and cross examination of a witness Compelling closing arguments The do's and don'ts of the courtroom Golden nuggets of practical wisdom to avoid mishaps and land mines Best practices to achieve a winning result *Regular price for this On Demand webcast MCLE seminar is $259.00, but the first 50 attorneys and paralegals to enroll will attend FREE. Space is limited to 50 people and is ONLY available to attorneys and paralegals. Please contact SDCPLL at 619-531-3900 to register.

New Laws Increase Notice to Tenants of Foreclosure Proceedings to 60 Days As of July 8, 2008, California Code of Civil Procedure section 1161b requires that a tenant or subtenant living in rental housing at the time that the property is foreclosed upon must be given 60 days written notice before they may be removed from the property through eviction proceedings. This new law extends the old requirement of 30 days notice. Another new law, California Civil Code section 2924.8, requires that a notice be placed on residential property that is being sold at foreclosure. The notice is to inform any tenants that foreclosure proceedings have begun on the property, the foreclosure may affect the tenant's right to continue to live on the property, and the new owner must provide any tenants with a new lease or rental agreement or a 60-day eviction notice. As emergency measures, these new laws are in effect until January 1, 2013, at which time they will be repealed unless extended. To read more about foreclosure, visit this helpful website, Foreclosure in California, brought to you by LawHelpCalifornia.org, a project of the Public Interest Clearinghouse, and the State Bar of California.

FREE Legal Clinics in: Imperial Beach and Lemon Grove The San Diego Bar and the San Diego County Library partners with the San Diego County Public Law Library in offering "Lawyer @ Your Library" programs to public libraries. Imperial Beach A FREE legal clinic will be held on: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 -- 2:00pm - 4:00pm San Diego County Library Imperial Beach Branch 810 Imperial Beach Blvd. 619-424-6981 Lawyers will be available for FREE consultations on Employment Law issues only at the Imperial Beach location. Lemon Grove A FREE legal clinic will be held on: Tuesday, October 7, 2008 -- 3:00 pm - 5:00 pm San Diego County Library Lemon Grove Branch 8073 Broadway (619) 463-8919 Lawyers will be available for FREE consultations on Foreclosure, Bankruptcy and Credit Repair issues only at the Lemon Grove location. The consultation is to provide general legal advice and referrals only. Volunteer lawyers will not provide on-going representation. Consultations are given on a first come, first serve basis and will only be provided on the above issues.

Featured New Resource & New Materials Added to the Collection Our featured resource this month is: Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation in Corporate Bankruptcy This book, available only at the Main Branch, discusses two overlapping areas: bankruptcy and employee benefits law. The consequences that a bankruptcy can have on employee benefits and executive compensation may elude some employee benefits lawyers; similarly, corporate bankruptcy lawyers may not fully be aware of all the detailed information in ERISA and the Internal Revenue Code. Some topics covered include: compensation and benefit claims in bankruptcy; COBRA; health coverage tax credit; union matters and more. The authors are lawyers from the Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation practice at Jones Day. New Materials Added to the Collection The Law Library adds numerous new materials to its collection on an ongoing basis. To see new books added to the collection in the last month, CLICK HERE.

Astronaut Sally Ride is Guest Speaker at Law Library Fundraiser "Legal Roots" The Law Library Justice Foundation and the First San Diego Courthouse museum are hosting a "Legal Roots" fundraising event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Law Library's main branch building, the American Board of Trial Advocates and Law Day. The event will be held at the San Diego Air and Space Museum with special guest speaker, former NASA Astronaut Sally Ride, Ph.D. Dr. Ride, the first American woman in space, made her journey 25 years ago this year. The event will be hosted by Fox News Anchor Heather Myers. The festivities will be on Friday, October 10, 2008, from 5-9pm. Tickets are $125 per person for attorneys and the general public and $95 for paralegals and legal secretaries. Ticket price includes dinner, admission to the Air and Space Museum and its newest exhibit, "Star-Trek The Exhibition," music by the Jeff Carver band, comedic skit by the Bar News Alive group, and a silent auction. To RSVP or for more information, you may contact Joy Placek at 619-531-4449 or visit www.legalroots.com.

Upcoming Classes for September & October The classes are free to Law Library members and $5 for non-members. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. Please sign up for these classes by calling (619) 531-3900. Participants may bring lunch. All classes are held at the Main Branch. For a complete description of the classes and the most up-to-date information, visit SDCPLL's Calendar of Events. September Practical Legal Research Saturday, September 6th, 2-4 pm Elder Abuse: Top Ten Tips to Avoid Becoming a Victim Monday, September 8th, 12-1 pm The Elder Abuse class is free to Law Library Members and people over 60. $5 to nonmembers under 60. Using Westlaw* Monday, September 29th, 12-1 pm October Speed Writing for Lawyers* Monday, October 16th, 12-1 pm Using Lexis* Thursday, October 22nd, 12-1 pm Law made Public Saturday, October 25th, 2-3 pm Free Legal Websites* Monday, October 27th, 12-1 pm *MCLE Credit is available for these classes. The San Diego County Public Law Library is a State Bar approved MCLE provider.

2009 Witkin Award Recipients Announced The Law Library Justice Foundation of the San Diego County Public Law Library is pleased to announce this year's Witkin Award recipients in the following categories: Judicial: Justice Richard D. Huffman Educator: USD Legal Clinics Attorney: Milt Silverman, Esq. Leadership: Bonnie Dumanis, District Attorney San Diego County This month's e-newsletter profiles Richard D. Huffman, Associate Justice. Justice Huffman was appointed to the Fourth District Court of Appeal for the State of California by Governor George Deukmejian in October of 1998 following his tenure as a Judge of the Superior Court for San Diego County since April of 1985. Prior to his appointment, Justice Huffman served as Chief Deputy District Attorney for over 10 years and as Assistant District Attorney for the remainder of his 14 years service with the San Diego County District Attorney's Office. Justice Huffman was admitted to the State Bar of California in January 1966 following his graduation from USC. He began his legal career with the State Attorney General's Office. For three of his five years there, he headed the Attorney General's Special Prosecutions and Organized Crime Unit for Southern California. Justice Huffman also served in a cross-designated capacity as Special Assistant United States Attorney for the Southern and Central Districts, as well as being a member of the Federal Strike Force on Organized Crime in Los Angeles. His contributions to the administration of justice and his trial skills brought him four singular honors: "Outstanding Prosecutor of the Year" by the California District Attorneys Association, "Outstanding Public Lawyer" by the San Diego County Bar Association, "Prosecutor of the Year" by Citizens for Law and Order, and selection for membership in the American College of Trial Lawyers. He was also the recipient in 1988 of the San Diego Trial Lawyers Association's "Trial Judge of the Year Award." Next month will feature Award recipient "USD Legal Clinics".

From the Director - SDCPLL in the Community Welcome to my second article in the series about the collaboration between the Law Library, other legal services providers, local businesses, and other libraries for the betterment of our community. Assistant Director, Public Services, Victoria Williamson and I attended a meeting with the San Diego County Bar Association to explore opportunities to partner on the first San Diego "Wills for Heroes" event. "Wills for Heroes" is a program created in the aftermath of 9/11 to encourage attorneys to volunteer to provide free wills and trusts to our "first line responders"- police and fire fighters. We look forward to having an opportunity to participate in this wonderful program. More information will be forthcoming. Trustees Maria Palmieri and Rick Wildman of the San Diego Law Library Justice Foundation and I attended a grant workshop at Qualcomm, Inc., to further the Library's relationship with the company. Don Sullivan of Qualcomm already serves on the LLJF Board. Gina Catalano, Head of Reference Services, and I gave a presentation at this week's meeting of the SDCBA's Solo Practitioners & Small Firms practice session at the Bar Cafeteria. Almost 20 members of the section attended the meeting. The focus of the program was how to access the Library's resources remotely. Gina demonstrated how to use such tools as our online catalog, the research guides, e-reference services, and Index Master. We hope that a link from the section's website to the Library's website will be available shortly. As a next step, we'd like to invite the group for a tour of our Library and an opportunity to try our free in-house databases. I'd like to thank section Chair Joe Mandour for inviting us to make the presentation. USD Law School has created a draft DVD for us on Kern County's "Your Day in Court" model. The DVD, localized for use in San Diego County, provides tips on how to navigate the court system, and can be very helpful, particularly for those using the courts for the first time. Once the DVD has been finalized, we will make it available in the Library. Thanks to Margaret Dalton at USD for making this happen!

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.

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