2018 Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards
| Publication year | 2018 |
| Author | THE HON. JOAN LUCCA, RETIRED |
THE HON. JOAN LUCCA, RETIRED
San Francisco, California
The Workers' Compensation Section of the California Lawyers Association is honoring six exceptional members of the community for their contributions to the workers' compensation system. The 2018 Steve Jimenez Memorial Special Recognition Awards will be presented at a reception on Friday, September 14, 2018, in conjunction with the CLA Annual Sections Meeting being held in San Diego.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Frank M. Brass
Retired Commissioner, WCAB
San Francisco, California
Francis (Frank) M. Brass retired earlier this year after serving as a commissioner for the WCAB since 2001. During his tenure he was instrumental in serving the workers' compensation community.
From 1952 to 1954, prior to receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of San Francisco School of Law, Frank Brass served as an infantryman in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge for his military service in Korea.
His storied career in workers' compensation spans over 40 years. After admission to the State Bar of California in 1966, he became a named partner in a series of workers' compensation defense firms, including Brass & Zuckerman, Luttringer & Brass, Greene & Brass, Brass & Luttringer, and Brennan & Brass. Before his appointment as a commissioner, he was a defense attorney with Parente & Christopher.
Retired Commissioner Brass is married to Sharlyne Palacio and has two sons.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Richard L. Newman
Retired Secretary and Deputy Commissioner, WCAB
San Francisco, California
Richard Newman was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and raised in Salt Lake City, Utah. He attended Hastings School of Law, receiving his Juris Doctor in 1981. When he retired in late 2017, after serving as the secretary and deputy commissioner for the WCAB, he had been in the employ of the State of California since 1991.
From 1995 to 2011 Richard Newman was a trial judge at the San Francisco District Office. In addition to his duties there, in 2005 he assisted the Administrative Director in drafting rules in the wake of a major legislative reform. From 2009 to 2011 he was Presiding Judge of the San Francisco District Office.
He held the position of Chief Judge of the Division of Workers' Compensation from 2011 to 2015. During his tenure as Chief Judge he reinstituted statewide judges' training, introduced CourtCall and videoconferencing, worked with the AD and the WCAB as project...
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