Presidential Candidates Hope for a Quiet Year
| Publication year | 2011 |
| Pages | 03 |
| Citation | Vol. 06 No. 2011 Pg. 03 |
CBJ - June 2011 #03. Presidential candidates hope for a quiet year
June 2011
Staff Writer
A renewed focus on discipline, regrouping after turbulent times, diversity, technology and better relations with staff and each other are just a few of the issues being raised by the four candidates for 2011-2012 president of the State Bar.
Third-year members James Aguirre of Los Angeles, Angela Davis of Los Angeles, Jon Streeter of San Francisco and Michael Tenenbaum of Thousand Oaks are seeking to succeed Bill Hebert of San Francisco as president of the 232,000-member bar. The election of the 87th president will be held July 22.
Why do you want to be president?
"The bar needs real leadership," said Tenenbaum, 42, who represents businesses in commercial litigation and arbitration. "I've been on the board for 2 1/2 years and I've seen a variety of leadership styles, from self-promotion and traveling around the country to political manipulation. The bar needs leadership in terms of its core mission - get the bad apples out of the bunch and don't harass lawyers who haven't done anything wrong."
"I believe that the bar is at a critical juncture in its long history and that we need to have a new era of collegiality on the board and stability in the leadership," said Jon Streeter, 54, a partner at Keker and Van Nest. "We've had a turbulent last couple of years and I very much want to bring about a calming of the waters," with a hard look at the discipline system.
"I think it will be a very challenging year in 2011 to 2012 and in all likelihood, the bar will be faced with some changes as well as challenges," said Angela Davis, 49, assistant U.S. attorney in the major frauds section. "I believe that the breadth of my experience, which includes service in the public as well as the private sector and extensive community involvement both within and beyond the legal profession, would enable me to communicate with the various interested parties and serve effectively as the bar's leader in what we know will be a challenging time."
"I think there are some things unique to my experience and background that I can bring to the position for the presidency," said Aguirre, 58, lead attorney for the law firm of Richardson and Fair and house counsel for the Automobile Club of Southern California. He cited 32 years as a lawyer...
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