From the Section Chair

• Jurisdiction: California,United States
• Author: By Kathleen Brewer
• Citation: Vol. 30 No. 2
• Publication year: 2017

From the Section Chair

By Kathleen Brewer

Greetings, Litigation Section members!

As we've been broadcasting for months, the Litigation Section and the other 15 State Bar Sections, along with the California Young Lawyers Association, are excitedly preparing for our transformation into a private, independent entity. By now many of you have heard that Senate Bill 36 has passed through the California Senate to the Assembly. SB 36, the yearly "fee bill" that authorizes the State Bar to charge its annual membership fee, contains a special article that, if enacted, will formally separate the Sections from the State Bar. The Litigation Section is grateful to the Chairs of the Senate and Assembly Judiciary Committees for their attention to the separation issues and for their tremendous support for the work of the Sections. Be sure to track SB 36 as it moves through the legislative process.

Meanwhile, your Executive Committee continues its vigorous work of planning and delivering outstanding programs and publications to you. Our volunteers are teeming with ideas and plans for implementing them, and we welcome your participation. Visit our Section website for a list of standing committees, upcoming activities and meeting agendas, and contact me (brewerlawoffice@ icloud.com), our state bar coordinators (Mitch.Wood@calbar.ca.gov or Ana.Castillo@calbar.ca.gov) or one of our standing committee chairs if you would like to become involved in your Section's work.

Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame: Two 2017 Inductees! This year we will be inducting two tremendously accomplished trial lawyers into our Trial Lawyer Hall of Fame—Juanita Brooks with Fish & Richardson in San Diego, and Lawrence Wayte with McCormick Barstow in Fresno. Read about these two inspiring inductees on our Hall of Fame page. Our list of nominees was exceptionally impressive this year, and we thank all who submitted a nomination.

So You Want to Be a Judge, September 15, 2017, Los Angeles. We are excited to present this pathway to the bench program in conjunction with California Women Lawyers. The program will feature four dynamic panels on becoming a judge in California: becoming a state superior court judge, a federal district court judge, a superior court temporary judge or commissioner and a federal magistrate judge. All panelists are intimately familiar with the processes and will provide invaluable insight. Stay tuned to the Section website for registration information. Many thanks to Executive Committee member...