SEBAMB October 2014 SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN JUDGES & PAST PRESIDENTS NIGHT With Mario L. Trujillo, Charles E. Frisco, Jr., and Chris Frisco Wednesday, November 19, 2014 Thank you to our Sponsors Hosted Cocktail Hour: 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle, LLP Atkinson-Baker Eric Barter Bad Boys Bail Bonds John Rydell A Plus Appraisals Dinner/Program: Rio Hondo Event Center 10627 Old River School Road Downey, CA 90241 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm SEDBA Members w/rsvp: $45.00 Non-Members: $50.00 Judicial Officers Complimentary Past-Presidents Complimentary R.S.V.P. required by 12 noon on Tuesday, November 18, 2014 Contact Irma Puente for more information (562) 868-6787 Or (562) 864-4714 We welcome all attorneys, law students, Court staff, as all legal and non legal professionals
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN Good time were had by all at the 2014 Annual Randy Kramer Poker Tournament
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN First and foremost I want to thank our amazing speakers who presented during SEDBA s October meeting, Judge Peter Espinoza, Mario Trujillo and Lillian Vega Jacobs. These talents compromised an incredible panel on current criminal law issues from the perspective of the bench, prosecution and defense. Our November Meeting our Annual Judges and Past-President's Night is guaranteed to be equally captivating, however with a little less educational value and a lot more frivolity. We are excited to announce that Mario Trujillo and Chuch Frisco haves agreed to be our Masters of Ceremony with some roasting of the Judges by their soon-to-be colleague Chris Frisco. October and November are an important months for SEDBA as voting takes place for the 2015 Officers and Board of Trustees. While several members of the Board were unable to complete the 2014 year and a few others are unable to return due to other commitments, we are excited to have a couple of new nominees. Please be part of this important process and return your ballots by November 14, 2014. Please also keep an eye out for your 2015 Membership Applications which you will be receiving in the coming weeks. Due to increasing expenses, the cost for SEDBA provided MCLE meetings will be increasing next year but SEDBA Members will enjoy discounted meeting rates and special rates through our official court reporter sponsor, Atkinson Baker. LRS membership dues will also be increasing moderately and will now include pre-payment for tickets to three of the five required MCLE meetings at the discounted member rate. Planning is already underway for some great meetings and events in 2015. Be sure to get your Applications in early to receive an additional discount as well. Diana Fukushima President's Message LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 3
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN Events and General Meetings are open to all members and non-members November 14, 2014 November 19, 2014 December 2014 Deadline for receipt of ballots for election of 2015 SEDBA Board and Officers. Ballots must be in to the SEDBA Office. Judge's & Past President's Night Holiday Party - TBD Unless otherwise noted, General Meetings are held on the 4th Wednesday of the Month at: Rio Hondo Country Club 10627 Old River School Road Downey, CA 5:30 p.m. Social Hour 6:30 p.m. Dinner & Program LRS PANEL MEMBERS MUST ATTEND AT LEAST 5 SEDBA MCLE MEETINGS PER YEAR LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 4
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN PROBATE NOTES or IS THERE LIFE AFTER CONSOLIDATION? by Paul Jay Fukushima It has been over a year now since the branch probate departments(with the exception of Lancaster, which might as well be a different county, state or country given its distance from downtown Los Angeles) were consolidated and relocated to the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. I offer a few reflections as I contemplate heading north on Interstate 5 from Norwalk (a modern day Trail of Tears) to the Central District. Expect delays in all facets of your case: Setting of hearings: Except for hearings on a Petition for Probate, which by statute (PC Section 8003) must be set within 45 days after the petition is filed, the clerk is setting hearings 60 or more days after the petition is filed, depending on the department. Summary Judgment motions appear to be set out for hearing even further, perhaps to give the sole probate research/law and motion attorney time to review and analyze the pleading and the responses to same. Probate notes, which are prepared by a probate attorney or a probate examiner, are usually not posted online until two(2)days before the hearing. Before consolidation, the branch court departments had their notes prepared and posted a week or so before the hearing which provided an opportunity to prepare a supplement to address and hopefully clear the issues raised in the notes. With the shorter time frame in Central, there is a greater likelihood of the matter being continued to another hearing date. Some judges, not all, will review a supplement filed at the last minute, but others will not. At least you can request a continuance by email or try to clear a few issues by email. See the court s email guidelines and perimeters. Processing of Orders is taking longer. Gone are the days that an Order could be walked through court on the day of the LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 5
hearing. With the except of an Order Confirming Sale which the court will expedite, expect a delay of several weeks before an Order is signed. Obtaining certified copies will add to the turn around time. (You can still obtain certified copies of scanned documents at your local district branch). Long Calendars: Even with four courtrooms and eight bench officers (well, 7 bench officers since Judge Steele just retired), the calendars are long, so bring some homework (or an ipad) because the wait will be long. Lack of Continuity: There have been changes of judicial assignments. Bench officers have been elevated and moved to a different probate department or moved into the afternoon trial role from a morning calendar role or even out of the probate department entirely. Of the eight (8) judges who were in the probate department when consolidation occurred a little over a year ago, only three (3) will remain by year s end. Accordingly, assume that the judge who will be hearing your matter may have to be brought up to speed on your case because this might be the first time that he or she has seen the case. New Probate Attorneys. There are two (2) new probate attorneys with possibly a third being hired shortly. Brenda Penney, assistant supervising probate attorney, has been appointed commissioner and is sitting in Department 9. It may take some time before the new staff is comfortable in their new roles. The remarkable thing is that the system still functions (and occasionally well as demonstrated by the Sterling Trust litigation). Considering that each branch court had its own computer system which was different from the system used in Central it is amazing that cases continue to be processed. Of course, the court recognizes that the processing time is being dragged out as reflected by the status hearings being set almost 18 months out instead of 12 months. Rumor has it that a new computer system is being created to merger all of the systems and data. It will probably arrive and create havoc just about the time we all get used to the current system. LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 6
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN SPONSORS OF THE MONTH John Rydell A Plus Appraisals Thank you for your continued support and participation. To sponsor an upcoming meeting, please contact Irma at (562) 868-6786 LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 7
NOTICE TO ATTORNEYS Los Angeles Superior Court Public Information Office Website: www.lasuperiorcourt.org E-mail: PublicInfo@LASuperiorCourt.org Aug. 6, 2014 Online Court Reservation System Introduced at Norwalk Courthouse Effective Aug. 1, 2014, the Los Angeles Superior Court launched its real-time, online Court Reservation System (CRS) for unlimited civil Department SE-C at the Norwalk Courthouse, 12720 Norwalk Blvd., Norwalk. Parties will be required to reserve a date for law and motion in Department SE-C on the Court s website at www.lasuperiorcourt.org. Law and motion hearing dates can only be reserved via CRS, which will be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Parties will be charged the applicable motion filing fee and/or first paper fee at the time a reservation is made. Once the motion hearing date is reserved, the fees are nonrefundable. No additional fees will be charged to use CRS. After using CRS, the reserving party will receive an email notification (and optional text message) when A reservation is made; The Court has received and processed the motion; A reservation is rescheduled by the Court; or A reservation is canceled. Parties who do not have internet access or who are unable to use CRS should telephone the courtroom at 562-807-7245 between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. Use of CRS or its content does not supersede any statutes, rules, or policies and procedures related to motions or giving notice. This information, as well as instructions for using CRS and the user agreement is available on the Los Angeles Superior Court website, www.lasuperiorcourt.org. LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 8
THE FIRM OF TREDWAY, LUMSDAINE & DOYLE IS PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE NOTED LAWYER AND SEDBA PAST-PRESIDENT EUGENE M. SIEGEL AS OF COUNSEL TO THE FIRM Gene will continue his family law and general law practice from our firm s Downey Office, while having access to the other offices in Long Beach, Irvine and Beverly Hills. Tredway, Lumsdaine & Doyle, LLP www.tldlaw.com BEVERLY HILLS OFFICE DOWNEY OFFICE LA REGIONAL OFFICE OC REGIONAL 9595 Wilshire Boulevard 8141 East 2nd Street 3900 Kilroy Airport Way 1920 Main Street Suite 900 Suite 500 Suite 240 Suite 1000 Beverly Hills, CA 90212 Downey, CA 90241 Long Beach, CA 90806 Irvine, CA 92614 (310) 218-5312 (562) 923-0971 (877) 923-0971 (949) 756-0684 LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 9
Court Notice LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 10
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2014 Bar Sustaining Firm Memberships Jacobs & Vega, PLC Robert F. Jacobs, Esq. Jay Chung, Esq. Jacobsma & Brau Paul D. Brau, Esq. Jennifer C. Carter, Esq. Kim Bradley Jacobsma, Esq. Lillian Vega-Jacobs, Esq. Nicholas Ramirez, Esq. Laila Havre Jacobsma, Esq. Jerry D. Turner, Esq. Law Office of Lawrence Rohlfing Lawrence D. Rohlfing, Esq. Brian C. Shapiro, Esq. Young Cho, Esq. Monica Perales, Esq. Tredway Lumsdaine & Doyle LLP Joseph Lumsdaine, Esq. Del Hovden, Esq. Jennifer Lumsdaine Esq. Jeehyun Yoon, Esq. Denise Bourgeois Haley, Esq. Steven G. Rosales, Esq. Vijay Patel, Esq. Roy J. Jimenez, Esq. Eugene M. Siegel, Esq. Brian J. Ramsey, Esq. Brandon L. Fieldsted, Esq. Bar Sustaining Membership David Ribeiro, Esq. Thank you for your continued support and participation DON T FORGET TO RENEW YOUR BAR MEMBERSHIP LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 12
SEDBA'S Exclusive Court Reporter Firm LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 13
SEBAMB SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION MEMBER BULLETIN Know any self-represented litigants tired of navigating the legal system on their own? Have Them Contact The SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE Just $40 gets them a 30 minute consultation with an attorney who is: LOCAL. Attorneys who know and who are known by your Judge. LICENSED. Our members must be in good standing with the State Bar. EDUCATED. All attorneys on the LRS are required to attend continuing education courses to stay current on the law. EXPERIENCED. All attorneys on the LRS are pre-qualified to assure they are practiced in the area of law you need. Tell them to visit the LRS at: 12749 Norwalk Blvd., Suite 107 Norwalk CA 90650 (562) 868-6786 www.sedba.org The Southeast District Bar Association is a non-profit association of legal professionals serving Southeast Los Angeles County including Bellflower, Cerritos, Downey, Norwalk, Paramount, Santa Fe Springs, South Gate, Whittier, and surrounding cities. LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 14
SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION AND LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE 12749 Norwalk Blvd., Suite 107 Norwalk, CA 90650 (562) 868-6787 Fax (562) 862-7247 Irma@sedba.org The mission of the Southeast District Bar Association is to enhance and serve the educational and professional needs of its membership, to promote the integrity of the profession, to encourage collegiality and interaction with the judiciary, and to provide access to legal services and the judicial system. We re on the web! www.sedba.org The SEBAMB is a joint publication of the Southeast District Bar Association and the Lawyer Referral Service. The SEBAMB welcomes and encourages articles and letters from readers. Please send them to 12749 Norwalk Blvd., Suite 107, Norwalk, CA 90650. SEDBA and LRS reserves the right to edit articles and letters sent in for publication. All editorial material, including editorial comment, appearing herein represents the views of the respective authors and does not necessarily carry the endorsement of SEDBA, LRS or the Board of Trustees. Likewise, the publication of any advertisement is not to be construed as an endorsement of the product or service unless it is specifically stated in the ad that there is such approval or endorsement. 2014 Southeast District Bar Association Board of Trustees 2014 Officers Diana Fukushima, President Trevor Michels, President-Elect Maria Puente-Porras, Secretary-Treasurer Laila Havre Jacobsma, Past President 2014 Trustees Thomas Barclay John Bunnett Jennifer Carter Jay Chung Charles E. Frisco Paul Jay Fukushima Jennifer Lumsdaine Dennis Saab Timothy Nilan LA/350199-1 00997 SEBAMB Page 15