Southeast District Bar Association Member Bulletin SEBAMB Southeast District Bar Association and Lawyer Referral Service ISSUE 1 February 2013 This Month s Meeting Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Guest Speaker - Rodney Moss Avoiding Legal Malpractice Tracking Time and Client Communications Rodney Moss is the founding partner of the firm and has been a practicing trial lawyer for over 40 years. He received his Juris Doctorate degree from Loyola Law School where he was selected for membership in the St. Thomas More Law Honor Society. Mr. Moss is considered one of the premier trial lawyers in Southern California, having earned the highest rating (AV) by a national legal rating service. He concentrates on serious personal injury and wrongful death cases resulting from auto and truck and aviation accidents, medical malpractice, products liability, and has obtained verdicts and settlements in thousands of cases for millions of dollars. He researched and appeared on CBS' 60 Minutes segment on plastic surgical malpractice and has authored and published articles, and lectured, on subjects including Medical Malpractice in California and client communication, among others. Mr. Moss was honored to have been selected by The Daily Journal, in their Litigator Profile section. He is an active member of legal bar associations having been president and a current member of the Whittier Bar Association, member of the Southeast Bar Association, as well as the Consumer Attorneys of California, Consumer Attorneys of Los Angeles and the American Association of Justice whose National College of Advocacy has recognized him as "Advocate of Trial Advocacy". He also serves as a Mediator and Arbitrator for lawyers and litigants involving cases within his specialty. He gives generously of his time to his community. He was a recipient of the Consumer Attorneys of California Recognition as an Experienced "Trial Lawyer" in the fields of: Personal Injury, Products Liability, and Professional Liability Rio Hondo Country Club 10627 Old River School Road Downey, Ca 90242 Hosted Bar During Reception 5:30 pm * Reception/Cocktails 6:30 pm * Dinner/Program Members with RSVP $35.00 Non-Member $45.00 R.S.V.P. Required by 12 noon on Tuesday February 26, 2013 Contact Irma Puente for more information (562) 868-6787 or (562) 864-4713 HOSTED BY: Bretoi Law Firm and Jacobsma & Brau 1 Hour MCLE CREDIT ETHICS
2 PRESIDENT S MESSAGE What a great night we shared a few weeks ago as SEDBA celebrated its 50 th Installation and Awards Gala. Special thanks to our Dynamic Duo Masters of Ceremony, Del Hovden and Judge Maggie Bernal, for a job well done. It was a true pleasure to have Los Angeles District Attorney, Jackie Lacey, as our keynote speaker; she could not have been more gracious. We look forward to a long and close relationship with her such as we shared with her predecessor, Steve Cooley. (What a treat it was to hear from him that SEDBA was cool ) The success of the event was due in great part to the tireless effort and contributions of so many, including but not limited to: Irma Puente, Jack and Linda Bunnett, Charles Frisco, Jr., Maria Puente-Porras, Del Hovden, Judge Ana Maria Luna, Judge Yvonne Sanchez, and Jerry Turner. A heartfelt thank you for all your help. Congratulations to our well-deserved honorees: Attorney of the Year John (Jack) Bunnett, Judge of the Year Judge Raul Sahagun, and Judge John Torribio recipient of the Lifetime Judicial Achievement Award. And how fortunate we were to share the evening with Judge Charles Frisco and his family as we recognized our beloved senior Southeast District Bar President. Thank you for making me President. I am a product of the Southeast. I attended elementary school in Downey, Junior High School in Norwalk, and graduated from Santa Fe High School and Rio Hondo College. I have practice all my 23 years in the Southeast District. I was clerking for Charles R. Weldon, past president of SEDBA, when I passed the Bar. He took me to my first SEDBA meeting in 1991, and recommended that I become involved in the association. While raising my young family it seemed as though I was involved in almost every organization (Girl Scouts, PTA, church groups, Little League, AYSO, you name it) that I really didn t have a chance to devote much time to SEDBA. Fortunately as my children got older, that changed. Chuck would be happy. In preparing for this milestone installation I had a chance to look through old photos and nostalgic documents reflecting the history of the Southeast District Bar Association. We have garnered a reputation as having a unique camaraderie amongst our members, including those on the bench and bar. That special amity was clearly evident in the photos dating back throughout the years. But what was also patently clear was the commitment of its leadership to the Bar, the members, and the community. In 2012, President Jennifer Lumsdaine continued the legacy of dedicated leadership and direction; and I thank her for that. This year our Board and I are committed to increasing our membership attendance, enhancing the benefits of membership and bolstering the Lawyer Referral Service. In doing so, expect to see a new membership directory and a newly designed SEDBA website. Also, I am very excited to announce SEDBAs confirmation of a group reservation for special admission to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court Swearing-In Ceremony, June 15, 2015. Believe it or not, this is the first date we could secure. Details will be forthcoming. This year brings special challenges. We are faced with a crisis under-funding of our state court system; the Southeast District has been hit particularly hard. The closing of doors to our courthouses impedes access to our courts for all Americans: rich, poor and middle-class alike. As lawyers, we protect the interest of our clients but we must also protect the legal profession as well, because no one but us is going to do that. We also need to have fun. Our Board has lined up some outstanding speakers for our membership meetings as well as planned some really fun events. I invite you to keep a look out in the SEBAMB for the dates of these happenings. Thank you for this opportunity, Laila Havre Jacobsma
3 Events and Meetings are open to non-lawyers February 27, 2013 March 27, 2013 April 24, 2013 May 22, 2013 June 26, 2013 July 24, 2013 August 28, 2013 September 25, 2013 October 23, 2013 November 20, 2013 December 2013 Rodney Moss - Avoiding Legal Malprac tice Alan Saler - Mediation Advocacy State of the Court John Barnett Brian Panish Summer Mixer Randy Kramer Annual Poker Tournament Steve Cooley - Retired Los Angeles County DA Oktoberfest Judge s /Past President s Night Holiday Party 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 MEETINGS PER YEAR
4 SEBAMB-SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCEMENTS Admission to the United States Supreme Court Bar Washington, D.C. Monday, June 15, 2015 The Southeast District Bar Association is pleased to announce a unique opportunity for its members to become members of the Bar of the Supreme Court of the United States in open court on June 15, 2015. This is SEDBA s 2nd special admission to the Bar of the U.S. Supreme Court Swearing-In Ceremony. Qualifications for Open Court Admission Admittees must: Complete an Application for Admission to Practice. Have the endorsement of two sponsors who are members of the Supreme Court Bar who know the applicant personally and are not related to the applicant by blood or marriage. Obtain a Certificate of Good Standing from the presiding judge, clerk, or authorized official of the highest court of a State, Commonwealth, Territory or Possession, or of the District of Columbia evidencing the fact that the admittee has been a member of the Bar of such court for three years. All documentation including the Admission to Practice, Endorsements and Certificate of Good Standing must be collected and submitted as a single group. Due to the size of the courtroom, we are limited to 50 admittees, to be determined on a first-come, first-served basis. Each person being admitted to the Supreme Court may bring one guest into the Court to witness the ceremony. Additional guests could possibly be allowed in at the discretion of the Court, but this is not guaranteed. Further details about this exciting event will be forthcoming.
5 THE SOUTHEAST DISTRICT BAR ASSOCIATION & LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE WOULD LIKE TO THANK AND AKNOWLEDGE SPONSORS OF THE MONTH Jeff Bretoi ~ and ~ Paul D. Brau Laila Havre Jacobsma Jacobsma & Brau IT IS THROUGH THE GENEROSITY OF OUR SPONSORS THAT WE ENJOY THE HOSTED COCKTAIL HOUR AT OUR GENERAL MEETINGS To sponsor an upcoming meeting, please contact Irma at (562) 868 6787
6 2013 Bar Sustaining Firm Memberships Jacobs & Vega, PLC Robert F. Jacobs, Esq. Jay Chung, Esq. Lillian Vega Jacobs, Esq. Jacobsma & Brau Paul D. Brau, Esq. Jennifer C. Carter, Esq. Kim Bradley Jacobsma, Esq. Laila Havre Jacobsma, Esq. Jerry D. Turner, Esq. Law Office of Lawrence Rohlfing Young Cho, Esq. Lawrence D. Rohlfing, Esq. Steven G. Rosales, Esq. Denise Bourgeois Haley, Esq. Brain C. Shapiro, Esq. Cyrus Safa, Esq. Tredway Lumsdaine & Doyle, LLP Joseph Lumsdaine, Esq. Monique Goel, Esq. Jennifer Lumsdaine, Esq. Roy J. Jimenez, Esq. Bar Sustaining Membership David Ribeiro, Esq Thank you for your continued support and participation!!
7 5oth Annual Installation of Officers and Trustees Awards Gala Judge Raul Sahagun - Judge of the Year Judge John Torribio - Lifetime Judicial Achievement Award John A. Bunnett - Attorney of the Year Steve Cooley and Keynote Speaker, Jackie Lacey Masters of Ceremony Del Hovden & Judge Maggie Bernal Senior Past President -Judge Charles E. Frisco, Retired
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9 ANNOUNCEMENTS To view all the pictures from the 50th Annual Installation of Officers and Trustees Awards Gala please follow the directions below. Digital photos may be downloaded for free. Check with your credit card company to avoid IRS penalty Attorneys who accept credit card payments need to be aware of a change in the tax law change or face serious consequences. Section 6050w of the IRS tax code requires payment processors to report all settled payment card transactions. The purpose is to improve tax compliance by businesses that accept credit cards. But here s the catch for attorneys. If there s a mismatch between the lawyer or law firm s tax identification name and number and the information on file with the processor, a 28-percent withholding penalty kicks in. That means that the IRS will pull from the account 28 percent of the attorney s gross credit card sales for 2012. The law does not distinguish between credit card deposits made to a trust or IOLTA bank account and an attorney s operating account. For attorneys who have mismatched information, a 28-percent penalty could cause an overdraft in their IOLTA account, resulting in an ethical violation. The State Bar of California urges attorneys to check with their credit card processor to confirm that the tax ID name and number on file matches.
10 It s Not Too Late To Join SIGN UP TO JOIN THE LRS OR ENROLL IN MORE PANELS... IF YOU QUALIFY Bar Membership $125.00 Government Employee $75.00 Bar Membership and LRS ** $270.00 Membership to SEDBA and Lawyer Referral Service with 4 LRS panels Bar and LRS Sustaining Individual Membership $500.00 Membership to SEDBA and Lawyer Referral Service with 4 LRS panels 1 meeting ticket for each of 6 membership meetings for the year Listing in SEBAMB as a sustaining member Bar and LRS Sustaining Firm Membership $1,000.00 Membership to SEDBA and Lawyer Referral Service for all firm members with 4 LRS panels 2 meeting tickets for each of 6 membership meetings for the year Listing in SEBAMB as a sustaining firm member Reduced Rate Bar Membership For New Admitees 1st Year - No Fee 2nd Year - $50.00 3rd year - $75.00 You do NOT need to be an attorney to join the Southeast District Bar Associaition. **Your office must be within the Southeast District to be on the LRS Panel. As an LRS member, you are required to attend a minimum number of SEDBA General Bar Meetings for which MCLE credit is given. ATTORNEYS ARE NEEDED FOR ALL PRACTICE AREAS INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: Educational Law Juvenile Law Labor Law - Wrongful Termination, Harassment, etc. Identity Theft Consumer Law Business Law Banking Law Entertainment Law Military Law Administrative Law
11 MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Southeast District Bar Association is to enhance and serve the educational and professional needs of its membership, integrity of the profession, to encourage collegiality and interaction with the judiciary, and to provide access to legal service and the judicial system. 2013 Southeast District Bar 2013 Officers Association Board Laila Havre Jacobsma, President Diana Fukushima, President-Elect Jeff Bretoi, Vice President Maria Puente Porras, Secretary- Treasurer Jennifer Lumsdaine, Past President 2013 Trustees Tim Nilan Michael Cooper Jennifer C. Carter Jay Chung Charles E. Frisco Roy Jimenez Trevor Michel Cyrus Safa 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 PLEASE CONTACT OUR OFFICE FOR DETAILS IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ADVERTISE IN OUR MONTHLY NEWSLETTER. 12749 Norwalk Blvd., Ste. #107 Norwalk, Ca 90650 Phone: (562) 868-6787 Fax: (562) 864-7247 We re on the web! www.sedba.org