Judge Goddard Virtual Brown Bag

On Thursday, April 30, the FBA San Diego Chapter held its first Brown Bag conducted virtually with San Diego’s newest U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison H. Goddard - who graciously spent an hour giving over 100 FBA members her perspectives after several months on the bench.  The FBA San Diego chapter is very appreciative of her time and willingness to speak to us on Zoom!  After an introduction from FBA-SD President David Finn, Judge Goddard introduced her staff – law clerks Hana Willard and Kathleen Mayer, along with her CRD Trina Lee.  Hana and Kathleen both gave their perspectives on their jobs as law clerks and best practices.  An important takeaway is to always check Judge Goddard’s Chamber’s Rules & Procedures found on the Court’s website here as those procedures are constantly updated.  As for criminal proceedings, CRD Trina Lee – who has been with the Court for over 20 years – asked that the parties make sure she receives plea agreements 48 hours in advance of the hearing.  Judge Goddard addressed the changing procedures under the COVID-19 emergency – see below for the State of the Court address on that held on May 1.