San Diego FBA July Update
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Trivia: Which beloved children’s author became a pillar of the San Diego arts community after buying an old observation tower on Mount Soledad and building a house around it?
Federal Leaders in the Spotlight: Tara McGrath & Kasha Castillo
This month, San Diego FBA is honored to feature two distinguished leaders in San Diego's federal legal community. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of California Tara K. McGrath and Federal Defenders of San Diego, Inc. Executive Director Kasha Castillo share their inspiring journeys to their current roles in these member spotlights.
Upcoming San Diego FBA Events
Tuesday, August 27 from 12 to 1 p.m.
Zoom Webinar
Learn about opportunities for pro bono service in the San Diego community supporting survivors of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in this year's presentation on the Pro Bono Work to Empower and Representation ("POWER") Act. This event is presented by San Diego FBA and the Southern District of California Lawyer Representatives.
Cost: Free
CLE: 1 hour of General CLE credit
Nominations due by July 31
The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California is seeking nominations for the annual Hon. David H. Bartick Award for Civility and Professionalism. This award recognizes an individual who has demonstrated civility and professionalism in her or his practice of law.
The 2024 Bartick Award recipient will be announced at the State of the District on September 19 at the Westin Gaslamp.
Co-Sponsored
Wednesday, July 31 from 12 to 1 p.m.
Hybrid | 402 West Broadway Suite 1600 & Via Zoom
Panelists Jennifer Feldman of DLA Piper, Sidra Zaheer of Klinedinst, and Lea Bays of Robbins Geller Rudman and Dowd will discuss making partner through an unconventional career path. In person attendees at Wilson Turner Kosmo will enjoy lunch sponsored by HireCounsel, and those who wish to attend the seminar from their desks can enjoy the panel virtually.
Cost: Free
Save the Date
2024 State of the District and Bartick Award Luncheon
September 19 from 12 to 1:30 p.m.
Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter
Join us for updates regarding the operation of the Court from the District Court, the Magistrate Judges, the Bankruptcy Court, and the Ninth Circuit. Then join us in celebrating this year's recipient of the David H. Bartick Award for Civility and Professionalism.
Monday, September 30 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Lomas Santa Fe Country Club
1505 Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach, CA
Registration is open for the Foundation's annual fundraiser benefiting Just the Beginning, a pipeline organization benefiting local law students; National Conflict Resolution Center's Thrive Program, which helps post-criminal diversion program juveniles thrive; the Peter J. Mazza Endowment; and Federal Public Interest Law Bar Study Stipends. Join us for golf, pickleball, and/or dinner. Sponsorships are also available. Please email sdfedbarfoundation@gmail.com for more information.
Wednesday, October 16 from 12 to 5 p.m.
Westin San Diego Gaslamp Quarter
San Diego FBA and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California are pleased to present the Judith N. Keep Federal Practice Seminar. This year we will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the Keep Seminar and feature welcome remarks, a special video tribute to Judge Keep, a keynote address from Administrative Presiding Justice Judith McConnell of the California Court of Appeal, and panel presentations by several Southern District of California District Judges and Magistrate Judges. The panels will focus on various aspects of pretrial and trial practice, including civility and ethics in high-stakes litigation, best practices for mediation before Magistrate Judges, motion practice in federal court, and evidentiary rules at trial.
Rewind: Event Highlights
Planning Your Trade Secret Case: Takeaways from San Diego FBA’s June 2024 Event
At Jones Day’s San Diego office in La Jolla, over 50 legal professionals from around San Diego gathered to learn about the ins-and-outs of trade secret practice in federal court on June 20, 2024. Through an interactive discussion, the panelists addressed a variety of engaging topics relating to trade secret law. Read the full event recap here.
Courtroom Conversation with U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve Chu
U.S. Magistrate Judge Steve B. Chu and his Chambers’ staff shared insight and guidance with members of the legal community who gathered in his courtroom in July. Read all about the event here.
Did You Know? Alabama holds the title for the longest state constitution. The Alabama state constitution has been amended more than 900 times and is almost 390,000 words long.
Community & National Updates:
The Southern District of California is now accepting applications for new Lawyer Representatives. Applications must be submitted by August 16. Find the selection procedures here.
Capitol Hill is known for being a bastion for lawyers, but there are some legal jobs on the Hill that you may not be aware of. On July 25 from 9 to 10 a.m., Hear about these positions from the attorneys who occupy them and learn about how they obtained their positions and what they do on a day-to-day basis. This webinar is part of the 2024 Summer Law Clerk Program.
On August 1 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., Amy Howe will break down the Supreme Court’s historic decisions in the 2023-24 term. Amy has a blog: Howe on the Court, and is an independent contractor and reporter for SCOTUSblog, a website devoted to coverage of the U.S. Supreme Court. Amy has previously been an editor and reporter for SCOTUSblog, argued before the U.S. Supreme Court, served as counsel in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, and taught U.S. Supreme Court litigation at both Stanford Law School and Harvard Law School.
Richard Harpootlian and Roberta Kaplan, two experienced trial attorneys, will address jury selection in media-intensive cases on August 21 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. This webinar will assist lawyers who have never tried a media-intensive case in preparing for their first voir dire when they do eventually try one. In addition, all lawyers who try cases and pick juries will learn how to utilize principles and lessons learned for jury selection as well as more about the trial process itself.
This qui tam program on September 11 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. will focus on who the parties to qui tam actions are and will include an advanced discussion of how the inclusion or exclusion of certain parties affects qui tam cases. Among other topics, this program will discuss the pros and cons of adding individuals as defendants, states as plaintiffs, and a deep dive into issues relating to private equity firms as defendants. The program will also include discussions relating to multiple qui tam actions and partial intervention scenarios, among others. The program will include panelists and perspectives in an interactive format from counsel for relators, the defense, and the federal government.
Answer: Theodor Geisel, aka “Dr. Seuss”
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