November 2008 Newsletter

November Library CLOSURES All branches of the Law Library will be CLOSED on Tuesday, Nov. 11th in observance of Veterans Day. Normal hours of operation will resume on Wednesday the 12th. All branches of the Law Library also will be CLOSED on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 27th, 28th and 29th in observance of Thanksgiving. Normal hours of operation will resume on Monday, December 1st. Share this item with a friend!

Minimum Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) Compliance Deadline The deadline for MCLE compliance for attorneys with last names beginning with the letters H-M is February 1, 2009. These attorneys are required to submit a compliance card to the State Bar to verify that they have complied with their MCLE requirement. To meet the MCLE "Regular" Requirement, attorneys need to take 25 hours of MCLE, of which a maximum of 12.5 hours can be "self-study". At least one half of the MCLE requirement must be fulfilled by activities approved for "participatory" credit. Of the 25 hours required, 4 hours must cover Legal Ethics, 1 hour must cover Substance Abuse, and 1 hour must cover Elimination of Bias in the Legal Profession. To help our attorney members meet the compliance deadline, the San Diego County Public Law Library will expand the number of participatory MCLE classes offered throughout December and January. As a benefit of membership, these classes are FREE and open ONLY to our attorney and paralegal members. Visit our Calendar of Events and Special Events pages regularly for updates on classes, or visit one of our branches to check out our self-study MCLE materials. Share this item with a friend!

Upcoming Classes for November & December All classes are held at the Main Branch, unless otherwise stated. For a complete description of the classes and the most up-to-date information, visit SDCPLL's Calendar of Events. The classes are free to Law Library members and $5 for non-members. Pre-registration is required, as seating is limited. Please sign up for these classes by calling (619) 531-3900. Participants may bring lunch. November Using CEB OnLaw* Friday, November 7th, 12:00-1:00pm North County Branch, Vista Court Complex 325 S. Melrose Dr., Ste. 300 (next to Traffic building) 760-940-4386 Lien on Me: Mechanics Liens Basics* Tuesday, November 10th, 12:00-1:00pm Ronald Noya, Esq. Free Legal Clinics, Wednesday, November 12th, 1:00-3:00pm USD Law School faculty Focus On Forms* Friday, November 14th, 12:00-1:00pm Practical Legal Research Saturday, November 15th, 2:00-4:00pm Free Legal Clinics, Wednesday, November 26th, 1:00-3:00pm USD Law School faculty December Speed Writing* Tuesday, December 9th, 12:00-1:00pm Randall Christison South Bay Branch, South Bay Regional Center 500 Third Ave. Ste. 150, Chula Vista (inside the courthouse) 619-691-4929 The following December classes are open to our Attorney and Paralegal members ONLY Main Branch Appellate Practice* Thursday, December 4th, 12:00-1:00pm Randall Christison 1 hour General Participatory credit Successful Client Relations* Monday, December 8th, 12:00-1:00pm Wendy Patrick Mazzarella, Deputy District Attorney 1 hour General Participatory credit Ethics* Tuesday, December 9th, 12:00-1:00pm David Cameron Carr Esq. 1 hour Ethics Participatory credit Why Mediation Works & What Works Well at Mediation* Wednesday, December 10th, 12:00-1:00pm Lawrence A. Huerta, Esq. 1 hour General Participatory credit The Increasing Obstacles for Illegal Aliens* Friday, December 12th, 12:00-1:00pm Jonathan D. Montag, Esq. 1 hour General Participatory credit Powerful Trial Techniques* Wednesday, December 17th, 2:00-5:30pm DVD - 3.5 hours General Participatory credit Elimination of Bias: Age Discrimination in Law Firms* Friday, December 19th, 3:30-4:30pm DVD - 1 hour Bias Participatory credit Electronic and Computer Generated Evidence: Admissibility* Monday, December 29th, 1:30-5:30pm DVD - 4 hours General Participatory credit North County Branch Defining Substance Abuse* Monday, December 1st, 12:00-1:00pm DVD - 1 hour Substance Abuse Participatory credit Ethics: Useful suggestions for handling common dilemmas: PART ONE* Wednesday, December 10th, 12:00-2:00pm DVD - 2 hours Ethics Participatory credit Ethics: Useful suggestions for handling common dilemmas: PART TWO* Tuesday, December 16th, 12:00-2:00pm DVD - 2 hours Ethics Participatory credit Bias Elimination in the Legal Profession* Thursday, December 18th, 12:00-1:00pm DVD - 1 hour Bias Participatory credit Elimination of Bias: Age Discrimination in Law Firms* Monday, December 29th, 12:00-1:00pm DVD - 1 hour Bias Participatory credit *MCLE Participatory Credit hour(s)available for these classes. The San Diego County Public Law Library is a State Bar approved MCLE provider. Share this item with a friend!

Featured New Resource & New Materials Added to the Collection Our featured resource this month is: Nonprofit Meetings, Minutes & Records: How to Run Your Nonprofit Corporation So You Don't Run Into Trouble Although some of the 1.5 million nonprofit organizations have sophisticated record-keeping systems, most nonprofits are staffed by volunteers who need help running the organization and keeping up a proper -- and legal -- paper trail. With Nonprofit Meetings, Minutes & Records, you'll get the all-in-one solution every nonprofit organization needs to hold meetings and document actions taken by board members. Step by step, this book covers: calling meetings appointing officers taking minutes making resolutions voting on proposals adjourning meetings working with a lawyer, if necessary, and finding a tax adviser Nonprofit Meetings, Minutes & Records also provides useful tips and advice on how to organize records, prepare meeting folders, and take minutes. Plus, all necessary documents are included on the CD-ROM. It's everything you need to keep your nonprofit running smoothly and legally. New Materials Added to the Collection The Law Library adds numerous new materials to its collection on an ongoing basis. To see new books added to the collection in the last month, CLICK HERE. Share this item with a friend!

Statute of Limitations on Credit Card Debt by State Creditors and debt collectors have a limited time window in which to sue debtors for nonpayment of credit card bills. This limit is set by each state's statute of limitations. CreditCards.com has compiled a state-by-state listing of credit card debt statutes of limitations for all 50 states. You click on a state and more information will appear below the map. The chart shows the time limit on written contracts or open-ended, revolving credit accounts, such as credit card agreements. Keep in mind that state laws are subject to change, so always check the accuracy of information you find online. You can read California's statute of limitations for written contracts in the Code of Civil Procedure, Section 337. For information on Fair Debt Collection Practices and your rights as a debtor, visit the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Protection site. Share this item with a friend!

Election Analysis Website With this year's election rapidly approaching on November 4th, www.fivethirtyeight.com is a fun election analysis website. The website first gained notice early this year when it was rather accurate in predicting the results of many primary elections. It uses all available polling information and weighs various polls by how accurately previous polls have matched prior elections. The site runs 10,000 simulations to produce likely results of the election. Initially, the site was run anonymously, so there was a great deal of speculation about who was making the predictions. It turns out the site is run by Nate Silver, a key contributor to the website and book packager, Baseball Prospectus, for many years. The site is generally non-partisan, but the Comments section can get heated, especially this close to the election. Follow their predictions and see if they are correct. Share this item with a friend!

2009 Witkin Award Recipients Announced The Law Library Justice Foundation of the San Diego County Public Law Library is pleased to announce next year's Witkin Award recipients in the following categories: Educator: USD Legal Clinics Judicial: Justice Richard D. Huffman Attorney: Milt Silverman, Esq. Leadership: Bonnie Dumanis, District Attorney San Diego County This month's profile honors Milt J. Silverman, Esq. Mr. Silverman has been trying cases for nearly 30 years. He grew up in San Diego, graduated from San Diego State University in 1966 and the U.C.L.A. School of Law in 1969. Although many of his cases have been headline-grabbing criminal cases the majority of his trials have been civil. Mr. Silverman's mega-verdict cases have involved subjects as diverse as products liability, toxic torts, defamation, abuse of process, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and misrepresentation. He is a critically acclaimed author of the true-crime book, Open and Shut, about the Norma Winters case. He has also been listed for many years in both civil litigation and criminal defense sections of the Best Lawyers in America. Mr. Silverman has lectured and given demonstrations in trial tactics for over twenty years at the invitation of such groups as the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, American Judicial College, San Diego Trial Lawyers Association, San Diego Inn of Court and the American Inn of Court. He has been honored many times including two Outstanding Trial Lawyer Awards and one Trial Lawyer of the Year Award. He is a Fellow Member of the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Silverman has appeared on 20/20, the Merv Griffin Show, Unsolved Mysteries and been featured in US Magazine and San Diego Magazine. Share this item with a friend!

From the Director Although the October 10th joint fundraiser with the First Court was a victim of economic times, the Law Library is still planning on celebrating its 50 year anniversary at the downtown location. Stay tuned for more details about this event. Speaking of events, we are already working on making the March 12th Witkin Dinner event at the Sheraton Harborside the biggest and best ever. The Communications Committee of the Law Library Justice Foundation is working with a consultant to improve online reservation capabilities. Our North County branch will be getting new carpeting, with installation expected to begin at the end of this calendar year. New skylights are scheduled for the East County branch in the first quarter of the 2009 calendar year. Meanwhile, renovations are being evaluated for the downtown Library. We are continuing to develop partnership opportunities with local legal service providers. These partnerships include: collaborating with the San Diego County Volunteer Lawyers to produce a script for a video on guardianship for the Self- Represented; discussing outreach possibilities with the USD legal clinics; beginning talks with the "Daily Transcript" about a book-review feature; and joining the "Wills for Heroes" Committee with the San Diego County Bar Association. Share this item with a friend!

Cartoon by Stu Rees Stu's Views are "Cartoons About Law and Lawyers." Stu Rees is a local entertainment lawyer who represents mostly visual arts creators. Share this item with a friend!

We hope you've enjoyed our newsletter! If you are a guest and would like to subscribe, please CLICK HERE. We're hard at work on the next edition. In the meantime, please visit us online at www.sdcpll.org or stop by one of our four locations. For more information or to send comments about this newsletter contact Tina Jagerson, Media Coordinator and South Bay Branch Librarian.