SAN DIEGO COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION RECOGNIZES LOCAL COMMUNITY MEMBERS IN 2003 SERVICE AWARDS

SAN DIEGO, CA, March 28, 2003 -- The San Diego County Bar Association (SDCBA) has announced the winners of the 2003 SDCBA Service Awards. This year, nine members of the community, a law firm/agency and a local organization will be honored at the Law Week Luncheon on Friday, May 2, for their outstanding contributions to the San Diego County legal community and the community at large.

The Service Award categories include Community Service, Service to the SDCBA, Service to the Legal Profession, Service to Legal Education, Service by a Public Attorney, Distinguished Citizen, Distinguished Organization, Diversity, Outstanding Jurist, Public Service by a Law Firm or Agency, and Outstanding Attorney of the Year.

This year's recipient of the Community Service Award is Robert Dreher. Since 1991, Dreher has worked with the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (SDVLP) providing tireless pro bono advocacy on behalf of indigent and needy clients, especially homeless families and individuals throughout San Diego County. He has assisted a coalition of homeless agencies since 1996 including St. Vincent de Paul Village, the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities, and the San Diego Rescue Mission. In 2002 alone, Dreher donated more than 350 hours of pro bono time to SDVLP cases.

Peter Hughes received the award for Service to the SDCBA. Hughes has devoted many hours of service to the SDCBA through lectures and seminars, and he has also served on the bar's legal ethics committee since 1997. A member of the American Board of Trial Advocates, Hughes is also a certified specialist in criminal law.

The Service to the Legal Profession Award was given to Stephen Marsh. A partner at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP, Marsh currently serves on the Environmental Litigation Committee of the American Bar Association, the Litigation and Environmental Sections of the State Bar of California, and is a member of the Steering Committee of the San Diego Environmental Professionals. He is a past chair of the Executive Committee of the State Bar Conference of Delegates, a member of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers and also serves as a Judge Pro Tem for the court.

Robert Gaglione, the founding and managing partner of Gaglione, Coleman & Greene LLP, was this year's recipient of the Service to Legal Education Award. Gaglione is the host of "Independent Counsel," a one-hour live radio talk show that airs each Saturday on KSDO AM 1130. In addition to his radio show, Gaglione also serves as an adjunct professor of law and teaches college courses on construction law. A frequent lecturer, Gaglione has also written editorial columns for the San Diego Daily Transcript including the column, "Right to the Point."

Service by a Public Attorney was awarded to Carmela Simoncini. A long time appellate defense attorney, Simoncini has argued many cases before the California Supreme Court as well as the Court of Appeal. One of her career highlights was obtaining the release of Frederick Daye, a man who had served 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Simoncini has also authored numerous articles, taught courses as an adjunct professor and has participated in countless education seminars. Active in many legal organizations, she has also found the time to mentor many students and young lawyers throughout her career.

Verna Griffin-Tabor received the Distinguished Citizen Award. She is the Executive Director of the Center for Community Solutions, a non-profit agency that serves victims of sexual assault and domestic violence throughout the County of San Diego. She is a former president of the San Diego Domestic Violence Council and has served as Director of both the San Diego Center for Children and The El Cajon Collaborative's Little House Family Services.

The Distinguished Organization Award went to the Identity Theft & Resource Center. Established in 1999 by Linda Foley, the Identify Theft Resource Center researches, collects, evaluates, analyzes and distributes information about identity theft. Both Foley and the Center have become nationally respected experts in identity theft and the Center's staff has testified before the United States Senate Committee and for various California hearings on at least 15 bills regarding identity theft. Additionally, the Center's website is considered one of the most comprehensive guides to identity theft in the nation and the staff often teaches courses for governmental agencies and law enforcement.

Janice Brown is the recipient of the Diversity Award. Brown is a founding member of Vantage Law Group, LLP, a law firm that represents clients who have been victims of racial, gender and age discrimination within the workplace. A past president of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, Brown also serves on the Steering Committee of the California Minority Council Program. She has been honored as the "Lawyer of the Year" by the California Association of Black Lawyers and has also received the "Women Who Mean Business" Award in Law from the San Diego Business Journal.

Naval Legal Service Office Southwest received the Public Service by a Law Firm or Agency Award for their efforts in providing legal services to navy personnel, their dependents, and naval retirees. Since early 2002, NLSO Southwest has been working hard to provide support for naval personnel preparing for long-term deployment and mobilization. In only 10 weeks time last year, the office prepared over 5,000 wills and 7,000 powers of attorney as well as assisted more than 20,000 other personnel with such legal matters as adoption, landlord-tenant relations, immigration, domestic relations and tax/military rights matters. Additionally the NLSO has partnered with Perkins Elementary School in Barrio Logan as tutors and assistant teachers.

The Outstanding Jurist Award was given to the Honorable Leo S. Papas for his work with the "Judges in the Classroom" program and on the Children at Risk Committee. Papas has been a participant in Judges in the Classroom since the program was started in 1993. Judges in the Classroom is an outreach program that offers students the opportunity to visit with and learn from federal judges. On behalf of the court, Papas coordinates the presentations with the San Diego Unified School District representative and makes 8-10 presentations each school year. Also as part of the Judges in the Classroom effort, Judge Papas became involved in the effort to upgrade the presentation materials. In 2000, he also became involved with the SDCBA's Children at Risk Committee and, along with other volunteers, created a mock trial interactive video called "Children at Risk - Stave v. Andy Adams and Beth Baker" for use in classroom presentations.

This year's Outstanding Attorney of the Year was awarded to Charles L. Bird, a partner at Luce, Forward, Hamilton & Scripps LLP. In 1999, Bird became the City of San Diego's outside litigation counsel for the Ballpark Redevelopment Project and dealt with protesters' obstruction tactics and lawsuits. Bird's work has been instrumental in helping to keep the ballpark project moving forward. In addition to many other activities, Bird has also served as the chair of the Judicial Nominees Evaluation Commission, president for The Defenders Organization, and Vice President of the San Diego County Bar Association. Bird has also served as lead counsel for several published cases before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and has dedicated time to pro bono services in defense of civil liberties.

Current SDCBA President, Christopher Todd, will present all of the 2003 Service Awards at the luncheon on Friday, May 2, at the SDCBA Bar Center. If you would like more information, please contact the SDCBA at (619) 231-0781.