Letter from the Chair of the Forum

By Mellania E. Safarian
Clark Hill PLC

Hello New Lawyers:

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this month’s publication of For the Record. I want to encourage each of you to take advantage of our e-publication and submit your proposed articles to our Editor in Chief, Kevin Hambly at khambly@srfirms.com. This is a great opportunity for New Lawyers to become published in an award winning publication. I look forward to reading your articles next month.

Legal Ethics for New Attorneys

Rule 1.15: Not Your Father’s Client Trust Account Rule

By David C. Carr
Law Office of David C. Carr

As of November 1, 2018, California lawyers are subject to a new rule on safekeeping the property of clients and others: Rule 1.15. The new rule differs from the prior rules in effect since 1928 in three significant areas: (1) advanced fees (2) flat fees and (3) holding funds for persons who are not clients.

Steps Toward More Effective Mediation

Charles H. Dick
JAMS Mediation

Most civil disputes will be resolved before trial,1 and mediation has become one of the most important phases of every lawsuit. Even so, the informality of mediation induces many less-experienced litigators to take a casual attitude toward the process. Too often, lawyers approach mediation as if it were the easiest phase of a lawsuit; this is serious mistake. If pleadings, discovery and motion practice warrant hours of planning, thought and effort, why treat mediation any differently?

Fronting Money or Co-Signing for Your Child’s Loan Can Have Hidden Tax Consequences

Katie Lepore
Miller, Monson, Peshel, Polacek & Hoshaw

An increasing number of millennials are moving in with their parents to save money after college. With the exorbitant costs of purchasing real estate, parents are often saddled with helping their children with a down payment on the purchase of a home and/or co-signing on the loan. However, these actions can have adverse tax consequences for the parents, which are rarely known or disclosed by real estate agents or loan officers.

How to deal with self-represented litigants in Family law

Christopher Sunnen
Sunnen Law

One of the unexpected areas for new attorneys, or attorneys that are venturing into Family Law is the fact that a substantial portion of litigants are self-represented. While the state itself does not keep (or release) statistics of the number of pro per litigants in family court, most practitioners and Judges in the southern California region believe that the number is in excess of fifty percent.

Scene At

Have you been "Scene At" the latest events? Check out pics of recent happenings. If you have photos of SDCBA emerging attorney members at recent events, submit them to bar@sdcba.org.