Letter from the Chair of the New Lawyer Division

By Mellania E. Safarian
Clark Hill PLC

Hello New Lawyers: There are so many exciting developments that I am excited to share with you this month. First, I am happy to report that the New Lawyer Forum will hereby be officially known as the New Lawyer Division(“NLD”). As Chair of the NLD and as a member of the San Diego County Bar Association’s (“SDCBA”) Board of Directors (“Board”), I am tasked with identifying and raising policy issues and bringing them to the Board’s attention for resolution. This month, the NLD’s Executive Committee identified the use of the word “Forum” as an issue that required Board attention and resolution. The Board unanimously voted in favor of this change.

Legal Ethics for New Attorneys

Ethical Considerations when Communicating with the Media

By Alara T. Chilton
Law Office of Alara T. Chilton

You are a new attorney practicing civil litigation with a client whose matter could be of significant interest to the media.  You believe much of the information surrounding your client’s matter, if made public, would best serve your client’s interests because, after all, if the public learns your client was treated unfairly or was the party who acted honestly, your client would be cast in a very favorable public light.  You ask yourself, “If the end result is good press for my client, then what else is of concern?”  

Tips from the Bench

Q & A with Judge Ronald Styn

By Mellania E. Safarian
Clark Hill PLC

What was your path to the bench?

Judge Styn is a San Diego native and graduated from Chula Vista High School. Judge Styn earned his B.A. degree from the University of Redlands where he spent his summers working at Disneyland.

After graduating from Stanford Law School, Judge Styn clerked for a federal judge. Shortly thereafter, he worked as a trial attorney for the Food and Drug Administration. Judge Styn briefly taught Civil Procedure and Antitrust Law at the University of Kentucky Law School before returning to San Diego. He then joined a firm where he practiced civil litigation and real estate litigation for over 30 years. Amongst other things, Judge Styn was a founder of the San Diego Branch of the ABTL and served as its President. He was also an original Master of the Louis M. Welsh Inn of Court.

The Effects of CCP §998 in Construction Defect Litigation

By Kevin Hambly
Shinnick & Ryan, LLP

Let’s be honest, most cases settle short of trial.  However, in the rare circumstances where a case does not settle short of trial, it is prudent to set your case up so that you are in the best position to recover your costs.  This is especially true in construction defect cases where expert costs can be very high, and cases become increasingly difficult to settle as time marches forward.  California law, however, has a mechanism that allows parties to recovery their costs, including expert fees.  This mechanism is under the Code of Civil Procedure (“CCP”) section 998.

Scene At

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