SJCBA News

I am a millennial family law attorney. I married late in life, and I have a lot of friends who are either taking their time getting to the altar or opting out of marriage altogether. I hear it often: the community property laws are oppressive, divorce is expensive, prenups aren’t romantic, and why does my love need a label? Conventional wisdom says that you are saving yourself stress, money, and potentially an emotional court case by opting out of marriage. We’ll just stay together as long as it feels right and then, if it ends, we will peacefully go our separate ways.

Right?? Well…. Maybe.

Once we get our bar cards, people think we know everything about everything, and pepper us with questions on all aspects and arenas of law.

So, what do you do when you get a call from a friend in jail, Court is tomorrow, and there’s no time to consult with another attorney? Can you help?

“In an emergency a lawyer may give advice or assistance in a matter in which the lawyer does not have the skill ordinarily required if referral to, or association or consultation with, another lawyer would be impractical. Assistance in an emergency must be limited to that reasonably* necessary in the circumstances.”

This article should familiarize you with the basic themes in criminal court: felony vs. misdemeanor, arraignment, types of plea, time waivers, reading and advisement of the charges, and review of custody status.

By Susan Bartman

It has been an exciting and exhausting six months for me.

My team and I started the year with assisting in the preparation of our MCLE Masters Series. The MCLE Committee of Shellie Lott, Thomas Keeling, Gregory Meath, Megan Hall and Cristal Ruiz truly outdid themselves. Eleven programs were presented in a variety of areas including credit for legal ethics, bias and competency.

Our members and sections continue to provide MCLE programs throughout the year...