About Us

WHO WE ARE

About the SJCBA

The San Joaquin County Bar Association (SJCBA) is a membership organization of attorneys and other legal professionals. It serves the community by offering a state-certified lawyer referral service, mediation and dispute resolution assistance, Small Claims advice, indigent defendant representation, and participation in law-related events through-out the community, including student moot-court competitions and internships, mediation training, and more. SJCBA members enjoy special benefits, including professional development and networking opportunities, case referrals, continuing education, free or discounted services useful to the legal profession.

Our Mission

To serve, promote, and celebrate the San Joaquin County legal community.

ABOUT US

how we started

The San Joaquin County Bar Association (SJCBA) is a non-profit membership organization that has served the legal community of San Joaquin County since 1940.

The first SJCBA Board of Governors meeting took place on February 1, 1940 at a restaurant called Tiny's at 27 Sutter Street, right around the corner from the current SJCBA office.

In the early days, SJCBA founded the first legal aid program running from 1959 – 1966 when it became part of the California Rural Legal Assistance program. Later, the Bar Association started the Family Law Service Center.

In 1959, Adelle Barrett was hired as the first Executive Director and stayed with the Bar Association until 1997. One of the earliest programs, Lawyer Referral Service (LRS), started in 1959, and is still an SJCBA program. The SJCBA LRS is certified by the State Bar of California (cert. #0012).

In the late 1970s, SJCBA became a non-profit organization. In 1982, SJCBA became the conflict firm for the courts through the county with the establishment of the Court Assigned Counsel (CAC) program and continues to provide the courts with indigent defense to this day. The SJCBA has held the contract with the County of San Joaquin since 1983.

The SJCBA Board of Governors is the oversight body of the SJCBA. It has 13 voting members who serve 3-year staggered terms. The Board of Governors is responsible for setting the strategic vision of the SJCBA and assuring it remains financially viable.

OUR STAFF

The Team Is Here To Support You

Susan Bartman

Executive Director

Email: sbartman@sjcbar.org

Linda Mussat

Deputy Director/CAC Coordinator

Email: lmussat@sjcbar.org

Everly Inong

Communications and Marketing

Email: einong@sjcbar.org

Viviana Varela

Office Assistant

Email: vvarela@sjcbar.org

Monique Vasquez

DRS Assistant & Mediator

Email: mvasquez@sjcbar.org

Steven McCarty

DRS Administrator

Email: smccarty@sjcbar.org

Terri Castro

DRS Assistant

Email: tcastro@sjcbar.org

Chelsea Boro

Office Assistant/LRS Coordinator

Email: cboro@sjcbar.org

OUR BOARD OF GOVERNORS

Sean Geddes

President

Jonathan Garzoli

Past President

Becky Diel

President-Elect

Melissa Dougherty

Secretary

Janette Rossell

Treasurer

Antoinette Duron

Director

Brian Lafferty

Director

Sherri Lira

Director

Denise Pereira

Director

Patrick Piggott

Director

Jeff Silvia

Director

Sasha Sloup

Director

Gabrielle Tetreault

Director

THE BAR FOUNDATION

Giving Back To The Community

The SJCBA Foundation is the Charitable-Giving arm of the SJCBA; Through fundraising, grants, and tax-deductible donations it receives, the Foundation supports local charitable causes, including scholarships, education initiatives, and providing dispute resolution services to the community.

DETAILS →

BYLAWS

To view our bylaws, click the button below to download.

Download Bylaws PDF

CONTACT INFO

Feel free to contact us with any questions

Our Location

343 East Main St., Suite 408
Stockton, CA 95202

Email

info@sjcbar.org

Office Hours

Mon - Thur: 8:30am – 4:30pm
Fri: 8:30am – 4pm
Sat – Sun: closed

Call Us

Main: (209) 948-0125
Lawyer Referral Service: (209) 948-4620
Mediation: (209) 474-8794
Small Claims Clinic: (209) 473-6463

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