Free MCLE Program June 28, Noon-1:00 PM

Wednesday, June 28, 2017, Noon to 1:00pm, Substance Abuse in the Legal Community

Presented by Amy Dhall, Esq.
Government Account Manager, Thomson Reuters
1 Hour free Participatory MCLE Credit in Competence

This event will include a discussion of the relevant professional rules of ethics. We will also discuss the effect of substance abuse on the legal practice within our micro-culture of the Bay Area.

You can email sflawlibrary@sfgov.org with “subscribe” in the subject line to receive our e-updates with information about upcoming programs. Programs are free and open to everyone. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Free MCLE Program June 14

Wednesday, June 14, Noon to 1:00pm, Choosing a Retirement Solution For Your Small Business Client

Presented by Christine Kerley, J.D.
Benefit Advisor with the U.S. Department of Labor
1 Hour free Participatory MCLE Credit

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA), in partnership with the Internal Revenue Service, developed this presentation to assist attendees in choosing a retirement plan for small businesses.  The program provides an overview of different retirement plans and their features.  This presentation is part both agencies’ ongoing efforts to help small employers and their service providers to understand and comply with federal retirement plan tax reporting and fiduciary law by providing publications, websites, outreach and telephone assistance.

Christine Kerley has worked with EBSA since 2006, during which time she has held positions as Investigator and Benefit Advisor.  She has conducted investigations and informal reviews dealing with a wide range of ERISA compliance issues.  Ms. Kerley is a member of the California State Bar, and holds a B.A. from the University of California, San Diego and a J.D. from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

This is the first in a series on employment benefits presented by the U.S. Department of Labor and the San Francisco Law Library. MCLE materials will be provided at the program. For more information, check out our events LibGuide.

Recent Judge Program

Classroom v. Courtroom: Law School Reform & Reform in the Courts
Presented by the Honorable Curtis E. A. Karnow
Judge of the San Francisco Superior Court

April 20, One Hour of Free MCLE

Curtis Karnow, a judge on the Superior Court of San Francisco, on the occasion of his new book, Litigation in Practice, discussed reforms in law school classrooms and law journals – reforms needed to help lawyers, and the courts, better do their work.

Litigation in Practice by Curtis E. A. Karnow
Author of Rutter’s Civil Procedure Before Trial (West/Thomson Reuters), Superior Court Judge Curtis E. A. Karnow’s Litigation in Practice provides invaluable tips, court room strategies and helpful insights of the trial process, with a no-nonsense writing style, offering “court room do’s and don’ts” that every new trial lawyer and student needs in understanding that “law is what happens in the courtroom.” Other sections provide advanced practical guidance for settlement, case management, using case precedent, and expert testimony. -Publisher

1.5 Hours Free Participatory MCLE on February 9

Thursday, February 9, 2017, Noon to 1:30pm, Moskovitz and Stein on Writing Winning Appeals and Writs
Co-sponsored with
Presented by Myron Moskovitz and Court of Appeal Justice William Stein (Ret.)
1.5 Hours of free participatory MCLE Credit in person at the SF Law Library, including 1.5 hours in Appellate Practice and 1.5 hours in Writ Practice Specialization
Also available via WebEx live stream by CEB

Attorneys who think strategically and creatively when writing an appellate brief or a petition for writ significantly boost their chances of winning.  Appellate expert Myron Moskovitz and retired Court of Appeal Justice William Stein provide practical insights and real-life lessons to help you better your position.  Learn how to craft legal arguments that will engage and persuade an appellate justice to rule in your client’s favor.

You will learn how to:

• Evaluate which issues are worth appealing or petitioning for writAdvise your client on whether to appeal or file a writ
• Write to persuade an appellate justice
• Change your way of thinking as you draft
• Use new, practical tools in your writing approach
• Assess your legal arguments strategically
• Apply your strategy consistently
• Use techniques designed to change the justice’s mind at oral argument

1 Hour Free Participatory MCLE in Prevention of Bias, Feb. 8 at SFLL

Wednesday, February 8, 2017, Noon to 1pm, American Justice on Trial: Famous Trials of the 20th Century and the Developing Recognition, Identification and Prevention of Bias
Presented by Judge Lise Pearlman (Ret.)
1 hour of free participatory MCLE Credit in Elimination of Bias

Never has getting your required credit been more fascinating! You will be on the edge of your seat as Judge Lise Pearlman (Ret.) discusses thirteen of the most famous trials of the 20th Century, and how the lessons learned from these trials can help to eliminate bias from the legal profession. Judge Pearlman provides a riveting account of the 1968 Huey P. Newton trial, the case that revolutionized the jury of one’s peers. Included in this program is a reenactment of Charles R. Garry’s voir dire in this landmark 1968 trial, a scene still discussed in law schools today.

Judge Pearlman discusses the famous trials of:

• OJ Simpson
• Leon Czolgosz (the McKinley assassination)
• Heavyweight Champion Jack Johnson (under the Mann Act)
• Leo Frank (for the murder of Mary Phagan)
• Sacco and Vanzetti
• Henry Sweet (NAACP test case on defense of one’s home)
• Charles Manson
• The 1931 Thalia Massie Rape Charges and 1932 Tommie Massie “Honor Killing”’
• Black Panther Co-Founder Huey P. Newton
• Black Panther Co-Founder Bobby Seale
• Angela Davis
• Bernhard Goetz (the New York subway vigilante)
• Timothy McVeigh (The 1997 Oklahoma City Bombing Trial)