Events
Webinar: Mental Health Diversion in California
November 13 @ 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Special low price! 1 Hour MCLE; 1 Legal Specialization in Criminal Law
Join us for an engaging and informative MCLE program that aims to equip legal professionals with the knowledge and tools necessary to effectively navigate mental health diversion in the criminal justice system with a focus on Penal Code Section 1001.36. The program will discuss the legal framework and implementation of Penal Code Section 1001.36, including eligibility criteria, the diversion process, and best practices from the perspective of all stakeholders in the process.
The program will include Judges Sharon Djemal and Armando Pastran Jr., who have backgrounds in mental health and the criminal justice system. They will be joined by Deputy City Attorney Bora McCutcheon and Public Defender Marjaneh Maroufi, who have extensive experience in mental health diversion programs. The insights and firsthand experiences of the panelists will provide perspectives on the nuances of mental health diversion and useful information for those practicing as prosecutors and defense attorneys in mental health courts or those simply interested in learning about the intersection of mental health diversion and the criminal justice system.
Non-Member Price: $60
Member Price: $35
Judge Sharon Djemal has served on the Alameda Superior Court bench since January 2021 and presides over various collaborative court calendars. Prior to her appointment, she spent 20 years as a staff attorney, supervising attorney, and Director of the Consumer Justice Clinic at the East Bay Community Law Center. Judge Djemal is also a 2016 Berkeley Law School Eleanor Swift Award for Public Service recipient and a former Soros Justice fellow.
Marjaneh Maroufi has been a public defender for over 20 years. Currently working at the Solano County Alternate Public Defender, Ms. Maroufi has focused her practice on the Collaborative Courts, Juvenile Delinquency and Conservatorships. She was the 2023-24 Chair of the California Lawyers Association Criminal Law Executive Committee.
Bora Song McCutcheon is a Deputy City Attorney in the Criminal Division of the Los Angeles City Attorney’s Office. From 2015 to 2018, she was the sole grant prosecutor for Los Angeles, partnering with the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division and the Santa Monica Rape Treatment Center to evaluate and improve the community response in adult sexual assault cases for the Sexual Assault Justice Initiative–a pilot program of the U.S. DOJ, Office on Violence Against Women. Previously, Bora served as a California Deputy Attorney General and Fresno County Deputy District Attorney. She also worked as an asbestos attorney representing injured plaintiffs in complex litigation. Bora is currently the Secretary of the California Lawyers Association Criminal Law Section Executive Committee. She is a former Board member of California Women Lawyers (CWL) and served two terms as Co-Chair of the Judicial Evaluations Committee for CWL. She is also a member of the Los Angeles Criminal Justice Inn of Court, California District Attorneys Association, Korean Prosecutors Association, Los Angeles County Bar Association, and Los Angeles City Attorney Women’s Association. She volunteers as a Little League assistant coach, Book Fair 2024 Co-Chair, and was recently elected to the School Site Council at her son’s elementary school. Bora earned her JD from University of San Diego School of Law and BA from Boston College.
Judge Armando Pastran Jr. was appointed Judge to the Superior Court in Alameda County by Governor Gavin Newsom in November 2022. He currently sits in Department 502 at the Hayward Hall of Justice on a family law assignment, presiding over Domestic Violence Restraining orders. Prior to his appointment, he was a Deputy District Attorney with the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office. His most recent assignment there included the prosecution of serious felony domestic violence cases. Prior to that, he spent several years in the District Attorney’s mental health unit and was responsible for cases that intersected with criminal law and mental health. He is currently Chair of the California Lawyers Association Criminal Law Executive Committee, President of the Earl Warren Inn of Court, and Judicial Liaison to the Alameda County Bar Association’s Criminal Law Executive Committee. He is also on the advisory board for Oakland Tech’s High School’s Race Policy and Law Academy and the immediate past president of the East Bay La Raza Lawyers Association. He graduated from Santa Clara University undergraduate and law school.
We are committed to accessibility! Virtual events are equipped with closed captioning. To request an in-person accommodation, send us a note at accessibility@calawyers.org or contact us at 916-516-1760 for assistance.