New Lawyers Section

by Nicole Abboud, The Law Office of Nicole Abboud They say one of the best decisions you could ever make in your legal career is to go into solo practice, and by “they,” I’m referring to myself. I say that all the time. I opened my own practice over a year ago and it has been the most challenging yet rewarding journey in my life thus far. For many of you reading this, perhaps you’ve thought about hanging up your… Read more

by Amber R. Hayes, Hodson & Mullin Many of us are just beyond the memory of the Bar Exam, having recently passed, and cringe at the thought of taking another bar exam-like test. Isn’t that what the Specialist Exam is? We ask. Isn’t just another bar exam? No thank you! But, there is no reason to fear. The legal specialization exam is merely one day long and includes both a written essay portion and multiple choice questions; and, the California… Read more

by Alfonso Martinez, Family Law Facilitator, Ventura County Superior Court Family law provides challenging and rewarding careers for any young attorney. Divorce and Legal Separation proceedings provide excellent ways to gain experience in family law. Once the parties have successfully divided their debts and assets, they are one step closer to final judgment. The preliminary and final disclosures establish the path toward this end. The initial discovery in divorce or separation matters begin with the preliminary declaration of disclosures. The… Read more

by Roey Z. Rahmil, Shartsis Friese LLP Anna Romanskaya, a partner and head of the family law practice at San Diego’s Stark & Ambrosio, recently became chair-elect of the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division (“YLD”). Anna will be one of the first chairs of YLD from California. Anna’s involvement with the ABA began when she was a student at Thomas Jefferson Law School in San Diego.  After graduating, she continued her involvement with substantive law sections as well as… Read more

by Ruben Reyes Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) the individual shared responsibility provision, as referred to as the “individual mandate”, requires you, your spouse, and your dependents to have qualifying health insurance for the entire year, report a health coverage exemption, or make a payment when you file your tax returns. What is qualifying health insurance? Qualifying health insurance is defined as Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) and includes: • Most health insurance coverage provided by your… Read more

by Hon. Cruz Reynoso (Ret.), Boochever and Bird Professor of Law, Emeritus, UC Davis School of Law and Aida S. Macedo, Esq., Second Year Associate, Miles, Sears, & Eanni, PC 1. DO NOT BE AFRAID TO SET UP YOUR OWN LAW PRACTICE Given the legal job market many young lawyers are faced with the decision of whether to set up their own law practice. If you do keep these in mind: Be practical about your finances and budget. Some solo… Read more

By Aastha Madaan A monolingual Spanish-speaking single mother. A young professional who recently emigrated from India. A victim of domestic violence from the pro bono clinic. These are just a few clients that I have assisted in my practice over the last few months. In an increasingly diverse society, cultural competency is becoming imperative to the practice of law.  According to the National Center for Cultural Competence (NCCC), cultural competence “embraces the principles of equal access and non-discriminatory practices in… Read more

By Jeena Cho Reprinted from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jeena-cho/stop-training-lawyers-to-be-jerks_b_6598160.html (originally posted on February 3, 2015) with permission of the author. As I reflect back on my 10+ years of law practice, I received plenty of advice — some I followed, some I ignored. Often, the advice was good and helpful. Other advice that I thought was good turned out to be bad. I wanted to share one particular piece of advice I regretted taking. When I was a young lawyer, I was invited… Read more

By Taylor Friedlander Being a lawyer isn’t easy, and neither is the sheer feat of becoming one—particularly in California. Low bar passage rates are one hurdle—the challenges of finding a job are another. In 2013, California had approximately 2.5 law school graduates for every legal job,and according to the Georgetown University Law Center, the legal market is seeing only marginal improvements in 2015.The question plaguing the minds of many young graduates is how they will secure a job, given the… Read more

by Katherine Tong Chinese companies often face questions regarding their legal obligations when actions arise in the U.S. involving products they manufactured. Attorneys advising Chinese companies on their legal obligations with respect to lawsuits in the U.S. must advise their clients on both the U.S. discovery process, which can be alien to Chinese companies, and the requirements under the Hague Convention on the Taking of Evidence Abroad in Civil or Commercial Matters (Hague Convention). Similarly, U.S. attorneys seeking discovery from… Read more