New Lawyers Section

California Lawyers Association Vice President Betty Williams addressed a reception for new lawyers hosted by the San Joaquin County Bar Association and the Bank of Stockton in March. Read more

Student loan debt is an albatross around the neck of many lawyers, often delaying home ownership, marriage, children, and fulfilling careers. But there's no one correct way to approach it. Jessica Medina, former lawyer turned Accredited Financial Counselor, will be walking us through some student loan repayment strategies including those she used to tackle her own mortgage-sized debt and the framework she applies when helping her own clients approach theirs. She’ll also cover how to make the most of all the updates we’ve seen with student loans over the past couple years so you’re ready to tackle whatever comes next. Read more

This webinar will provide new lawyers with an overview of the applicable rules and statutes governing depositions in California and will discuss tactics and techniques for taking a deposition. Whether you listen to this before your first deposition or after your fiftieth deposition, there is sure to be something for everyone. This presentation will also cover differences between taking a deposition in-person compared to a virtual deposition and techniques to effectively navigate those differences. Read more

This program will focus on how newer attorneys can successfully represent their clients in mediations that lead to settlement.   Read more

I can’t stress enough the importance of being cognizant of your client’s attorney’s fees and costs. As we all know, there is no winning in a divorce. Both parties suffer a loss. What’s worse is knowing you are burning through children’s college funds because the parties are unable (or unwilling) to agree about even the most basic issues. As an attorney, you must be heavily involved in management and communications regarding your client’s attorney’s fees. Staying involved and helping your client make reasonable decisions can help save them thousands of dollars and prevent high unpaid client bills in collections. Below are nine tips for keeping attorney’s fees and costs low in a divorce. Read more

Performing pro bono work is an excellent opportunity for attorneys to gain substantive legal experience and expand access to justice. Read more

Conservatorship 101 will review the different types of conservatorships, some basic alternatives to conservatorships, situations where a conservatorship is necessary, and walks through the procedures to have a client appointed as conservator. Read more

The New Lawyers Section (“NLS”) of the California Lawyers Association (“CLA”) is pleased to award the 2022 Jack Berman Award of Achievement to Deeva Shah. The New Lawyers Section annually confers the Jack Berman Award of Achievement to recognize a new or young lawyer within their first eight years of practice. The award recognizes distinguished service to the public, the judiciary or the legal profession. This year’s pool of nominees were extremely competitive, and NLS thanks and recognizes everyone who… Read more

The Trusts and Estates practice area can be difficult to acclimate to if you are transitioning from another type of practice or if you’re just getting started in your career. Read more

A lack of confidence can impact your decision making, performance at work, pursuit of new opportunities, and leadership potential. Emily Hirsekorn developed the Career Confidence Code, a six-part framework to help ambitious professionals build the confidence they need to navigate their careers effectively, enhance work performance and engagement, and develop as conscious leaders. In this program, Emily will discuss how one particular dimension---self-advocacy---can help you boost career confidence as you set healthy boundaries, get resourceful, manage your time, and speak up more at work. You'll leave the program with an action plan to start advocating for yourself more effectively and more often. Read more