| NEWS FROM THE
PUBLIC LAW SECTION |
 Welcome to the www.calbar.ca.gov/publiclaw --
the Web site of the Public Law Section
The Public Law Section of the State Bar of
California promotes the practice of public law by attorneys
employed by public agencies and attorneys in private practice who
represent public agencies or those who have dealings with public
agencies.
The Section was organized in 1978. See our
Mission Statement.
Now online:
 Register now for
the largest gathering of California Lawyers and Legal
Professionals:
The 82nd State Bar of California
Annual Meeting
September 10-13, 2009
San Diego
- Earn up to 18.5 Hours of MCLE
- Strategic Solutions to Practicing Law
- Thought-Provoking Discussions with Lawyers and Judges
- Expand and Build Networks
The Annual Meeting willl feature 130+ legal education courses,
exhibit hall, and more! CLE programs at the Annual Meeting are
organized across four distinct content tracks, For full
information, see State Bar of California Annual Meeting.
The Public Law Section is presenting:
- Program 14 -- Public-Private Partnerships
for California's Infrastructure Needs
- Program 56 -- Ethical Snares and Pitfalls
of Lawyers Serving on Boards
- Program 116 -- Ethics? I Thought This Was
Mediation!
- Program 126 -- Dean Erwin Chemerinsky's
Review of U.S. Supreme Court Cases of the Past Year
- Program 131 -- Legal Ethics -- What Would
Lincoln Do?
Public Law
Section Student Writing Competition Winner Announced
The winner is Rebecca Raizman
of the University of Southern California Gould School of Law!
The Public Law Section of the State Bar is pleased to have
sponsored the Second Annual Public Law
Section Law Student Writing Competition, in which the
Section invited law students from accredited California law schools
submit papers for possible publication in the Public Law Journal.
The winning submission was selected based upon complexity of topic,
relevancy to areas of public law, timeliness of topic to current
developments, originality, and quality of writing. Please join the
Public Law Section in congratulating this year's winner, Ms.
Rebecca Raizman, author of the following article entitled Legal and Policy Justifications for
Transitioning Foster Youth Services as an Entitlement in
California: Section 391 Hearings and Continuing Court
Jurisdiction. As this year's winner, Ms. Raizman will
receive a $1000 cash prize and will be invited to attend the Public
Lawyer of the Year award reception sponsored by the Public Law
Section at the State Bar's Annual Meeting in the fall.
 Leslie Gallagher looks ahead to a great year with the
Section
An all-volunteer committee, the PLS Executive Committee is
devoted to improving the experience of all of the Public Law
Section members.
You may already have noticed the outstanding Public Law
Journal , and the informative e-news distributed
quarterly. It is also our privilege to bring to you each year the
Public Lawyer of the Year award, wherein we recognize an
outstanding public attorney.
In addition, new services in the coming year include Affinity
Circles (E-Circles), an improved social-networking site for all
State Bar members, the return of the Student Writing competition,
and much more.
I hope you all enjoy the many benefits of Public Law Section
membership. I am looking forward to a great year!
Leslie Gallagher
2008-2009 Chair
Executive Committe of the Public Law Section
Online
Education from the Public Law Section
 A growing catalog
of courses from the Public Law Section is available online. The
programs offer participatory CLE credit. To view current offerings,
go to www.calbar.org/online-cle and click on Public Law. For a
full listing of all audio programs available from the Section, see
www.versatape.com.
 This
issues' featured program:
Public Fraud and
Corruption
1 Hour Participatory MCLE Credits
Price: $35.00 (provides online access for 3 months
after purchase).
Explore public fraud and corruption from the
inside out. A survey of strategic decisions, ethical considerations
and client relations in public corruption cases. Speaker: John Potter.
This program was originally presented at the 2007
Section Education Institute.
Invitation for
Nominations for the 2009 Ronald M. George Public Lawyer of the Year
Award
The Executive Committee of the Public Law Section of the State
Bar of California is pleased to announce the Ronald M. George
Public Lawyer of the Year Award. Chief Justice George’s name
was added to the Public Lawyer of the Year Award in recognition of
his distinguished career dedicated to serving the public and
longtime support of the Public Law Section. The Executive Committee
is honored to invite members of the Public Law Section, the State
Bar and the public at large to submit nominations for its newly
named Ronald M. George Public Lawyer of the Year Award for
2009.
The Public Law Section established this award to recognize a
public law practitioner who has provided outstanding service to the
public and possesses an exemplary reputation in the legal community
and the highest of ethical standards. Recognizing a public law
practitioner who has quietly excelled in his or her public service
is a consideration of the Executive Committee in selecting the
award recipient.
In addition, the Executive Committee supports the goal of
diversity in the membership and leadership of the State Bar. As
such, promoting and achieving diversity is considered carefully in
selecting an outstanding member of the State Bar who practices
public law as the Ronald M. George Public Lawyer of the Year.
You can access the nomination form HERE. For more information about
the award and its past recipients, see Public
Lawyer of the Year.
 Reception Honoring Jeff Thom as
2008 Public Lawyer of the Year
The Public Law Section honored Jeff Thom as the 2008 Public
Lawyer of the Year. He was presented the award by Chief Justice
Ronald George during a reception on Friday, September 26 in
Monterey. Photos on the right show Mr. Thom with the Chief Justice
and officers of the Public Law Section.
 Jeff Thom has dedicated his career to
working in the public sector for the past 30 years and, despite
being blind since birth, he has never let his disability stand in
the way of his personal commitment to public service.
Since 1974, at the Office of Legislative Counsel in
Sacramento, Mr. Thom's work has involved drafting legislation and
writing legal opinions for members of the Legislature. Currently,
he supervises the section of the office that handles health and
 care facilities, Medi-Cal,
public health, public social services and workers'
compensation.
Based on his extensive knowledge in these areas, Mr. Thom's
expertise is frequently sought by legislative members and their
staffs. Mr. Thom helped draft major Medi-Cal Reform legislation in
1982 and the Greater Avenues for Independence Act in 1985.
 Outside the office, Mr. Thom is similarly
committed to public service. For the last 30 years, he has been a
member of various organizations that promote the rights of the
disabled.
The Public Law Section Executive Committee believes that Mr.
Thom's distinguished record of professional service to the public,
both as an attorney and as a civic leader, exemplifies what it is
to be a public lawyer.
Tell Your
Colleagues About the Public Law Section
We encourage you to let your colleagues at public agencies know
about the benefits they can derive from membership in the Public
Law Section. They can join at any time. Forward the E-news to them and
let them know about such benefits as:
- Quarterly issues of the
The Public Law Journal. Obtain free MCLE
credit from an article in each issue.
- 10% discount on CEB programs and on
CEB books that are co-sponsored by the
Section
- Access to the
Members-Only Area of the Section web
site, which includes information on how to obtain a 35%
discount on ABA books.
- Networking opportunities.
 ABA Books at a Discount - Plus Special Reduction for
All Section Members
Members of the State Bar can now recieve a 15% discount on any
ABA book (or books) and all Section
members receive a 35% discount on any ABA book (or
books). This is a great benefit for all Section members as
the savings on even a single purchase could be equal to or even
exceed the cost of an annual Section membership. For instance, the
savings on a purchase of $200 would be equivalent to $70.
Here’s how the ABA discount program works:
- All Section members are eligible for a 35%
discount. The Section Member
Discount Code can be found on a special "member-only" page
accessible to all Section members. Once you have the discount code
simply visit the ABA web bookstore at www.abanet.org/ababookstore, select any book (or books)
for purchase and during checkout, enter the special 35% discount
code. To access the 35% discount code,
click HERE. You will need to log into your State Bar
Profile to access the link.
- Non-Section members can obtain a 15%
discount. Visit the ABA web bookstore at www.abanet.org/ababookstore, and select any book (or
books) for purchase. During checkout, enter the special 15%
discount code PAB6ECABPW1 at
checkout.
There is a wide range of books available at the ABA web
bookstore including practice related books and law practice
management books focusing on finance, technology, management and
marketing. Note: Discount does
not apply to ABA-CLE iPod products.)
 "How Government Works" Pamphlet
The Public Law Section has published the pamphlet How Government Works: An Introduction to Local and
Regional Public Agencies in California. The pamphlet includes
sections on Public Agencies
(cities, school districts, counties, redevelopment agencies and air
quality management districts) and Government Accountability (public records,
open meetings and ethics). The pamphlet is posted online.
SAVE MONEY WITH CEB
 Continuing Education
of the Bar, California (CEB) is extending some special discount
offers to our section. As a member of the Public Law Section,
you're eligible for:
- 10% off selected CEB print or online books
- A rebate on your section dues that can be applied to the cost
of a CEB Gold CLE Passport or a CLE program ticket
A complete list of the products eligible for a discount is
available on a CEB web page accessible through our Members Only Area. Information about the section
dues rebate program can be found on the CEB Web site
The Public Law Section
The State Bar of California
180 Howard Street
San Francisco, CA 94105-1639
415-538-2467
FAX 415-538-2368
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