An Official Publication of
The Marin County Bar Association
Editor: Robert Rosborough
Guest Editor: Damon Connolly
Marin Bar Association
2019 MCBA MEMBERSHIP
It's time to renew. Not an MCBA member? Join today.
Enrollment for 2019 Marin County Bar Association membership is now open to attorneys and professionals.




Renew Today
Deadline to be listed in the printed 2019 Membership Directory is January 31, 2019. Thank you for your continued participation.


Join Now
Join by December 31, 2018 and save 50% on the January general membership meeting. We look forward to having you.




Click here for a PDF of all the November 2019 Articles.
Events
Thu | Nov 29 | 8A-5P
General | MCLE Fair
11th Annual MCLE FAIR
FULL DAY. SINGLE TRACK. 7 MCLE CREDITS with Bias, Ethics, and Substance Abuse. Programs for both Attorneys and Non-Attorney Legal Professionals.
NEW! Keynote Speaker: Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich, Group CEO & Partner, Dentons and Chair, Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board
Location: Embassy Suites by Hilton San Rafael
News
EDITOR'S INTRODUCTION
Homelessness and Mental Health
By Robert Rosborough
“Intractable” and “persistent” are two of the many adjectives tossed around when people discuss homelessness. While not the sole reason for homelessness, mental illness is a significant contributor to the intractable and persistent nature of it.  More >
President's Message
Changing Judicial Assignments and a Changing Board
By Thomas S. Brown
Every year the Judges’ Luncheon is one of the most highly anticipated and well-attended events of the MCBA year. One would not think that the announcement of judicial assignments would be such an entertaining or informative event, but Presiding Judge Paul Haakenson managed to enliven the crowd this year as he revealed the new assignments of his colleagues with just the right amount of humor and fanfare in his clever digital presentation.  More >
Mental Health and Homelessness
By Andrew Hening
One of the public’s biggest frustrations related to homelessness is encountering clearly mentally ill individuals living on the street. According to Marin’s 2017 Homeless Point-in-Time Count, a staggering 70% of people experiencing chronic homelessness in Marin report having some type of psychiatric or emotional challenge.  More >
Martin v. Boise: Not a Case to Sleep Through
By A.J. Brady
The Ninth Circuit has again sent ripples across the legal landscape, this time through the crossroads of criminal justice and homelessness policy with its decision in Martin v. City of Boise (9th Cir. 2018) No. 15-35845. In Martin v. Boise, a group of homeless individuals filed a 42 U.S.C. section 1983 action against the city of Boise accusing the city of violating their civil rights.  More >
Marin County's Community Resource Guide
By Marin County Supervisor Damon Connolly, District 1, San Rafael
As lawyers, our jobs can involve clients who need community services along with their legal services. When such issues come up, you will be happy to know there is a website that lists resources to connect someone to vital services in Marin County.  More >
JUDGE'S CORNER
Pathways Mental Health Court
By Judge Kelly V. Simmons
For years, there has been an increasing need for criminal justice reform as it relates to the treatment of the mentally ill defendant. California jails are filling up with a higher and higher share of mentally ill people who have been accused of crimes. Many of these people have been deemed incompetent to stand trial. Ideally, these mentally ill defendants should be sent to state hospitals to receive proper care and treatment, but the state hospitals are full.  More >
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Brian Washington
By Marin Lawyer
The Marin Lawyer recently sat down with MCBA member Brian Washington, Marin County Counsel.  More >
NONPROFIT PROFILE
Downtown Streets Team
By Damon Connolly
Founded in 2005 in Palo Alto, Downtown Streets Team (DST) has developed an innovative model for ending homelessness through the dignity of work. Now in twelve Bay Area communities, including San Rafael and Novato (and recently expanded beyond the Bay Area), DST’s model is structured to be a one-year transitional program into permanent housing and employment.  More >
October Member Luncheon
The State of the Marin Courts: The 2018 Judges' Luncheon Report
By Mary Sackett
The October 24th MCBA sold-out Judges' Luncheon was a show not to be missed. Judge Haakenson reported on developments at the Marin County Courts, announced the judicial assignments for next year, shared entertaining highlights of each of his colleagues (eliciting a few groans along with the laughter at his puns), and displayed his considerable movie making skills.  More >
Notices
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR 2019 SLATE OF OFFICERS AND NEW BOARD OF DIRECTORS
MCBA Officers
President: Charles Dresow, Ragghianti Freitas LLP
President Elect: Susan Feder, Judicate West/Susan Feder Mediation
Treasurer: J. Timothy Nardell, Nardell Chitsaz & Associates LLP
Secretary: Robert Rosborough, Monty White LLP
Past President: Thomas Brown, Foley Lardner, LLP
5 Year Past President: David Feingold, Ragghianti Freitas LLP

New Directors (to serve through 2021)
Habib Bentaleb, Law Office of Habib Bentaleb
Michael Chaput, Chaput Law
Ahtossa Fullerton, Wasacz Hilley & Fullerton LLP
Sarah Leger, Ragghianti Freitas LLP
Kelley Reid, Law Offices of Borton Petrini, LLP

2020 Directors
Marie Barnes, Gregory Brockbank, Andres Perez, Nestor Schnasse

2019 Directors
Scott Buell, Anna Pletcher
FROM THE COURT: FAMILY LAW JUDGMENTS
Deadline: To ensure processing by the end of the year, family law judgment packets must be submitted by December 7, 2018.
2019 Membership Dues
The 2019 Membership Dues are as follows:
Attorney Membership
Attorney More than 5 Years in Practice $200
Attorney 1 to 5 Years in Practice $130
Attorney First Year in Practice $0
Attorney Employed by Nonprofit Organization $100
Affiliate Membership
Affiliate Attorney $140
Affiliate Non-Attorney $200
Affiliate Legal Personnel $100
Student $0
Sections
Practice Area Dues $45

Note: Our membership dues have not increased in the past 5 years. In order to catch up with rising operational costs, you will see a nominal increase in the base dues. The section dues remain unchanged. Thank you for your continued participation in the MCBA.
Link to November 2018 Articles
Click the link below for a compilation of the November 2018 Marin Lawyer articles. Easily browse or print the articles for offline reading.
November 2018 Articles >
Calendar
Thu | Nov 29 | 8A-5P
General | MCLE Fair
11th Annual MCLE FAIR
Thu | Nov 29 | 8A-3P
General | Live Scan Fingerprinting
Fingerprinting provided by UPS
Thu | Dec 06 | 12-1:30P
Estate Planning, Trust and Probate | Mentor Meeting
Probate and Estate Planning: Mentor Meeting
Thu | Dec 13 | 5-8P
General | MCBA Member Holiday Mixer
Celebrate a Wonderful Year of Membership
Sat | Feb 02 | 6-10P
General | 2019 Installation Dinner
SAVE THE DATE
New Members
Charles Campbell
Law Offices of Charles R. Campbell, Jr.
ccampbell@crclawoffices.com
415 891 8268
Attorney Membership

Andrew Gokoffski
axglegalcounsel@gmail.com
415 945 8805
Attorney Membership

Stephanie Haffner
Legal Aid of Marin
shaffner@legalaidmarin.org
415 492 0230
Non-Profit

Julia Howard-Gibbon
Fair Housing Advocates of Northern California
jujugibs@gmail.com
415 706 6934
Attorney Membership

Bartlett Williams
Williams & Gumbiner LLP
bwilliams@williamsgumbiner.com
415 755 1880
Affiliate Student

Office Space, Employment Opportunities, Services and More...
MCBA encourages submission of articles that may interest the legal community. The editor reserves the right to publish, decline to publish, edit, or otherwise modify any submission. Editorial material should be sent to Marin County Bar Association by email.