Mission Statement

To involve, encourage and support Bar Association members, to serve as a liaison to the Marin County courts, and to educate the community and enhance access to legal services.

Marin County Bar Association Statement in Support of the Rule of Law and the Legal Profession

The Marin County Bar Association (MCBA) joins the American Bar Association and bar associations across the nation in reaffirming our steadfast commitment to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and the critical role attorneys play in upholding justice and safeguarding democratic institutions.

Recent efforts by government officials to publicly criticize and seek punitive measures against members of the judiciary for their rulings, as well as to target lawyers and law firms for the clients they represent, pose a serious threat to the integrity of our legal system. These actions jeopardize judicial independence, compromise the right to legal representation, and risk eroding public confidence in our courts.

As stated in the March 2025 joint statement issued by the American Bar Association and more than 140 bar organizations nationwide, the legal profession must remain united in defending the principle that courts must be able to operate free from political interference, and that lawyers must be able to represent clients without fear of reprisal. To do otherwise would be to endanger the constitutional guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law.

We echo the words of Chief Justice John Roberts in his 2024 Year-End Report on the Federal Judiciary: “Attempts to intimidate judges for their rulings in cases are inappropriate and should be vigorously opposed.” Judicial independence is not a political issue—it is a foundational tenet of our democracy.

Attorneys, likewise, have a professional and constitutional duty to represent clients—regardless of how contentious or unpopular the matter may be. Legal advocacy is not an endorsement of a client’s position; rather, it is an affirmation of the core legal principle that every person is entitled to counsel and a fair hearing. Targeting lawyers for fulfilling this duty undermines the adversarial system and weakens access to justice.

The legal profession must not remain silent. We have a responsibility—not just to our clients, but to our courts, our communities, and the Constitution—to speak out when the rule of law is under attack.

The Marin County Bar Association stands in solidarity with the American Bar Association and our fellow bar associations in rejecting these dangerous attempts to erode public trust in our legal institutions. We call on lawyers, judges, and legal leaders at every level to defend the independence of our courts and the integrity of our profession.

We stand for our colleagues.

We stand for our courts.

We stand for the Constitution.

We stand for the Rule of Law.

Calendar

Wed | Jul 16

12-1P

Estate Planning, Trust and Probate
1.0 CLE | General

Thu | Aug 07

5-6:30P

General

Wed | Sep 03

12-1P

Estate Planning, Trust and Probate
Brown Bag Lunch
News
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Jun 30, 2025
By Kristine Fowler Cirby

As attorneys, we invoke the Rule of Law often—sometimes as a rallying cry, other times as a shield. But what does it really mean?

Jun 30, 2025
By Robyn B. Christo, Esq.

We chose "The Rule of Law" as our theme for this issue because it feels urgent and personal right now. The pieces in this issue reflect a legal profession grappling with challenges that feel different from anything we've faced before. Our contributors aren't just writing about abstract constitutional principles—they're wrestling with whether those principles will survive intact.

Jun 30, 2025
By Judge James M. Schurz - Superior Court of California, County of Marin

The first package to arrive in the mail following my appointment to the Marin Superior Court was Judge David Rothman’s treatise, The California Judicial Conduct Handbook. Weighing in at 971 pages, it is a formidable piece of scholarship. It landed on
our doorstep two weeks before the judicial robe from academicapparel.com arrived and
posed a far more significant challenge in terms of preparing for my new job.

Jun 30, 2025
By Elizabeth Bohannon, JD, PCC, CPCC

My grandparents stared out the window of their fourth-story apartment, looking down on
the streets of Budapest. Blood still stained the pavement. Bouquets marked the places
where the dead had fallen. Bullet holes pockmarked the buildings. The air hung heavy
with the smell of smashed hope.

Jun 30, 2025
By David F. Feingold

The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary in the same hands … may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. James Madison, Federalist Paper No. 47, 1778

Without an independent judiciary… all the reservations of particular rights or privileges would amount to nothing. Alexander Hamilton, the Federalist No. 78, 1778

Jun 30, 2025
By Len Rifkind

President Trump and his administration through its policies and executive orders enacted in its first 100 days represent an unprecedented assault against the rule of law, an open attack on the foundational concept of an independent judiciary, resulting in a hemorrhage of our constitutional system by seeking to disembowel a co-equal branch of our constitutional republic--the judiciary-by reducing or eliminating due process and equal protection.


Membership

Members who make time to meet with their colleagues at MCBA events gain value from local connections and stay current with updates in the courts. Marin Superior Court Judges often comment that the most skilled lawyers are usually active MCBA members.

Sections

MCBA offers Sections in 12 legal practice areas. Each Section provides continuing legal education (CLE) and offers networking opportunities tailored to its members.

Community

MCBA provides resource listings for community services including low cost legal services, attorney referral services, partnerships with community legal organizations, and mediation services.

Directory

Browse our member directory for member listings in numerous legal practice areas.

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