As an undergraduate, my school had something called “Feb Club.” The idea was that February was so dark and cold and dull that we needed to have a party every night of the month to keep our spirits up and Feb Club provided that. This was not the most constructive approach to our mental health but we were young and it was fun. You can find many better options in Andy Wolfe and Barbara Monty’s article on stress relief. As the article makes clear, struggles with mental health issues are widespread in our profession. And as our President notes in his message this month, many of you have expressed a desire for MCBA to help. Andy and Barbara’s article is a good start, with some tips for things you can do on your own to groups here in Marin that offer different options for stress relief. I encourage all of our readers to let Barbara, Andy or me know of other groups and approaches and tips and we will keep you informed of these throughout the year.

Charlie Dresow (our President-Elect) opines on the lifelong effects of a criminal conviction and how California’s new “ban the box” law is a good start to remedying the injustice but does not go far enough. And this month’s Guest Editor, Nicole Çabalette, gives an overview of several new real estate laws we should all be aware of. Many thanks to Nicole for her efforts this month, which include a recap of our first general membership luncheon of the year. If you missed that luncheon, you missed a fascinating talk on the current state of politics, media and the first amendment so be sure to check out her article for some of what you missed. And if you’d like to go to next month’s membership luncheon, you have a chance to do so for free with a new feature in this month’s issue of the Marin Lawyer—see the separate blurb about what to do if you spot the hidden gavel in one of this month’s articles.

Finally, be sure to check out MCBA’s Facebook page for photos from January’s luncheon and even more photos from our Annual Installation Gala. As always, I encourage you to get in touch with me about what you’d like to see in the Marin Lawyer, including something you’d like to write, or with your reactions to this month’s articles. And be sure to get in touch with Matt White if you have any items for his gossip column. Happy February!