The Girardi Effect: Spotting Ethical Red Flags and Protecting Your Practice

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When: June 25th, 2025 from 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM

Where: Zoom

MCLE: 1.0 Hour (Ethics)

Speaker: Doug Ridley, Esq.

Douglas Ridley is the Managing Attorney at Ridley Defense and a former Ventura County Deputy District Attorney with over 25 years of experience. He focuses exclusively on criminal defense and is a recognized leader in ethics and mental health advocacy within the legal system. Doug also teaches at Pepperdine Law School, leads the Ventura County Criminal Defense Bar Association, and is a frequent speaker on legal ethics, attorney wellness, and trauma-informed defense.

Price: $20 Members $25 Non-Members

Click the link HERE to pay online.

Contact Information: Please RSVP to Doug Ridley at [email protected] or Marietta Jablonka at [email protected]

Click here to view our refund policy.

SB 940: Latest Developments in ADR Certification & Avoiding the Risks

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When: Wednesday July 9th, 2025 at Noon

Where: Zoom (link

MCLE: 1.0 Hour (Including ETHICS Specialization)

SB 940 created a new system for certifying ADR neutrals designed chiefly to encourage commitment to various ethical standards. But it delegated to the State Bar the task of working out much of the detail. What led to this legislation? Does it really solve a problem? What will it entail? What problems could result? How can it be implemented to mitigate the risks? When will it go into effect And what do ADR neutrals need to do to prepare? This program will address all of these questions and more, bringing you up to date on the latest developments about this still-evolving controversial enactment.

Speaker: John Derrick

John Derrick is a full-time mediator and arbitrator. He is the Co-Chair of the ADR Section of the Santa Barbara County Bar and currently also serves on the ADR Standing Committee of the Litigation Section of the California Lawyers Association. In recent months, he has written and spoken widely — and critically — on the topic of SB 940 certification.

Price: $20.00 

Registration: Please click the link HERE to register & pay online

Questions? Please send any questions you may have to [email protected]

Click here to view our refund policy.

2025 Past Presidents Luncheon

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A Call to Judges and Past Presidents of the SBCBA to Save the Date!
2025 Past Presidents Luncheon

When: June 5th, 2025

Where: University Club of Santa Barbara

Invitations will go out in May. If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact Marietta Jablonka at [email protected] or call (805) 569-5511.

Also, if anyone has a new associate working for them that was admitted to the bar in 2024, please forward their names so they may be invited to the luncheon. The event is for new bar admittees and is a prime opportunity to meet and mingle with distinguished members of the bench and bar.

Click the link HERE to pay & register online!

Transitioning from Dissomaster to X-Spouse

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Transitioning from Dissomaster to X-Spouse
Presented by: Xspouse

When: Friday, March 28th, 2025, at 2:45 PM

Where: Zoom (link HERE)

MCLE: 1.0 General Credit
PLEASE NOTE THERE IS NO CHARGE TO ATTEND UNLESS YOU WANT MCLE CREDIT

The earliest versions of DissoMaster were programmed by the founder of Xspouse. With a common heritage both programs are very similar underneath slightly different. This presentation shows DissoMaster users where DissoMaster features are found in Xspouse.

Speaker: Bohdan Harasymiw

Bohdan Harasymiw is the CEO of Tolapa, Inc., creators of Xspouse. His involvement with Xspouse started during its early development, when he supported Sav Harasymiv, the program’s creator, with testing and technical expertise. After Sav’s passing, Bohdan, along with his brother Taras, took over managing Tolapa Inc. and Xspouse. He has since led the company through key phases of growth and innovation, combining his scientific knowledge, business skills, and leadership to ensure the organization’s ongoing success.

Bohdan graduated with first-class honors in Zoology from the Australian National University and holds an MBA in Corporate Finance and Marketing from Monash University. He began his career at the State Electricity Commission of Victoria, leading teams to assess the environmental impact of brown coal power stations on river systems. His work included mine closure planning and modeling hydrology and water chemistry for future pit lakes. Bohdan also worked in the dairy industry, providing consultancy on waste minimization and biogas recovery.

Price: $20
To receive MCLE click the link HERE to pay online.

Click here to view our refund policy

Annual Summer BBQ Soiree

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The Santa Barbara County Bar Association Invites Members, Guests & Families to honor our Judges at our Annual BBQ!

When: Friday, June 20th at 5:00PM

Where: Tucker’s Grove Park Area 2
4800 Cathedral Oaks Road

Price:
Member $50
Non-Member $60
Public Interest/Student $30
Kids $5

Make checks payable to SBCBA, 15 W. Carrillo, Ste.106
Please click the link HERE for credit card payments

Sponsorship Opportunities available!

Sponsorship Packages:

Gold Banner Sponsor $500
– 2 Tickets
– Name & logo on banner

Silver Banner Sponsor $250
– 1 Ticket
– Name & logo on banner

Click the link HERE to view the sponsorship form.
Contact: [email protected]

Time to Register! 2025 Bench & Bar Conference

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2025 Bench and Bar Conference
Saturday, January 25th, 2025

Join us as we explore relevant legal and social issues, including elimination of bias, civility, civil rights, criminal law, wellness, and the second amendment.

Hybrid Zoom/In Person Presentation at the Colleges of Law – Santa Barbara Campus (20 E. Victoria Street)

Lunch and refreshments provided

6 hours MCLE credit, including wellness, competency, and elimination of bias

Keynote Speaker:
Hon. Hernaldo Baltodano

Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal
Second Appellate District, Division Six

Schedule:
Saturday, January 25, 2024

Arrival: 8:15 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.
Presentations: 9:00 A.M. – 4:10 P.M.
Social Hour: 4:10 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.

Cost: $60 Members $75 Non-Members (click the link HERE to register online!)

Time to Register! 2025 Bench & Bar Conference

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2025 Bench and Bar Conference
Saturday, January 25th, 2025

Join us as we explore relevant legal and social issues, including elimination of bias, civility, civil rights, criminal law, wellness, and the second amendment.

Hybrid Zoom/In Person Presentation at the Colleges of Law – Santa Barbara Campus (20 E. Victoria Street)

Lunch and refreshments provided

6 hours MCLE credit, including wellness, competency, and elimination of bias

Keynote Speaker:
Hon. Hernaldo Baltodano

Associate Justice of the Court of Appeal
Second Appellate District, Division Six

Schedule:
Saturday, January 25, 2024

Arrival: 8:15 A.M. – 9:00 A.M.
Presentations: 9:00 A.M. – 4:10 P.M.
Social Hour: 4:10 P.M. – 5:30 P.M.

Cost: $60 Members $75 Non-Members (click the link HERE to register online!)

 

Using AI for Legal Tasks: Ethical Issues and Practical Guidance

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When: Thursday December 12th, 2024, 12:00 – 1:15 PM

Where: Zoom (click the link HERE to join)

MCLE: 1.0 Hour Ethics

The use of artificial intelligence tools raises many ethical issues for attorneys in the areas of confidentiality, competence, supervision of non-lawyer personnel, communication with and billing of clients, and candor to tribunals. We will consider sections of the California Rules of Professional Conduct and Business and Professions Code that may affect attorneys’ engagement with AI and provide practical guidance for its ethical use in the practice of law. In addition, we will discuss federal cases concerning the dangers of AI-generated “hallucination” output, the use of large language models for interpreting contracts, statutes, and other legal documents, and a sampling of judges’ local rules concerning the use of AI.

Speaker: Michael D. Harris, SoCal IP Law Group

Michael Harris is a partner in the Westlake Village office of SoCal IP Law Group. His practice focuses on litigation, prosecution, and licensing in the areas of patent, trademark, and copyright, and on advising clients about enforcing their IP rights and avoiding infringement. Mr. Harris began his career as a patent examiner at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office before moving to private practice with IP-centric firms in the Los Angeles area. He has served as president of the Century City Bar Association and on the Board of Governors of the Los Angeles County Bar Association. Mr. Harris earned his undergraduate degree in engineering from Purdue University and his law degree from Washington College of Law at American University in Washington, D.C.

Reservation:
To receive the meeting link via email, please respond by Tuesday, December 10th to Marietta Jablonka at [email protected] AND to Chris Kopitzke at [email protected]
You can also find the meeting link HERE

Cost: $20.00

Mail checks by Tuesday, December 10th payable to Santa Barbara County Bar Association, 15 W. Carrillo St., Suite 106, Santa Barbara, CA 93101

To Pay Online: Click the link HERE

Questions? Please email [email protected]

Click here to view our refund policy.

Santa Barbara ADR: The View from the Court

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Date: Thursday December 5, 2024, at 3:00 PM
Place: Department 5, Santa Barbara Superior Court
MCLE: 1.0 Hour (General)

Moderator: John Derrick

Judge Colleen Sterne, who presides over the Santa Barbara Superior Court’s ADR programs, will be joined by Judge Frank Ochoa (Ret.) — who first brought ADR programs to the Court at a time when they were truly pioneering — and Vance Saukko, the CADRe coordinator, in a not-to-be-missed MCLE presentation.

Topics to be covered include:

  • The history of the current ADR programs.
  • An overview of how they operate.
  • Best practices for both litigators and neutrals.

Whether you litigate cases in the Santa Barbara Superior Court, are currently a neutral in any of the court programs, or would like to become one, this is a unique event to get fully up to speed on how best to use and contribute to these valuable programs.

The event will allow for audience members to provide their own perspectives and ask questions. Whether you are seasoned in Santa Barbara ADR or newer to it, there are plenty of reasons to attend.

Cost: $20 (click the link here to register/pay online)

Click here to view our refund policy

Well-Being in Law Week

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SPECIAL EVENT: WELL-BEING IN LAW WEEK
WEEK-LONG EVENT BY ZOOM

Co-Hosted by Robin Oaks, SBCBA Director of Well-Being,
Attorney at Law and Well-being Coach/Trainer/Consultant

Monday, October 28 Through Friday, November 1, 2024; Each Day at Noon – 1:15 pm

Five days of nationally recognized speakers presenting about well-being in law each – at noon by Zoom (click the link here). Earn MCLE Credits (5 hrs. total.) Wellness Competence, Ethics and Elimination of Bias.

Come listen to and engage with a stellar line-up of nationally recognized presenters sharing wellness and well-being strategies and specific topics of interest for all legal professionals.

Lawyer MCLE Credits for Each Presentation
AND Daily Drawings for Fabulous Prizes!

COST:
Weeklong Package: $120 Members, $30 Individual Session
$140 Non-Members/$35 Individual Session
$90 Weeklong Package for Students/Legal Staff/$25 Individual Session
Click the link here to register online.

Day One:

DATE/TIME: Monday, October 28, 2024, Time: 12:00 – 1:15 pm BY ZOOM
MCLE CREDIT: 1/2 hour WELLNESS COMPETENCE: 1/2 hour ELIMINATION OF BIAS
TOPIC: Unlearning Silence to Unleash Our Talents and Support Legal (and Life) Success

Elaine Lin Hering, J.D., facilitator, speaker, and author of Unlearning Silence, How to Speak
Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully:

Ms. Hering will explore how we silence ourselves, we silence others, and how we are silenced by those at work and in our lives. She’ll highlight the many meanings of silence, its negative impacts, and how unlearning silence can support success as legal practitioners and life
satisfaction.

Day Two:

DATE/TIME: Tuesday October 29, 2024, Time: 12:00 – 1:15 pm BY ZOOM
MCLE CREDIT: 1 Hour WELLNESS COMPETENCE
TOPIC: Psychological Well-being for Legal Professionals: What is it and how do we find it?

Dr. Nicole Alea Albada, Ph.D., Professor/Researcher UCSB Psychological and Brain Sciences Dept., Director for Education and Outreach, Center for Aging and Longevity Studies, Director of the Thinking About Life Experiences (TALE) Lab:

Dr. Albada will explore how psychologists measure well-being, and outline how our minds and well-being pathways across our legal career timelines affect fostering and experiencing well-being.

Day Three:

DATE/TIME: Wednesday, October 30, 2024 Time: 12:00 – 1:15 pm BY ZOOM
MCLE CREDIT: 1/2 hour WELLNESS COMPETENCE, 1/2 hour ETHICS
TOPIC: How Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence Impact Judicial Decision-making and Ethics, and Buffer Law Practice Stressors

Judge Jeremy Fogel, Director of Berkeley Judicial Institute, Berkeley Law School.

Judge Fogel will explore the factors affecting judge’s decision-making, and ways to address the stressors legal practitioners face, while sharing how mindfulness and emotional intelligence skills – and compassion, positively promote ethical and civil conduct and optimize legal outcomes.

Day Four:

DATE/TIME: Thursday, October 31, 2024, Time: 12:00 – 1:15 pm BY ZOOM
MCLE CREDIT: 1 hour WELLNESS COMPETENCE
TOPIC: Successfully Overcoming Procrastination and Writer’s Block

David Rasch, PhD, psychologist and author of The Blocked Writers Book of the Dead: Bring Your Writing Back to Life!:

Lawyers, judges, law students, and law professors often struggle with starting, sustaining, and completing legal writing projects. Dr. Rasch and attorney Meehan Rasch explore the complexities of the legal writing process, common issues, and practical tools for improving writing productivity.

Day Five:

DATE/TIME: National Love a Lawyer Day Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, Time: 12:00 – 1:15 BY ZOOM
MCLE CREDIT: 1 hour WELLNESS COMPETENCE
TOPIC: A Cardiologist’s Holistic and Evidence-based Guidance for Managing Stress and Lawyering and Living “Whole-Heartedly”
PRESENTATION: Dr. Jonathan Fisher, M.D., FACC, author of Just One Heart, A
Cardiologist’s Guide to Healing, Health, and Happiness (2024)

Dr. Jonathan Fisher, a practicing cardiologist, will present about the mind-body and heart connection and the “seven timeless traits of the heart” for stress management, successful legal practice – and life satisfaction. Highlighting the similar stressors that doctors and lawyers face, Dr. Fisher will share the science and strategies that he teaches his patients and colleagues, and he learned from his own quest discovering the roots of healing, health, and happiness.

COST:
Weeklong Package: $120 Members, $30 Individual Session
$140 Non-Members/$35 Individual Session
$90 Weeklong Package for Students/Legal Staff
Click the link here to register online.

Click here to view our refund policy

GIFTS FROM COMMUNITY DONORS FOSTERING WELL-BEING IN LAW
FIVE DAY SBCBA WELL-BEING IN LAW WEEK EVENT DRAWING

Gifts will be randomly drawn from each of the following well-being categories at the end of each talk. Five lucky winners EACH day! Must be present (by Zoom) to win the drawing gifts.
Good Luck – Be well!

Fostering Well-Being Fun Connections 

  • Gift Certificate for 4-some for golf and carts, after 11am ($376 value) at Santa Barbara Golf Club, Santa Barbara, CA
  • Gift Certificate ($200) for Namaste Indian Bistro restaurant. Santa Barbara, CA.
  • Gift Certificate ($50) for Los Arroyos restaurant. Santa Barbara and Goleta locations.
  • Gift Certificate for 1 hour individualized private golf coaching lesson with Michael Koskin: Golf Pro at Sandpiper Golf Club, Goleta, CA.
  • Gift certificate ($175) for Santa Barbara Salt Caves; meditation in pink Himalayan salt cave rooms, massage/facials, sound healing sessions, unique/locally made health & cooking products.

Well-Being Support Experiences

  • 1 hour phone consultation ($250 value) with Stephanie Kerst, certified Building Biology Environmental Consultant (BBEC); Sage Living; expert, science-based individualized advice for minimizing EMF exposure and for creating environmentally safe/healthy home and work spaces.
  • Gift Certificate ($105 value) for 5 yoga sessions/classes at Yoga Soup. Santa Barbara, CA
  • Gift Certificate ($95); for one full session or two people for half sessions at The Light Zone with Hana Haig; offering red LED light sessions for addressing inflammation, pain, skin rejuvenation, wound issues, and mood/metabolism regulation. Santa Barbara, CA
  • 1 session ($100 value) thirty minutes with Cecily Longo, MFT; counsel/demonstrate re: Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT); a mind-body practice strategy for emotional and nervous system self-regulation and stress management. Santa Barbara, CA
  • Gift Certificate ($50) Island Seed & Feed; safe, natural garden, pet, seed, farm supplies: principles of urban sustainability, organic horticulture and community responsibility. Goleta, CA

Wellness Body-Mind Services

  • Gift Certificate ($275) for Zen Spa (Facials/Skin Treatments). Santa Barbara, CA
  • Gift Certificate ($150) for Evolutions Medical & Day Spa (Facials/Massages). Santa Barbara
  • Gift Certificate ($100) for Patricia Folk (LMT) deep tissue/Swedish massage session. Goleta, CA
  • Gift Certificate ($140) for Joanne Station (LMT) 75 minutes integrative therapeutic massage session (“Serving the Women of Santa Barbara”). Goleta, CA.
  • Gift Certificate ($135 value) for Cielo Spa for one Custom Facial Session. Santa Barbara, CA

Life-Long Learning and/or the Arts for Lawyers’ Well-Being

  • Gift Certificate: Ensemble Theatre Company ($200 value) at the New Vic – TWO tickets for any ETC production for any time through the year (November 1, 2024 through November 30, 2025)
  • Books: The Best Lawyer You Can Be; A Guide to Physical, Mental, Emotional and Spiritual Wellness (Compiled by Steward Levine) ABA Law Practice Division AND Positive Professionals: Creating High Performing Profitable Firms Through the Science of Engagement by Anne Brafford, ABA Law Practice Division.
  • Books by the Well-Being in Law Week Speakers:
    • Book: Just One Heart, A Cardiologist’s Guide to Health Healing and Happiness by Dr. Jonathan Fisher (2024)
    • Book: Unlearning Silence, How to Speak Your Mind, Unleash Talent, and Live More Fully, by Lawyer Elaine Lin Hering (2024)
    • Book: The Blocked Writer’s Book of the Dead – Bring Your Writing Back to Life, by David Rasch, Ph.D.

PLUS, EACH DAY FOR A LUCKY WELL-BEING IN LAW WINNER– One bag of Organic Purity Coffee, Whole Bean, from environmentally and socially responsible Purity Coffee, free of contaminants, wellness-focused blends: Balance, Protect, Flow, Ease, Calm (Total $135 value)