FEATURE STORY swer session, and a generous lunch, the event closed with a panel of two local judges (Hon. Chris Krueger and Hon. Gerrit Wood) and two local attorneys (County Counsel Denis Zilaff and estate-planning attorney Stephanie Epolite), that addressed the topic “Clergy’s Role for the Aging Parishioner,” and gave a thumbnail sketch of conservatorships, guardianships, and other useful information. This generated lively and focused questions by clergy who have parishioners facing urgent issues needing legal intervention, including elder financial abuse, grandparents taking primary care of grandchildren, and the like. A detailed handout was provided to assist the clergy in understanding how the court system can help address these and other issues. Of course, the first stab at any new endeavor is not flawless. Sometimes it took effort to see how each expert’s views—religious, judicial, or scientific—subserved the overarching theme of the day. But the breakout question-and-answer sessions did much to shape the tesserae into the following coherent mosaic: Local judges and clergy not only may discuss areas of mutual interest, for the good of the community they all serve, they must do so.
1 See Rothman, Cal. Judicial Conduct Handbook (3d ed. 2007), Judicial Behavior and Its Implications, § 2:12, p. 53; id., Abuse of Judicial Power, § 3:60, p. 148; In re Quall (June 6, 2008) Cal. Comm. Jud. Performance [inducing contributions to missionary activities]; In re Quirk (La. 1997) 705 So.2d 172 [ordering attendance at church]; accord D. Walsh, “Shasta atheist wins $2 million settlement over drug program,” Sacramento Bee, Oct. 14, 2014, p. B-1 [parolee required to acknowledge a “higher power”]. 2 Many thanks to Senior Rabbi Mona Alfi, who opened B’Nai Israel’s stunning temple sanctuary and dining hall to the event. B’nai Israel is California’s oldest Jewish congregation, dating to the Gold Rush. See www. bnais.com/index.php/about-us/our-history. 3 For some historical context on judicial outreach to clergy, and the longstanding contributions of Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Richard L. Fruin, Jr., see Fruin, Judicial Outreach to Religious Leaders (Spring 2003), 42 The Judges’ Journal 34; and Guccione, Helping Clergy Help Their Parishioners, id. at p. 37.
Vicki Jacobs is the Managing Attorney of the Voluntary Legal Services Program. She may be contacted at vjacobs@vlsp.org.
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lawyer’s first appearance in court is something to be remembered, even in its banality. Mine occurred back in 1984, when I appeared in front of a judge at a simple arbitration status conference. My palms were clammy, and you would think it was the first day of trial. I had been prepared by my supervising partner as to what to expect; nevertheless, I did not want to make a mistake. When the subject of mentorship in the legal profession is discussed (and it is a hot topic these days), I often remember how I felt that day, 31 years ago, and am grateful that I have had many mentors throughout my legal career. These were not always painless relationships, but I learned from each of my mentors. It was a mutually beneficial relationship, and, although my value to the firm increased, I also sensed that these mentors enjoyed passing on their knowledge gained through years of experience in the trenches. At the Voluntary Legal Services Program, we are committed to providing opportunities to local law students to develop the skills they will need as future lawyers. Our commitment can be fulfilled with the help of experienced attorneys who are willing to mentor law students by helping them provide pro bono services to VLSP’s low income clients at our Employment Law Clinic. If you would like a chance to mentor a future lawyer and help an indigent Sacramento area resident with a legal problem, we invite you to volunteer at our Employment Law Clinic. VLSP’s Employment Law Clinic is held twice a month on Tuesday evening, starting at 5:30 pm. Our clients have a variety of employment related problems: unemployment insurance denials, wage and hour violation claims, wrongful termination questions, and disability discrimination claims. We currently do
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Doing Good for the Profession and for the Public by Vicki Jacobs not assist with pension issues or worker’s compensation matters. Each client is interviewed by a law student who is observed (and assisted as needed) by a mentor attorney. The mentors also help their mentees present their cases to our separate panel of experienced employment law attorneys who provide advice to be conveyed to the client by the law student with oversight by the mentor. Having a lawyer in the client interview room with the law student intern is a change from the previous structure of our clinic, and helps strengthen the mentor/mentee relationship. We encourage mentors to provide feedback (both positive and “instructional”) to our law student interns so that their skills can improve. We have outlines of questions to be asked for each type of employment law problem, so you do not need to be knowledgeable about employment law to participate. You just need to know how to interview a client and garner the information that is needed for our panel attorneys to render advice on the client’s problem. You need not take any pro bono work home with you at the end of the clinic. As of the writing of this article, we have had four clinics where we have used this new mentor/mentee format, and we have already seen tremendous improvement in the law students’ interviewing and presentation skills. Further, the mentors are enjoying their mentor experience. If you, or your associates, enjoy working with law students and can use your legal skills to focus on the facts and spot potential issues during a client interview, you would be a great asset to our program. Please contact Heather Tiffee, our Staff Attorney for the Employment Law Clinic, at htiffee@vlsp. org for more information.
www.sacbar.org | May/June 2015 | SACRAMENTO LAWYER
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