Q1 2026 Magazine

Q1 2026

NORTH COUNTY LAWYER

Magazine

NORT BAR A H COUNT Y SSOCI AT I O N

LEADING LADIES Featured Articles Full Throttle Advocacy: From the cab of an 18‑wheeler to the cockpit of a drone, two attorneys who learned their clients' worlds from the inside

Her Practice Takes Flight: A Bird’s‑Eye View of Construction Law

Leading Ladies of North County: Suzanne Skolnick and Erica Bloom, Turning One-Year Terms into Lasting Change

Larry Campitiello, Esq. Page 22

Kaitlin Endres‑Guenniche Page 26

Stephanie S. Germani, Esq. Page 26

Proudly serving the North County legal community since 1956 Visit us online www.northcountybar.org

NORTH COUNTY LAWYER

Magazine

Published by the North County Bar Association Phone: (760) 758-5833 E-mail: info@northcountybar.org www.northcountybar.org P.O. Box 2381, Vista, CA 92085 © 2023 North County Bar Association Board of Directors Erica Bloom, President Angela Medrano, Vice President Katharine Tremblay, Vice President Ed Burns, Vice President Carmela Birnbaum, Director Avneet Sidhu, Director Hon. Harry Powazek (Ret.), Director Alan Mansfield, Director Reid Chambers, Director Dawn Bowers, Director Nichole Dominguez, Director Christine Pal Staff: Camden Retzlaff, Executive Director Q1 Editor: Arianna Lara Bonillia Editorial Committee: Lesly J. Adams, Esq., Darwin Bustarde, Esq., Ruth Marvin Webster, Esq., Bill Kamenjarin, Esq., Larry Campitiello , Esq.,

Our mission is to promote professional excellence, camaraderie, philanthropy, and community outreach.

The North County Lawyer Magazine is published quarterly by the North County Bar Association.

Subscriptions, articles, photos and advertising should be submitted to: North County Bar Association, P. O. Box 2381, Vista, CA 92085 or info@northcountybar.org, or (760) 758-5833.

The subscription rate for non-members is $40 per year. Deadline for submissions is the 10th of the month prior to publication. The North County Lawyer reserves the right to edit all submissions.

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NORTH COUNTY LAWYER

2026 SUSTAINING MEMBERS Gold Sustaining Members Charles Richmond Ramon Salgado Edward Burns James Bush Darwin Bustarde Cristal Cabrera Paul Campo Howard Franco Michael Friedrichs Daniel Martin Jodi Schnoebelen Debra Streeter

Silver Sustaining Members Lesly Adams Erica Bloom Melissa Bustarde John Crawford Amber Crothall Susanne De La FLor Rich Gaines Andrea Gherini Robert Heft Russell Kohn David Larkin Gregory Lievers Vanessa McKinnon Kelly Reid Suzanne Skolnick Alicia Skow Herbert Weston Tanya Weston

CONTENTS 2026 Q1 4.

Editor’s Letter Arianna Lara Bonilla

5.

President’s Perspective Erica Bloom, Esq.

8.

2026 Installation Dinner Recap

15.

Q1: At a Glance

22. Full Throttle Advocacy Larry Campitiello, Esq. 26. Bird’s‑Eye View of Construction Law Kaitlin Endres‑Guenniche 31.

Leading Ladies of North County Stephanie S. Germani, Esq.

36. From Chaos to Clarity SSA Insurance Services

To be a "Gold" or "Silver" Sustaining Member, a member pays the regular dues for the appropriate category, plus an additional $500 or $250 per year. Members are recognized in each North County Lawyer Magazine publishing and on the bar's web page.

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GUEST

Q1 2026

EDITOR’S LETTER This issue highlights the members who continue to shape our bar through service, mentorship, and leadership at every stage of their careers.

We begin with “Reflections from the 2026 Installation Dinner” where we gathered to celebrate a new term of service. We also recognized the dedication of law librarians who continue to serve as an essential resource to our legal community.

In our “At a Glance" section, we visit traditions that bring camaraderie to a profession through the popular pickleball tournament. Our future articles take a closer look at advocacy and practicing action– from “Full Throttle Advocacy,” which explores how attorneys deepen their understanding of clients’ industries by stepping directly into their world, to “Her Practice Takes Flight” which follows the evolving career of a construction law practitioner whose path has included unexpected detours and new perspectives.

We also highlight members of our community in “Raising the Bar” including recognition of Stephanie Germani, Esq. for her “Service by a New Lawyer” award underscoring the many ways excellence continues to be acknowledged and celebrated within our profession.

Finally, we turn to our feature on women in leadership, “Leading Ladies of North County,” reflecting on the journeys of attorneys such as Susan Skolnick and Erica Bloom. Their service as bar presidents reminds us that leadership does not conclude at the end of the term, but rather continues to evolve and deepen through ongoing service.

It is our hope that this issue serves as both a celebration and a reminder of the strength, creativity, and commitment of the members of our North County legal community. We hope you enjoy this issue and will join us for the upcoming bench and bar dinner as we continue to celebrate some of the many colleagues who make our bar so vibrant.

Arianna Lara Bonilla NCBA Law Student Member Arianna is a rising 3L at California Western School of Law.

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PRESIDENT’S PERSPECTIVE With Erica Bloom, Esq. 2026 NCBA President This year marks a truly special milestone for the North County Bar as we celebrate our 70th year of service to the legal community, and it is a privilege beginning this year as President.

Reaching seven decades is an extraordinary accomplishment and a testament to the generations

of

attorneys,

judges,

and

community leaders who have dedicated their time,

energy,

and

professionalism

to

strengthening our organization and the legal profession as a whole. As we reflect on this milestone, I am proud of the strong start we have had to 2026 and grateful for the enthusiasm and engagement of our members.

We began the year with an outstanding Installation Dinner in January, where we officially swore in our new Board of Directors.

The evening was well attended and served as a wonderful reminder of the strength of our legal community and the importance of continued leadership within our organization. I would like to thank everyone who attended and supported the event as we launched this important anniversary year.

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Member engagement has continued throughout the spring with many successful happy hours and networking meetups, all of which brought together attorneys, judges, law students, and legal professionals in a relaxed and collegial setting. Last month’s gathering at Pure Project Brewing was especially well attended, thanks in large part to the generous sponsorship provided by Donovan Filipi from Merrill Lynch Special Needs Team. These events have created valuable opportunities for members to reconnect, build new professional relationships, and strengthen the sense of community that makes our bar association so special.

On April 18, we hosted our Second Annual Pickleball

Tournament,

which

was

another

tremendous success. The event combined friendly competition with great camaraderie and showcased the fun and supportive spirit of our membership.

Congratulations to Matthew Ramirez and Law Student Anahit Ani Urfalyan, for taking home this year’s championship title. It is always encouraging to see law students and newer members actively participating in bar activities and becoming part of our professional community.

We are also looking forward to our upcoming May Faire at El Camino Country Club, one of the events I am most excited about this year. The May Faire is an important opportunity to celebrate diversity, equity, and inclusion within the legal profession and to recognize the contributions of our many minority bar associations. Events like this remind us that our profession is strongest when it reflects and supports the diversity of the communities we serve.

In addition, we are eagerly anticipating our annual Bench & Bar Dinner on June 23 at The Crossings at Carlsbad.

We are honored to welcome Presiding Judge Groch as our guest for the evening. The Bench & Bar Dinner continues to be one of the premier events of the year, bringing together members of the bench and bar in the spirit of professionalism, collaboration, and mutual respect.

As we continue through this landmark 70th year, I remain deeply appreciative of our Board of Directors, committee members, volunteers, sponsors, and all of our members who contribute to the success of this organization. Your involvement and commitment are what make this association thrive.

I look forward to celebrating the remainder of 2026 together and continuing to build upon the strong foundation established over the past seventy years!

Very Truly Yours, Erica

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2026

INSTALLATION DINNER

Recap

At this year’s Installation Dinner, the North County Bar Association gathered in style at The Crossings at Carlsbad, where more than 120 distinguished guests came together for an evening of celebration and connection. The event honored the dedication and achievements of our outgoing officers and President, while also shining a spotlight on valued members of our legal community. In a meaningful and forward-looking moment, we proudly welcomed and swore in our new board members, marking the beginning of an exciting chapter for the Association.

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President’s Award Each year, the President of the North County Bar Association selects an individual whose dedication, leadership, and service exemplify the values and mission of our Association. The President’s Award is a special honor recognizing extraordinary commitment to the legal community and meaningful contributions that have strengthened NCBA and the profession as a whole.

We were proud to present the President’s Award to an individual whose impact has been felt through service, mentorship, and unwavering support of the North County legal community, Larry Campitiello!

Larry Campitiello, Esq.

Larry Campitiello, Esq and Suzanne Skolnick, 2025 NCBA President.

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Honoring our Law Librarians: For decades, the Vista branch of the San Diego Law Library was more than a research space; it was North County’s legal living room, shaped and sustained by Deb Morse and Cheryl Weeks-Frey.

Through mentorship, encouragement, and an unwavering commitment to service, Deb and Cheryl supported generations of attorneys, judges, and community members as they found their footing in practice.

They were guides, teachers, confidants, and champions of access to justice, creating a place where people felt welcomed, supported, and understood. At this year’s Installation Dinner, we are honored to recognize their extraordinary legacy and the lasting impact they have had on our legal community.

Click here to read the article about the Vista Law Library.

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1985 Past Bar President, Richard Muir,in attendance and sharing his NCBA badge.

Justice William Dato swears in Erica Bloom, Esq. as 2026 NCBA President Justice William Dato swears in 2026 NCBA Directors.

Honored guest, Cheryl WeeksFrey, and her Granddaughter.

Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, The Lawyer Referral Service of the Bar Association of Northern San Diego County, and Executive Sponsor, JAMS. As well as a thank you to our Silver Sponsor, AK Injury Law Firm, and Friend of the Bar Sponsors, Greg Lievers, Esq, and The San Diego Law Library. By sponsoring NCBA events or advertising in The North County Lawyer, you help us continue that tradition.

PRESENTING

SPONSOR

GOLD SPONSOR

SILVER SPONSOR

FRIENDS

OF

THE

BAR

NCBA Member records outgoing president Suzanne Skolnick’s speech.

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NORTH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

JUNE BENCH & BAR DINNER AND AWARDS Highlights of the evening will include:

State of the Court Address by Hon. Michael S. Groch, Presiding Judge, San Diego Superior Court bench

State of the Bar Address by Erica Bloom, Esq., 2026 NCBA President Presentation of Bar Awards THE WILLIAM R. FLETCHER "FLETCH" AWARD

ATTORNEY OF THE YEAR AWARD

THE JUDGE MOON AWARD

THE LEGACY AWARD

JUNE TUESDAY

23

6:00PM

The Crossings at Carlsbad - 5800 The Crossings Dr Carlsbad, CA 92008 NCBA MEMBER: $95 NON-NCBA MEMBER: $115 NCBA LAW STUDENTS/NEW ADMITTEES: $65

Each ticket includes admission to the event, a plated dinner, and one drink ticket per guest.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Title Sponsor

Presenting Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

Click here to register or visit www.northcountybar.org under Calendar N O R T H C O U N T Y L AW Y E R

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Attorney of the Year Award to be presented to an attorney who exemplifies and promotes: The advancement of the art and science of jurisprudence; The standards of professional conduct; The highest level of professional competence; Outstanding community or pro bono contribution; and or Obtained a truly exemplary result in a particular matter that elevates his/her performance to an exalted status in the eyes of his/her peers.

Judge Moon Award to be presented to: A jurist or mediator who has had significant impact on case resolution. Judge Moon was an accomplished jurist that served in nearly every Superior Court Division during his decades long tenure as a judge. After Judge Moon retired as a judicial officer, he served as a mediator who resolved many high profile and contentious matters. Judge Moon devoted his life to encouraging open communication, civility, and professionalism amongst attorneys, judges, and parties. The recipient of this award will exemplify these same qualities.

Fletch Award An attorney who practices in North County San Diego who provides criminal defense to clients in a manner which exemplifies the highest standards of civility, integrity and professionalism.

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

Title Sponsor

Presenting Sponsor

Silver Sponsor

NORTH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

Q1: AT-A-GLANCE Q1: AT-A-GLANCE

6 26 02 20 2 WHAT WE’VE BEEN UP TO THIS YEAR

Following the Installation Dinner, the 2026 Board Retreat offered a natural and meaningful transition from celebration to intention-setting for the year ahead. The retreat began with a casual evening at Belching Beaver Brewery, a board favorite, where members welcomed new additions and reconnected in a relaxed, social setting filled with conversation and camaraderie.

2026 NCBA

Board Retreat

The following day, Camden, NCBA Executive Director, graciously hosted the group in her home, creating a warm and inviting space that encouraged open dialogue and collaboration.

Throughout the day, board members engaged in thoughtful discussions, strategic planning, and interactive exercises designed to align priorities and spark new ideas. Just as importantly, the retreat provided time to strengthen relationships, reflect on the organization’s mission, and build a shared vision for the year ahead. These moments, both productive and personal, set the tone for a connected, energized, and forward-thinking board ready to lead in 2026.

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HAPPY April HOUR

Thank you to Donovan Filpi from Merrill Lynch Special Needs Team for sponsoring this event. By sponsoring NCBA events or advertising in The North County Lawyer, you help us continue that tradition.

NORTH COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION

PADDLE & PRECEDENT

BI-ANNUAL PICKLEBALL TOURNAMENT RECAP

Players circling up to be assigned their numbers and explained the rules

The North County Bar Association’s Paddle & Precedent Pickleball Tournament has quickly become a standout event on the NCBA calendar, offering a unique opportunity for attorneys, judges, and legal professionals to connect in a relaxed and engaging setting. In response to strong interest, NCBA expanded the program in 2026 to include two tournaments—one held indoors and one outdoors— providing additional opportunities for participation.

Designed for all skill levels, the tournament blends friendly competition with meaningful communitybuilding, reflecting NCBA’s commitment to fostering collegiality both in and out of the courtroom.

Thank you to our Court Sponsor, Burns ADR, for helping us make this event possible!

Burns ADR Ed Burns, Esq. and Anahit Ani Urfalyan

Tournament winners Matthew Ramirez and Anahit Ani Urfalyan pose with their first-place prizes following a successful day of competition at NCBA’s Paddle & Precedent Pickleball Tournament.

Family ties meet friendly competition as fatherin-law/son-in-law duo Matthew Ramirez and Campitiello, Esq. pose in front of the Paddle & Precedent sign.

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⚖️

The Counselor at Play You’re here to connect, collaborate, and enjoy the moment. You bring the same collegiality from the courtroom to the court—plus a great sense of humor.

what kind of pickleballer are you?

🏆

The Trial Mode Activated Objection: losing. Sustained. You approach every match with precision, strategy, and a quiet determination to come out on top.

FULL THROTLE ADVOCACY

FROM THE CAB OF AN 18‑WHEELER TO THE COCKPIT OF A DRONE, TWO ATTORNEYS WHO LEARNED THEIR CLIENTS' WORLDS FROM THE INSIDE.

By Larry Campitiello, Esq.

BEHIND THE WHEEL OF AN 18‑WHEELER Eric Ganci Earned a CDL to Fight for Crash Victims

By Larry Campitiello, Esq. When Eric Ganci began representing victims of trucking accidents, reviewing post‑accident reports and witness statements was not enough. To fully understand the near‑death ordeal his clients had survived, Eric determined he needed first‑hand knowledge of the havoc that occurs when an 18‑wheeler collides with a passenger vehicle. So Eric got behind the wheel . . . of a big rig.

"Commercial trucks are big, giant machines that, when they crash into somebody, leave a trail of complete destruction," Eric explains. "If I was ever in a crash, or someone that I loved was involved in a crash, I would want whoever

the lawyer is to know everything about everything so that they can dive in and so they know exactly what questions to ask and the right places to look for evidence.

Trials are never about what happened, but about what can be proven that happened."

Eric got his first taste of truck driving a few years ago at a weekend course in Billings, Montana, hosted by experts who testify in trucking cases. "I went there to get some hands‑on experience of being around trucks because I was not really that familiar with them. However, at one point in the course, a driver announced he was going to get into a tractor trailer, accelerate to 60 miles per hour, and then slam on the brakes to demonstrate how N O R T H C O U N T Y L AW Y E R

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the air braking system responds. He asked if anyone wanted to sit in the cab during the demonstration, and I raised my hand." For Eric, it was an "eye‑opening experience" to feel the massive vehicle fight to decelerate from highway speed. From there, he was hooked.

Class A, 3 A.M. Eric next enrolled in a four‑week course to earn a Class A commercial driver's license.

With a busy law practice, attending each weekday was a grind. "I was a lawyer from 3:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m., a truck driver from 6:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and a sleeper from 8:30 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. when everything would start again. On Saturday, I would try to take off to be with my loved ones, and on Sunday I would just be a lawyer all day long".

Eric got his first taste of truck driving a few years ago at a weekend course in Billings, Montana, hosted by experts who testify in trucking cases. "I went there to get some hands‑on experience of being around trucks because I was not really that familiar with them. However, at one point in the course, a driver announced he was going to get into a tractor trailer, accelerate to 60 miles per hour, and then slam on the brakes to demonstrate how the air braking system responds. He asked if anyone wanted to sit in the cab during the demonstration, and I raised my hand." For Eric, it was an "eye‑opening experience" to feel the massive vehicle fight to decelerate from highway speed. From there, he was hooked.I The first two weeks were classroom instruction and written testing. "What an education it was to understand just how much information goes into being able to operate and drive these things. It really gave

me a deep appreciation for what the trucking communities do and how hard it is to be a truck driver. I also learned what truck drivers have to deal with in terms of their management and ultimately who they answer to. Their task is delivering loads on time. So, there is route planning and being able to forecast what you're doing. There are also logs the drivers may need to keep, depending on whether they're driving across state lines".

The experience also gave Eric a sharper read on the risks passenger vehicles face around big rigs — from hours‑of‑service limits that can stretch a driver into an eleventh hour behind the wheel, to the blind spots that prevent truckers from seeing nearby cars.

"People cut in front of truck drivers all the time on the freeways," Eric notes. "I now know from experience that truck drivers can't stop that quickly".

The final two weeks put Eric behind the wheel in San Diego — 45‑ to 90‑minute drives through downtown, on the freeway, and out to Santee and Alpine. "It was really just a doubling and tripling down of just how to appreciate what goes into this, to feel the N O R T H C O U N T Y L AW Y E R

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— I was one of two people in the course who got to continue driving manual, because you had to test into that too".

Then came the nerve‑wracking DMV driving test, which Eric passed. "It was not an easy thing to back this truck through cones. I have a lot of respect for that — driving something that large, and doing so safely".

me a deep appreciation for what the trucking communities do and how hard it is to be a truck driver. I also learned what truck drivers have to deal with in terms of their management and ultimately who they answer to. Their task is delivering loads on time. So, there is route planning and being able to forecast what you're doing. There are also logs the drivers may need to keep, depending on whether they're driving across state lines".

The experience also gave Eric a sharper read on the risks passenger vehicles face around big rigs — from hours‑of‑service limits that can stretch a driver into an eleventh hour behind the wheel, to the blind spots that prevent truckers from seeing nearby cars.

"People cut in front of truck drivers all the time on the freeways," Eric notes. "I now know from experience that truck drivers can't stop that quickly".

The final two weeks put Eric behind the wheel in San Diego — 45‑ to 90‑minute drives through downtown, on the freeway, and out to Santee and Alpine. "It was really just a doubling and tripling down of just how to appreciate what goes into this, to feel the power of the truck. And I was driving manual

Speaking the Language Immersing himself in the trucking world lets Eric "speak the language" when deposing drivers or negotiating with insurance adjusters. "I wanted to know as much as I can about that world to be able to best represent the cases. But I also want to come at it from a place of respect. A lot of times when we're dealing with a truck driver who crashes into somebody, it's not the truck driver's fault necessarily. So many truck drivers are really good, hardworking people. But it's their company, it's their dispatch saying, 'Come on, you can drive through the fog. It isn't bad, someone else just drove through, so just keep going.' Or, 'I see from your video system that you're tired, but can you just keep going? Can you get more coffee?' When I'm approaching these cases, I consider that as a possibility".

"When I'm talking to a truck driver or safety director, I can speak their language. It also adds to my credibility with jurors, judges, and opposing counsel. If you know what you're talking about, people are more likely to believe you. If you can say it with credibility and mean it, a lot of times that's how you win trials".

A Pattern of Preparation Boundless preparation is nothing new for Eric. Earlier in his career, defending clients charged with driving under the influence, he made a point of learning police procedure N O R T H C O U N T Y L AW Y E R

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HER PRACTICE TAKES FLIGHT

A Bird’s‑Eye View of Construction Law

By Kaitlin Endres‐Guenniche

When you are building a career, the skills you pick up along the way do not always seem to fit together. Only later do those “detours” start to look like deliberate training for the work you end up doing.

Early in my career, I became interested in photography and videography. That curiosity led me to obtain an FAA drone license and invest in professional drone‑videography training. It did not make much sense to anyone around me why I was spending thousands of dollars learning how to capture aerial images, and I did not have a clear plan for how I would use it. I just had a sense it was a skill worth developing.

Around the same time, I began renovating my own properties. What started as small personal projects quickly grew, and I eventually obtained my general contractor’s

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TRUCKING

DRONE

and crime‑lab science, including breath and blood testing. "I was able to get a lot of police officers on board with me because I wasn't trying to beat them up in court. I let them know that I was just there to uphold the Constitution and make sure things were done the right way".

license and built a construction company. As the business grew, the drone—once a seemingly random skill—became one of our most valuable tools. It helped us market our work, document job sites, and create clear visual records of construction progress.

Running a construction company meant learning the day‑to‑day realities of the industry: managing contracts, navigating scope changes, resolving payment disputes, and protecting the company from potential claims. Experiencing those challenges firsthand sparked my interest in the legal side of the business. I first went to law school to better protect the companies I was building, but my path quickly expanded.

To understand what officers experience, Eric attended a three‑day cadet training where he learned how field sobriety tests are administered.

He also took coursework at a Chicago lab on the machines used for breath and blood testing.

"Once I got into those machines, I was able to understand how they work, and how blood samples were transferred from point A to point B. I also became familiar with the associated variables, error rates, and machine calibration, as well as how to read, understand, and interpret the reports generated from those machines".

Eric has also studied — and now lectures on — brain injuries suffered by trauma victims. "There's a lot of training that I have with brain injuries, and there's a lot of science, neuroscience, and neuroradiology that goes into that. I have attended various symposiums and bought a lot of books".

Doing the best job possible for his clients is essential to Eric. But he also pursues these "extra‑curricular" educations because he loves being a lawyer. "I'm kind of a nerd," Eric admits, picking up one of the scale‑model 18‑wheelers in his office, "but what we get to do as lawyers is really fun. We get to dance around all these different areas of liability and injuries and criminal law and civil law".

We should all be inspired by Eric's enthusiasm for practicing law and his out‑of‑the‑box approach to preparation. Keep on truckin', Eric.

Eric Ganci is a partner with The Ortega Firm, Inc. He holds a Class A commercial driver's license (manual transmission) with HazMat, Tanks, and Double‑Triple trailer endorsements.

Today, my work brings together three roles that once seemed separate: general contractor, business builder, and construction attorney.

Having built and run construction companies myself, I understand the pressures contractors face from the jobsite to the back office. My legal practice now focuses on helping construction businesses manage risk, structure their operations, and resolve disputes when they arise.

Along the way, I realized that many entrepreneurs face the same challenges I did when growing a company. Conversations that start as legal questions often turn into broader discussions about business systems, documentation practices, and sustainable growth.

Looking back, the path makes much more sense.

The drone license that once seemed random taught me the value of perspective: literally seeing the jobsite from above. That perspective now shapes how I approach construction law, allowing me to see issues the way my clients do and to help them build stronger, more resilient businesses.

Careers rarely unfold in a straight line.

Sometimes the skills that seem unrelated at the time are the very ones that prepare you to serve your clients best. For me, those detours became tools and they turned into a legal career I could not have planned, but would not trade.

North County lawyers are constantly achieving new heights in the courtroom, the community, and beyond. Whether you’ve earned an award, landed a new position, won a big case, published an article, or even scored a hole‑in‑one at the NCBA Golf Tournament, we want to celebrate you!

Share your news for our new Raising the Bar section and help us highlight the successes that make our legal community shine.

Send your updates (2–4 sentences and a photo, if available) to Camden@NorthCountyBar.org for inclusion in the next issue.

raising

THE BAR

captured top honors at the North C o u nt y B a r As s o c i at i o n’s P i c k l e b a l l To u r n a m e n t i n A p r i l , showcasing both competitive spirit and court-side finesse.

Stephanie S. Germani, Esq. was honored with San Diego C o u nt y B a r As s o c i at i o n’s 2 02 6 S e r v i c e By A N ew Atto r n ey Aw a r d . S t e p h a n i e h a s l e v e r a g e d her early-career success as a platform to uplift others— mentoring law students, supervising future attorneys through Thomas Jefferson School of Law 's clinical program, coaching a mock trial team, and actively participating in bar organizations and legal media.

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!

U O Y T N A W WE NORTH COUNTY LAWYER

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MAGAZINE

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4 ISSUES A YEAR WORK WITH OUR AMAZING MAGAZINE COMMITEE

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LEADING LEADING LADIES LADIES Of North County

Suzanne Skolnick and Erica Bloom

Turning One-Year Terms into Lasting Change

By Stephanie S. Germani, Esq. The North County Bar Association changes presidents every year, but past president Suzanne Skolnick and current president Erica Bloom are determined to build something that lasts longer than a one-year term. They envision a culture of connection, accessibility, and opportunity, especially for women and younger lawyers. Both leaders see North County’s smaller, scrappier bar as a place where lawyers can actually know one another, know their judges, and see a real path into leadership.

Two Women, One Community Skolnick and Bloom came to the presidency along different paths, but both stories begin with a deep connection to North County and a willingness to say yes when asked to serve.

For Skolnick, the invitation came from a longtime North County fixture, attorney Howard Franco. She did not set out to become president so much as to answer a respected colleague’s call. Once she joined the board, she quickly saw how service could help her practice by making her more visible, but also how invested she became in the bar’s survival and success. By the time she stepped into the presidency, she had already spent three years on the board, watching the association navigate financial headwinds as a smaller organization in the shadow of larger bars and their deep reserves. “I really think that the North County Bar serves a very important purpose,” Skolnick explained. “Not everybody wants to travel down to San Diego, but that aside, it is also providing networking opportunities for North County attorneys to network with and also to know the judges.”

Bloom’s story starts even earlier, with her childhood in North County. A lifelong local who lived downtown only for law school before moving back, she once thought of North County as “older” and less exciting than downtown, but she has watched it shift. “We are slowly becoming cooler and more young people are coming up here,” she said. When past president Elizabeth Silva approached her during COVID about joining the board, Bloom was only in her early thirties and assumed she was not yet “old enough” to belong. “She asked if I wanted to be on the board, and my first thought was, ‘Am I even old enough for that?’” Bloom remembered. “I always figured I would have to wait another ten years.”

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Women Stepping Up Saying yes once led both women to say yes again when the presidency came around.

Bloom watched as women like Skolnick and Dawn Hall Cullen took the helm and helped stabilize the bar’s finances, and that example mattered. “Quite frankly, it is the women who have gotten us out of these financial issues that we have been having,” she said. “I kind of wanted to keep that tradition alive and really expand our bar and things we can do.” Even with more than a decade of practice and a decade as a paralegal before that, she is candid about the age bias she still encounters. “I know I am younger. I am 36,” Bloom said. “And I still get ‘I want someone with more experience.’”

Skolnick, for her part, sees women’s leadership in North County as both practical and symbolic. Practically, she has used her presidency and ongoing board service to bring in a “posse” of female trial lawyers who sponsor events, show up for Law Day, and broaden the bar’s reach. “One thing I was proud of is that I have friends who are lawyers, female lawyers, my posse, and I was able to just get them in because of me being in it,” she said. “I like that, because it expanded the group that we had, and then I also called upon them when we needed sponsors, I could just text them and be like, ‘Okay, who is going to be the sponsor for this event?’ and people wanted to do it because of their relationship with me.”

Both women see that visibility as especially important for newer lawyers. In North County, opportunities to chair sections, serve on committees, and step into leadership roles come earlier and more often than in larger bars. Skolnick points to colleagues like Christie Palcisko taking on section leadership as good for both their businesses and for the bar.

Bloom echoes that message to younger attorneys who tell her they are not “ready” for leadership. She tells them, “Confidence often follows action, not the other way around.”

Keeping a Small Bar Strong Behind the scenes, the work of keeping a small bar healthy is constant. Both Skolnick and Bloom are frank about the demands of a one-year presidency and the need for continuity, especially during an executive director transition from longtime director Mary to current executive director Camden Retzlaff. Institutional memory can be fragile when presidents rotate annually, so Skolnick has poured energy into the long-range planning committee as a way to preserve knowledge and stabilize programming. She still talks about attending a University of San Diego School of Law event and meeting students who had no idea they were eligible for free NCBA membership. Watching them light up when they heard about sponsored tables and invitations reinforced her conviction that outreach to students and new lawyers is essential.

Some of the most visible proof of that outreach is delightfully concrete.

The North County Bar’s pickleball tournament, conceived by members Alan Mansfield and Katherine Tremblay after they saw similar events elsewhere, has quickly become a signature fundraiser and community builder. “It turns out that we have judges in our courthouse that are fabulous pickleball players, like Judge Torres,” Skolnick noted, adding that she has heard Judge Cynthia Freeland may be a strong player as well. Under Bloom, the bar is doubling down with two tournaments this year, one in April and one in the fall, after seeing how the event brought in both members and money.

Bloom has also shifted the bar’s day to day rhythm with informal monthly pop-up happy hours. “What we have brought back already are the monthly pop-up happy hours, which I did not think would really draw traction, truly,” she said. “But every event has been successful in that people show up, even if there are ten people, we are getting more members because of it.” These gatherings cost the bar almost nothing but pay dividends in connection and recruitment. The approach reflects her leadership philosophy; she likes to “lead from the front” and sees herself and her board as equals, inviting candid feedback from members rather than top-down directives.

Financial stewardship underpins those choices. North County simply cannot afford to be locked into expensive, inflexible venue commitments, so the board has been deliberate about diversifying locations and formats. “It will be different events, different places this year,” Bloom said. The goal is not to criticize the past but to match venues to the bar’s current size, budget, and needs, a member-driven approach that leaves nothing sacrosanct if it does not serve the people who show up.

A Culture of Welcome For Skolnick and Bloom, the real selling point of North County is not programming or venues but culture. Bloom describes the bar as both a referral engine and a personal support network, and she contrasts its spirit with more exclusive environments elsewhere. “What is good about North County is we are definitely more welcoming than other parts of the county,” she said. “If you want to get involved with the bar in any capacity, just show up to an event and come talk to someone, because someone knows someone who knows someone that can help

Skolnick shares that appreciation for the bar’s sense of family and sees it as a reason to keep investing her time even after her presidential year ended. She laughs about earlier dreams of tabling weekly at law schools that collided with the reality that work expands to fill any available time, but her commitment to the pipeline of students and new lawyers has not diminished. “I still have dreams to get the youth into our organization,” she said. “It would be great maybe for the long-range planning committee, which I intend to stay with and be a part of, to try to get the younger, newer attorneys connected and involved.”

Looking Ahead, On and Off the Bench Their concern for community extends to the courthouse itself. Both women have a deep affection for the Vista courthouse and worry about what might be lost if lawyers abandon in person appearances.

Skolnick still prefers to appear in person for civil case management conferences and she is mindful of what happens when hallways empty out. She notes that in some places, remote proceedings are already being handled from chambers rather than open court, shrinking the visible footprint of justice.

From her perspective, more in person appearances would improve both civility and settlement. “You do not get those opportunities anymore to, after the CMC, go out to the hallway and talk to the defense attorney for a little bit about what do you see about the case, what do you think about settlement,” she said.

Bloom, who practices family law and serves as minors’ counsel, sees both sides. Remote options can be essential for clients who cannot afford extensive travel, yet she also worries about the longterm impact of empty courtrooms and the looming expiration of statewide COVID remote appearance orders. Her passion for family law and for families’ futures has led her to do something many practitioners only talk about, apply to be a judge. “I want to be a judge because I want to be a family law judge,” she said. “I want to help families, I think there are policies that need to change, truly, that I think I can help with.”

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With more than the required ten years of practice behind her, she has cleared local council review and is waiting for a JNE interview before the gubernatorial turnover resets the process. “My application has been in for some time,” she explained. “We got through local council, so I am just praying I get my JNE interview one of these days, or at least before January 5 when we have a new governor and you have to start over, which is frustrating.” Her motivation is simple and urgent. “If we make a mistake with a family on our side of the hallway, we will see the family on the other side of the hallway,” Bloom said, referring to the criminal courtrooms. “These families need it and it is so important and I feel like we are a forgotten sect of the law.”

Passing the Torch For Skolnick, there is no clean “after” to the presidency. Her ongoing work on long-range planning and her presence at events mean that when Bloom took over, it felt less like a hand off and more like a relay.

Before Bloom’s term began, the two met for dinner so Skolnick could offer honest advice about what to watch for and where the landmines lie. Bloom, in turn, credits Skolnick with modeling calm, visible leadership. “I think Suzanne is a calming presence and is always encouraging us, rallying, ‘Okay, we will do this!’” Bloom said. “Suzanne showed up to everything. She was not a president that did nothing or hid, she truly was the face, still is the face of the North County Bar Association.”

In a bar that often describes itself as a family, it seems fitting that the people at the helm look less like distant figureheads and more like sisters. They talk frankly about money, membership, statewide orders, and judicial politics, yet they return again and again to the same core values: connection, visibility, and creating a place where lawyers at every stage can see themselves as leaders. North County’s strength is not measured in reserves or scale, but in people who show up, look out for each other, and keep passing the torch forward.

Stephanie S. Germani practices landlord‑tenant law and supervises the Clinical Programs at Thomas Jefferson School of Law. She is grateful for the support, mentorship, and friendship she has found in the North County Bar Association.

FROM CHAOS TO CLARITY

By SSA Insurance Services

Fixing the Most Common Benefits Issues We See in Law Firms

If you’ve ever had a billing discrepancy you couldn’t easily explain, if employees have come to you confused about their coverage, if benefits renewal season feels more reactive than strategic, you’re not alone. In many law firms, especially small to mid-sized practices, employee benefits aren’t failing because of bad intentions. They’re failing because of operational complexity. What starts as a necessary offering and goodwill quietly becomes a source of friction: unclear costs, inconsistent communication, and systems that don’t scale as the firm grows.

And while benefits are rarely the headline issue in a law firm’s operations, they often sit just beneath the surface of bigger challenges: retention, morale, and financial predictability.

Why This Matters More Than Ever Benefits today are not a differentiator; they’re a baseline expectation. According to studies, nearly 97% of employers offer some form of health coverage, making it a standard component of total compensation.

At the same time, health benefit costs are projected to rise by about 5.8% year over year, putting increasing pressure on firm budgets.

For example, in law firms specifically, benefits are expected: Roughly 9 out of 10 firms offer medical plans Average employer coverage for those plans exceeds 85% of costs So the issue isn’t whether firms offer benefits or what type they offer. It’s whether those benefits are working as intended or not.

Where Things Break Down Across the firms we’ve worked with and observed, the same patterns emerge. Not catastrophic failures, but small operational gaps that compound over time.

1. Billing Confusion and Lack of Cost Visibility Benefits billing is rarely simple. Multiple carriers, changing headcounts, and midyear enrollments add up quickly.

We often see: Invoices that don’t match enrollment Retroactive adjustments that are hard to trace Finance teams are spending hours reconciling discrepancies And because benefits costs are rising, even small inefficiencies become meaningful.

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As an example: One mid-sized firm we worked with discovered they had been overpaying on ancillary benefits due to outdated employee records. The issue had persisted for over a year when they were with the prior broker because no one had clear ownership of reconciliation. Once we identified the discrepancy ourselves and had it corrected, the firm reduced unnecessary spending by approximately 12% annually.

Notably, nothing about their plan design changed. Only the process did.

2. Employee Confusion (Even Among Highly Educated Teams) Law firms are filled with intelligent, detail-oriented professionals. Yet, benefits remain one of the most misunderstood areas internally. Why? Because benefits are not intuitive: the plan structures are complex, the terminology is opaque and confusing for many, and decisions are not made frequently (once or twice a year).

The result: employees often don’t fully understand what they have or how to use it.

According to a Cigna Healthcare study from 2024, " The top ten most offered benefits all suffer from underutilization". And one of the main reasons for this is not understanding how to use the available benefits they have. This highlights another way your broker can step in to help.

The Hidden Cost of “Good Enough” Many firms operate with benefits that are technically functional. Employees are enrolled.

Claims are processed.

Renewals happen. But “functional” doesn’t mean optimized.

Small inefficiencies can lead to: Gradual cost creep Lower employee engagement with benefits Increased administrative burden Missed opportunities for strategic alignment And over time, these issues compound. In a profession where precision and accountability are core values, benefits operations are often one of the few areas running without the same level of rigor.

What to Do Next: Reactive to Structured

Moving

from

3. Lack of Structure and Ownership Perhaps the most common issue is also the least visible: Benefits are often “owned by everyone” and therefore no one.

The goal isn’t to overhaul everything overnight. It’s to introduce clarity and consistency into a system that may have grown organically over time.

In smaller firms, responsibilities may be split between:

Here are three practical steps law firms can take:

Office managers Finance teams External brokers HR (if it exists at all) Without a clear structure: · Decisions become reactive · Documentation is inconsistent · Institutional knowledge lives in people, not systems This is particularly challenging for smaller organizations, which often face limited administrative capacity and resources compared to larger firms. The result is a system that works, until it doesn’t. Hiring the right benefits broker/agency can help reduce the administrative load on your team.

1. Conduct a Simple “Reality Audit.”

Start by asking: Do our invoices match our enrollment?

Can we clearly explain our total benefits spend?

Who owns each part of the process?

You don’t need a full-scale audit to uncover gaps. Even a focused review can reveal: Duplicate charges Outdated enrollments Misaligned contributions This step alone often identifies meaningful cost-saving opportunities.

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2. Simplify Communication (More Than You Think You Need To) Benefits communication is often designed once and reused year after year.

But employees don’t retain this information long-term.

Consider: Short, focused explanations instead of long guides Real-life scenarios (“When would I use this plan?”)

Open Q&A sessions during renewal The objective is not to make employees experts.

It’s to make them confident.

3. Define Clear Ownership and Process Even in smaller firms, structure matters.

This doesn’t mean adding bureaucracy. It means clarifying: Who reviews invoices each month Who tracks eligibility changes Who communicates with employees

A Shift in Perspective Benefits are often treated as a fixed cost, but in practice, they’re a system. And like any system, they can either create friction or support the broader goals of the firm.

Law firms are built on precision, trust, and attention to detail.

Applying that same mindset to benefits operations doesn’t require a major transformation, just a more intentional approach.

Because most of the time, the problem isn’t the benefits themselves. It’s the lack of clarity around them.

A Final Thought

If any part of this feels familiar, it may be worth taking a closer look, not necessarily to overhaul your benefits, but simply to better understand how they’re functioning today.

In our experience, even small moments of clarity, reviewing a billing process, simplifying how plans are explained, or defining ownership, can lead to meaningful improvements over time.

When roles are defined, issues are caught earlier and resolved faster.

Sometimes, the most valuable first step isn’t changing anything.

And remember that your benefits broker can assist with all of the above.

It’s just seeing things more clearly.

Stephanie San Antonio, founder of SSA Insurance Services, is an insurance broker with over 20 years of experience, dedicated to enhancing employee benefits. Contact Stephanie at 760-203-4292 or email her at stephanie@ssainsuranceservices.com

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