ANNUAL EVENTS:
Each year, the SMCBA organizes a variety of events designed to honor and celebrate members of the legal profession. Events can be purely social or educational, but either way, they always promise a good time! Some of the SMCBA’s most popular yearly events include Funky Credit Day, Judges’ Night, and Law Day, just to name a few.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & NETWORKING:
SMCBA, together with its numerous sections and committees, offers frequent seminars, courses, and forums that fulfill the State Bar of California’s MCLE requirements. Membership in any of our sections and committees provides opportunities to network with other practitioners who share common interests. Criminal, Estate Planning/Probate and Family Law sections now offer legal specialization credit!
COMMUNITY SERVICE:
We offer members numerous opportunities to contribute to the local community.
Call-A-Lawyer, in conjunction with Chuck Finney’s radio program on KALW 91.7 FM, offers callers free legal advice. To volunteer for this Bar public service opportunity, contact Brian E. Kulich at bkulich@arcr.com.
Join SMCBA’s Speakers’ Bureau which offers civic, service, schools and other organizations free presentations on a variety of legal topics.
If coaching is your thing, support the High School Mock Trial competition which is held each winter, with many members of the Bench & Bar donating their time to act as student coaches and judges.
The Lawyers in the Library Program serves over 45 people per month. It was officially launched in June 2009 as a unique collaboration between SMCBA and the San Mateo County Library. Attorneys provide mini consultations to the general public seeking legal advice in the communities of: Belmont, Brisbane, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Millbrae, Pacifica and San Carlos.
Volunteer with the San Mateo County Superior Court! They urgently need status conference volunteers. Volunteering at a Status Conference via Zoom is a great way to give back and learn or refresh your skills. This is a great opportunity to feel a real sense of accomplishment as you assist pro per litigants with their disclosures, answer their family law questions, help them resolve disputes and reach settlement, and assist them with their Judgment. If this is your first time volunteering, the sitting Judge or other attorney volunteers will be available to assist you.
In collaboration with the San Mateo County Law Library, the San Mateo County Bar Association is providing a monthly Community Law Night where members of the general public can benefit from free one-on-one legal consultation. Attorney members of the San Mateo County Bar Association volunteer their time to discuss a variety of legal topics with the community. The legal consultations are held over the phone or via zoom (due to the Covid-19 restrictions) on Tuesday between 6pm and 8pm. To participate, please contact the Law Library at (650) 363-4913.
LAWYER REFERRAL SERVICE:
The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) provides referrals to attorneys who have met specific experience requirements for membership. More than 3,000 referrals are made each year to members of our LRS Panels and, last fiscal year, those attorneys earned over $500,000 as a result of those referrals!
FEE ARBITRATION PROGRAM:
Fee Arbitration is an informal, confidential and lower cost forum for resolving fee disputes between lawyers and their clients. Arbitrators review the facts and decided on the appropriate lawyer’s fees. Fee dispute arbitrations are heard by either a sole arbitrator or a panel of three arbitrators, depending upon the amount in dispute. The Fee Arbitration Program is extremely useful for networking and building up your resume.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]