¡Viva La Fiesta! - Santa Barbara County Bar Association

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“Finally, someone my clients can count on just like they count on me.” Your relationship with your clients is all about trust. They trust your integrity and expert legal advice. And they value the personal and confidential relationship you share. It’s very much the same at Montecito Bank & Trust. Like you, we believe in longstanding client relationships. In offering creative solutions for each person’s unique needs. And especially in earning their trust with personal commitment and professional expertise. Whether it’s designing an investment portfolio, managing multiple real estate properties or planning charitable gifts, you can count on our Wealth Management team to provide your clients with a level of service that meets not just their needs, but your standards. Wealth advisory services – one of the many Paths to prosperity ® you’ll find at Montecito Bank & Trust. What’s your path? WEALTH MANAGEMENT Investment Management - Trust Services - Estate Administration Real Property Management - Philanthropic Services www.montecito.com Call for more information Santa Barbara: 1106-E Coast Village Road, Montecito, CA 93018 805 564-0219 Solvang: 591 Alamo Pintado Road, Solvang, CA 93463 805 686-8620 Ventura/Westlake Village: 701 E. Santa Clara Street, Ventura, CA 93001 805 830-8005 Member FDIC 6 Santa Barbara Lawyer
A Seasoned Litigator Takes the Bench By Melissa Fassett The latest appointment to the bench in Santa Barbara is Donna Geck, a seasoned litigator whose appointment was announced by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger on June 30, 2010. Ms. Geck will fill a vacancy on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on November 4, 2009. Upon taking the bench, Ms. Geck will sit in Department 8 and will handle criminal cases. Ms. Geck has spent her legal career handling litigation since she began practicing law in 1976. During her first year of practice, she handled criminal defense, and thereafter she has practiced civil litigation. At the time of her appointment to the bench, Ms. Geck was a partner with the law firm of Hager & Dowling, and has served as an attorney in its Santa Barbara office since 1995, specializing in civil trial practice. In that position, she has handled a large variety of civil cases, with extensive experience in insurance defense, bad faith, product liability, personal injury and wrongful death. She has also served as a settlement master for the Santa Barbara County Superior Court. Ms. Geck is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (“ABOTA”) and is a past president of the California Coast Chapter of ABOTA. Previously, Ms. Geck was employed as an attorney at Arthur, Chapman, Kettering, Smetak & Pikala from 1985 to 1995, as a partner at McDonough, Geck & Cronan from 1982 to 1985, and at Austin, Roth, Sunde, McDonough & August 2010 7 Legal News Tierney from 1977 to 1981. Ms. Geck began her legal career as an assistant public defender for the St. Paul, Minnesota Public Defender’s Office from 1976 to 1977. Ms. Geck became a lawyer “by accident”. Initially a broadcast journalist, she went to law school with the goal of going into legal broadcast journalism. After completing law school, however, she decided that she wanted to practice law. Ms. Geck received her J. D., with distinction, from the University of North Dakota School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Marquette University. She is admitted to practice before the Federal and State Courts in California, in North Dakota, and in Minnesota. Asked about her role models, Ms. Geck identified the Honorable Denise de Bellefeuille, a judge of the Santa Barbara County Superior Court since 1994. Ms. Geck observed that Judge de Bellefeuille conducts herself beautifully while on the bench and sets an example for judicial conduct. Ms. Geck would advise attorneys considering applying for a judgeship to retain records about all of the cases they handle. The application for a judgeship is daunting and requires extensive historical information about cases handled, the parties involved, the opposing counsel and the court in which the cases were tried. Commenting about gender bias, Ms. Geck observed that while it is not as overt as it was, it is still there. As an example of the progress which has been made, Ms. Geck noted that she was the first female member of the California Coast Chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, and was also its first female president. Donna Geck Ms. Geck will fill a vacancy on the Santa Barbara County Superior Court created by the conversion of a court commissioner position on November 4, 2009. While Ms. Geck has devoted herself to the legal profession, her passions off the bench are many. She is devoted to her four children and also loves to travel, ski and sail. After her extensive experience as a litigator, Ms. Geck looks forward to serving on the other side of the bench. Ms. Geck anticipates that her years as a trial lawyer will provide valuable experience on the bench and will benefit the lawyers who will appear before her. Her advice for lawyers appearing before her is that civility rules!
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¡Viva La Fiesta! - Santa Barbara County Bar Association

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