May issue of CITATIONS - Ventura County Bar Association

26 CITATIONS • MAY 2011Exec’s Dot…Dot…Dot…By Steve Henderson, Executive Director, M.A., CAEIn case you are wondering, Joel Mark isthe new managing partner at NordmanCormany Hair & Compton… India?Nepal? Michele Castillo at michele.castillo@ventura.org or 805.654.2201.Austria, Slovakia, Czeck Republic, andHungary? Dien Le at dien@calawcounsel.com or 818.889.2299. Toronto? CheriKurman at ckurman@normandowler.comor 654.0911…LA Times ran an article April2 – www.latimes.com – about a group oflegal experts who examined five of the U.S.Supreme Court’s worst rulings. NumeroUno? Korematsu vs. United States, the 1944high court ruling upholding the evacuationorder against Japanese American after thebombing of Pearl Harbor. Others includeDred Scott v. Sandford and Buck v. Bell…If you are searching for Jon Light, KarenGabler, Glenn Dickinson, GannonJohnson, and Lou Cappadona, they canbe found at 760 Paseo Camarillo, Suite 400in Camarillo – 805.248.7208 too…Judge Ed Brodie was selected as one ofthe recipients of the Oxnard Knights ofColumbus Public Safety Award for 2011.The award was presented at the group’sPublic Safety Night held April 11…Seekingto satisfy a tax debt of over $300,000 owedby a former New Hampshire lawyer whostole over $1 million from clients, the IRSis planning to sell James Hobbs’ home.Authorities say Hobbs, 52, apparentlyspent most or all of the money on personalexpenses. He is serving a 10- to 20- yearterm in prison for forgery, perjury and theft.More than half of the $1 million reportedlycame from the estate of a deceased attorneywho expected the money to be used to carefor his disabled daughter…Simi Valleylawyer Randy Sundeen was elected to theUSA Field Hockey Board of Directors. Theboard oversees 250 clubs in the U.S. and themen’s and women’s national team programs.Randy’s son, Tyler, is a member of the men’snational team and is training for the Pan Amgames in October…Spotted at the March Madness Final Fourgames in Houston was Mark Hieplerwith his two sons…A hearing officer hadrecommended only a six-month suspensionfor Arizona attorney Charna Johnson, whoadmittedly had claimed to serve as a mediumchanneling the thoughts of a client’s dead wifeto him but denied sexual involvement withthe man. But the disciplinary commissionof the state supreme court said a one-yearsuspension was merited, based on additionalmisconduct, and Arizona’s top court agreed.Because Johnson lied in another disciplinaryproceeding and said she had not claimed tochannel the dead to a female client for whomshe drafted a will that left the client’s assetsto herself, the punishment was increased…Mayakoba? Yucatan? Greg Herring atgherring@fcoplaw.com or 659.6800. Turksand Caicos? Dan Palay at djp@palaylaw.com or 641.6600…Debora Vierra has been appointed to theExecutive Board of Directors of the CaliforniaEmployment Lawyers Association (CELA)for the 2011-2013 term. Debora is alsoserving on the CELA Political AppointmentsCommittee which makes recommendationsto Gov. Brown regarding State Board andCommission appointments…I spotted inmy daughter’s Pacific Coast Horse RidingAssociation Directory the Equine Law firmof Hey & Hey in Redwood City–www.blueribbonlaw.com…Contending that hewas “grossly overbilled” for a negligentdefense in an insider trading case, the jailedformer CEO of Qwest CommunicationsInternational Inc. has sued over his legal billof more than $25 million. Joseph Nacchio,who is serving a 70-month prison term forillegally selling $52 million in Qwest stockin reliance on insider information, complainsthat his defense lawyers even billed him fortheir underwear…Do participate in the 28thAnnual Law Day 5K scheduled for May 21at the VC Government Center. Proceedsbenefit the VCBA/VLSP, Inc. and officialstarter is VC Sheriff Geoff Dean. www.active.com to register…After a ton of pulling, tugging andunderhandedness, Judge David Longhas agreed to a “function” honoring hisretirement and service only if the proceedsbenefit the bar’s pro bono program, VCBA/VLSP, Inc. Mark your calendars–September16 at the Tower Club…Bail has been set at$200,000 for a 33-year-old Missoula manaccused of using divorce papers to start a firethat burned down his estranged wife’s beautysalon. Prosecutors say Shawn Gawronski wassitting in his truck, gun in hand, near theburning salon when deputies arrived. Hewas arrested a short time later, and courtrecords say he acknowledged spreadinggasoline throughout the building and usinghis divorce papers to get the fire going…Movie Quote of the Month: “The odds ofa plaintiffs lawyer winning in civil court aretwo to one against. Think about that for asecond. Your odds of surviving a game ofRussian roulette are better than winning acase at trial. Twelve times better. So why doesanyone do it? They don’t. They settle.”–FromJan Schlichtmann (John Travolta) explaininghis work as a personal injury lawyer in ACivil Action, 1998…Do plan on attendingthe VCTLA “Trial Lawyer of the Year”dinner May 24. Bill Grewe at 642.7101 orwgrewe@rkmlaw.net...Steve Henderson has been the executivedirector and chief executive officer of the barassociation and its affiliated organizationssince November 1990. Henderson will againbe competing in the Law Day 5K May 21 todefend his Open win in 2010. Additionally,Henderson will be attending a conference inSan Diego with Eminem May 12-14. Lastly,Henderson may be reached at steve@vcba.org, FB, Twitter at stevehendo1, LinkedIn, orpreferably 650.7599.