Minutes For 10-14-08 General Meeting (0708031)

SANTA CLARA COUNTY LEGAL PROFESSIONALS ASSOCIATION P.O. Box 407 San Jose, CA 95103-0407 Organized 1940 www.SCCoLPA.org

Executive Board 2008-2009 President: Vice-President, Membership: Vice-President, Programs: Governor:

Chavez Lesa Medley Carol Cullum Patty Russell

Treasurer: Parliamentarian: Recording Secretary: Corresponding Secretary:

Elena Schneider, CCLS Cindy Wagner, PLS, CLA, CCLS Elise Dresser Pam Stallings

OCTOBER 2008 GENERAL MEETING MINUTES October 14, 2008 CALL TO ORDER: The October 14, 2008 general meeting was called to order by President Chavez at 6:25 p.m. at The Bold Knight Bistro, 840 N. 1st Street, San Jose. WELCOME GUESTS: President Chavez introduced and welcomed The Honorable Edward Lee, Judge of the Santa Clara County Superior Court, and David _________, a student in Chavez’ paralegal program at Evergreen College. INITIATION OF NEW ASSOCIATION MEMBER: Tracy Wingrove was initiated and sworn in tonight as a new SCCoLPA member by VicePresident of Membership Lesa Medley, and given a new membership packet. MINUTES: The minutes for the September 9, 2008 general meeting were previously emailed to the Association members. The minutes were approved as emailed. TREASURER’S REPORT: The Treasurer’s Report for September 2008 was previously emailed to the Association members, and was approved subject to audit. Treasurer Elena Schneider reported that the Association made a net profit of approximately $5,900 at the August LSI quarterly conference and that the final figures will be reflected on next month’s Treasurer’s Report. G:\docs\ed\SCCLSA\0707756.DOC

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OLD BUSINESS: 1.

Budget:

Elena reported that she and Chavez plan to meet on October 25, 2008 to go over the proposed budget following Chavez’ review of last year’s budget figures. A new revised budget will then be presented to the membership for approval. 2.

By-law Amendments:

Parliamentarian Cindy Wagner went over the proposed by-law amendments with the membership. She reported that initially the purpose to amend the by-laws was to change “SCCLSA” to “SCCoLPA,” but in the process some outdated language was changed with respect to the quorum issue and disciplinary action. Additionally, the phrase “any person enrolled in an academic program” was redefined and reflected to give a student member more opportunity to participate, the right to vote, and the right to hold office. Some chairmanship positions were also combined. Cindy moved that the amendments to the proposed by-laws be adopted. The motion was seconded and carried. The standing rules of the Association will also be amended but they will not require approval by LSI. 3.

Website:

Website Chairman Cindy Wagner reported that the SCCoLPA website is currently being revamped by Erin Hexem. Members can access the website by going to www.SCCoLPA.org. Chavez stated that she plans to recommend that all members be assigned an exclusive numerical password to use with their email address to log on and access any type of Association-related material including minutes, reports, and announcements. NEW BUSINESS: Loui Tucker inquired about Judge Mark Thomas’ health. Chavez reported that his scheduled heart valve surgery has been postponed to next week and she will attempt to get more information to forward to the members. Corresponding Secretary Pam Stallings has sent a get-well card to Judge Thomas. Diana Poteete announced that she has been collecting used items such as warm coats, small household items such as towels, linens and small appliances, as well as school supplies and toys for the Georgia Travis Center, a local drop-in center for homeless and low-income women and families. Please contact Diana if you are interested in donating. ANNOUNCEMENTS: Interclub Chairman Cindy Wagner announced that the Mt. Diablo Legal Professional Association will be holding their annual Appreciation Dinner on October 20, 2008 at Scott’s Seafood Restaurant in Walnut Creek. They will be honoring Boss of the Year and Member G:\docs\ed\SCCLSA\0707756.DOC

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of the Year. The keynote speaker will be The Hon. Mary Ann O’Malley, Incoming Presiding Judge for Contra Costa County. Additionally, Cindy announced that the Bay Area Legal Secretaries Forum will be holding their Fall Quarterly workshop on October 25, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel in Dublin, CA. The workshop to be presented is entitled “Changes in the Bay Area Local Court Rules.” Further information about the workshop can be obtained by going to BALSF’s website at www.balsf.org. Pam Stallings announced that her employment with her current employer will end next week, and she is searching for a freelance or full-time position in the civil litigation field. INTRODUCTION OF GUEST SPEAKER: Chavez introduced The Honorable Edward Lee as tonight’s Guest Speaker. Judge Lee is a former Redwood City police officer and former Santa Clara County Deputy District Attorney. He has spent the past 16 years on the bench and currently serves at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. Judge Lee talked to the members about the criminal court system and life behind the scenes at the courthouse. Judge Lee also answered many questions concerning his feelings about handling death penalty cases, three strikes issues, the rotating of judges around the various departments, and the current general state of the criminal justice system. CONTINUATION OF OLD BUSINESS: 4.

Outstanding Debt:

Following the guest speaker’s presentation, Chavez excused all non-Association members from the meeting and brought before the membership the issue of an outstanding debt owed by a former Association member. Chavez reported that she prepared a letter regarding resolution of the debt and it was mailed to the member last month. As of this date, Chavez has not received a response to the letter. The Board has recommended that Chavez propose to the membership that a small claims action in Santa Clara County be filed and subsequently served on the member, who currently resides in Southern California. Chavez advised the membership that the statute of limitations will run in November 2008 and as such, if a small claims action were to be filed, it would have to be done as quickly as possible. A quorum was present at tonight’s meeting and the topic was opened for discussion. Cindy moved to have SCCLSA, soon to be SCCoLPA, file and serve a small claims action against the former member and for the approval of an amount not to exceed $500 to cover the costs for filing and service of the lawsuit. The motion was seconded and carried. Adjournment: The next general membership meeting will be held on November 11, 2008 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Bold Knight Bistro, 840 N. First Street, San Jose. Chavez announced that next month’s speaker will be Rod Wilkerson, a mortgage broker and real estate instructor at G:\docs\ed\SCCLSA\0707756.DOC

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Cabrillo College, who will discuss current real estate issues and provide an educational history of the real estate market. With no further business to come before the membership, President Chavez adjourned the meeting at 8:50 p.m. Respectfully submitted,

Elise Dresser Recording Secretary

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