Best Best & Krieger News Feed

AB 1825 Sexual Harassment Avoidance Training

16 May 2013 00:00:00 -0800

California's Fair Employment and Housing Act, pursuant to AB 1825, requires that employers with fifty or more employees in California provide at least two hours of Sexual Harassment Avoidance Training every two years to any employee that has a supervisory role in operations. This presentation is designed to satisfy those requirements.

Joseph Ortiz will be presenting the training from the Riverside office. All other BB&K offices will participate in the training via state-of-the-art video conferencing. The video conference is interactive, allowing attendees to ask questions and participate in other ways.

What will be covered:

What constitutes sexual harassment or discrimination in the workplace
How to recognize and avoid it
What procedures to follow if you witness harassment or are harassed yourself
The potential consequences - including personal liability - of sexual harassment

Who should attend:

Supervisors
Human Resources Professionals
Public Officials
Managers & Private Business Professionals with 50 or More Employees

When:
Thursday, May 16
3:00pm - 5:00pm

Registration:
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

The training will be also be held via video conference at the following BB&K Offices throughout CA. When you register you will select which office you will select where you plan to participate in the training.

Indian Wells
Irvine
Los Angeles
Ontario
Riverside – Joseph Ortiz will be presenting from the Riverside office
Sacramento
San Diego
Walnut Creek

Cost is $75 per person. *Payment by check must be received before or on the day of the session.

BB&K Presenter:
Joseph Ortiz, Partner, Labor & Employment Practice Group in Riverside office

QUESTIONS:
Contact Katey Lamke if you have any questions about this event and/or about BB&K upcoming seminars/events.

If you are not currently receiving our Legal Alerts and would like to be added to our email distribution list, please visit our subscription page.

Best Best & Krieger Hires Five Attorneys Across Southern California

05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: March 5, 2013
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP recently hired five entry-level attorneys across Southern California who were summer interns at the firm during law school.

The new associates graduated from law school last year, and were interns at BB&K in the summer of 2011.

“We are glad to bring aboard such well-rounded associates. For several of the new attorneys, law is a second career, allowing us to offer that added depth of experience to our clients,” said Danielle Sakai, a Riverside-based partner at BB&K who specializes in environmental law and chairs the firm’s recruiting committee.

The new associates in the Riverside office are:

Jennifer J. Kunz, who focuses on environmental, natural resources and land use law as a member of the firm’s environmental law and natural resources practice group. Prior to law school, she worked for several years as a land use and environmental planning consultant, serving both public and private sector clients throughout California. Kunz is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and a LEED-accredited professional. She holds a master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of California at Irvine. Kunz received her law degree from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law.

Jeremiah J. Lee, a member of the firm’s business services practice group who concentrates on mergers and acquisitions, corporate reorganizations, non-profit law and business litigation. Lee graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law where he was the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship & the Law. While in law school, he served as an extern to U.S. District Judge Otis D. Wright II in Los Angeles and interned in London under the local general counsel for an international investment management firm. Prior to beginning his legal career, Lee worked with a global management consulting firm and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of California, Berkeley’s Haas School of Business. Lee is a third-generation native of Riverside where he continues to live.

The new associate in Ontario is:

Thomas A. Rice, a member of the firm’s municipal law practice group who provides transactional advice for cities, counties, water districts and joint powers authorities on a wide range of issues. Prior to joining BB&K, Rice worked as a finance office and special projects specialist at Groundwork Manchester, a charity in England that is engaged in the sustainable redevelopment of communities through joint environmental action. He is a LEED-accredited professional. Rice was recently appointed to a three-year term on the board of the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County, a non-profit that works with communities to empower low-income residents to achieve self-sufficiency. During law school, Rice interned for the County of Riverside Office of Legal Counsel, where he worked on a variety of matters including numerous code enforcement cases. Rice received his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law in Champaign, Ill.

The new attorneys in San Diego are:

Richard L. Hyde, whose practice focuses on real property litigation, title insurance litigation, commercial litigation, municipal and public entity representation, and civil code enforcement and litigation. He is a member of the firm’s municipal law practice group. He received his law degree from Brigham Young University's J. Reuben Clark Law School. Prior to joining BB&K, Hyde interned with the California Attorney General's correctional law section. He also externed with U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul M. Warner in Utah.

Marco A. Verdugo, who joined the special districts practice and is working on water quality issues, eminent domain and election law for various public agency clients. Licensed in California as a general engineering contractor, Verdugo helped oil companies, cities and utilities comply with air quality and water quality regulations relating to underground and aboveground storage tanks before he turned to a legal career. During law school, Verdugo interned at the Chula Vista City Attorney's Office where he assisted on various municipal law and California Environmental Quality Act issues. He also volunteered at the University of San Diego Legal Clinic where he assisted low-income individuals with landlord/tenant and contract issues. Verdugo received his law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law.

Associate Attorney - Municipal Law - Ontario Office (2 Positions Available)

22 Feb 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Ontario office has immediate associate openings in its Municipal Law Group: (1) Associate position requiring 4 to 6 yrs. of transactional municipal law experience. Ideal candidate would serve in the capacity of a city attorney second chair; (2) Associate position requiring 4 to 6 yrs. of municipal civil & criminal code enforcement experience. Qualified applicants are invited to submit by email or mail a cover letter, resume and law school transcript to:

Jill. N. Willis
Chief Talent Officer
Best Best & Krieger LLP
300 South Grand Avenue, 25th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90071
Email: Jill.Willis@bbklaw.com
Fax: (213) 617-7480

BB&K Welcomes Ten Attorneys Across Southern California Into the Partnership

30 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2013
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP promoted ten attorneys based in Southern California to partner for 2013, the law firm announced.

“We are pleased to welcome into the partnership a group of attorneys with diverse legal expertise, which will continue to provide a strong foundation of legal knowledge for our clients,” said Eric Garner, BB&K’s managing partner.

The new partners are based in Riverside, Los Angeles, San Diego, Ontario and Indian Wells, and focus on a wide range of legal fields including environmental, labor, municipal and business law.

In all, BB&K has nearly 200 attorneys based at nine offices in California and Washington, D.C., who work with public agencies and private clients.

In the Riverside office, the new partners are:

Charity B. Schiller, whose environmental law practice focuses on helping public and private clients navigate through the maze of state and federal environmental laws that apply to transportation, infrastructure and other development projects as they undergo the proposal and approval processes. With expertise in the California Environmental Quality Act, Schiller is a member of the firm’s environmental and natural resources practice group. She is currently the chair of the Riverside Downtown Partnership, a not-for-profit organization that partners with the city’s businesses and others to sponsor or organize summer concerts, festivals, book signings and outdoor movies designed to attract visitors to downtown Riverside. Schiller joined BB&K in 2004 after receiving her law degree from Pepperdine University.

Mona M. Nemat, an eminent domain attorney who advises public entity clients on project planning and right-of-way acquisition through the various stages of complex, high-stakes litigation. Although her practice largely involves the public sector, she also represents individuals and businesses as a member of BB&K’s eminent domain and business services practice groups. Nemat is a founding member of Project Graduate, a pilot program comprised of members of the Riverside County legal community that helps foster kids in local high schools to graduate. She received her law degree from the University of California, Davis, in 2004, and has been with BB&K since 2007.

Joseph T. Ortiz, who provides advice to private and public agency employers on such issues as wrongful termination, discrimination and harassment, and related claims of fraud, negligent misrepresentation and breach of contract. As part of the firm’s labor and employment practice, Ortiz also litigates employment matters before state and federal courts, administrative agencies and arbitration tribunals. Ortiz is chair of the Downtown Business Council, which is part of the Greater Riverside Chambers of Commerce in Riverside; president of the Greater Riverside Dollars for Scholars; and a commissioner on the Riverside Community Police Review Commission. Ortiz received his law degree from the University of Minnesota in 2001, and joined BB&K in 2008.

In Los Angeles, the new partners are:

Scott H. Campbell, who serves as city attorney to Avalon on Catalina Island and as general counsel to the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District in the San Bernardino mountains. A member of the firm’s municipal law and litigation practice groups, Campbell’s work concentrates on municipal and public entity representation, construction management and litigation, and business and commercial litigation. Campbell is the former president of the City Attorneys Association of Los Angeles County and currently sits on the board of directors for St. Anne’s Maternity Home, which provides a home for pregnant or parenting teen-agers in Los Angeles County. Campbell received his law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1987, and joined BB&K in 2005.

John H. Holloway, a litigator and transactional attorney who represents public agencies and businesses in real estate, eminent domain, environmental and land use matters. His experience includes acquisition of property for several public projects, including the right of way property for construction of the Los Angeles to Pasadena Gold Line, and representation of clients in environmental matters, including Los Angeles County in negotiations with regulators and potentially responsible parties in the investigation and clean-up of the former BKK Main Landfill in Carson. Holloway also is currently working with the Los Angeles Community College District on a number of projects, including development of a new satellite college campus and a major telecommunications initiative aimed at connecting the district’s nine campuses and its headquarters through a fiber optic ring and wireless transmission network to improve the district's data security and communication abilities. Holloway received his law degree in 1995 from Tulane University in New Orleans, and joined BB&K in 2005.

In San Diego, the new partners are:

Shannon M. Erickson, who represents a variety of clients in business and general civil litigation matters, with a focus on real property and title insurance issues. Her clients include title insurance and escrow companies, banks, religious organizations, public and private entities, and individuals. Erickson provides pro bono legal services as a volunteer for the Casa Cornelia Law Center, a San Diego-based nonprofit that assists victims of human and civil rights violations. Last year, she and another BB&K attorney won a significant victory when they helped secure political asylum for a young African woman seeking protection from religious persecution in her native country of Eritrea. Erickson received her law degree from the University of San Diego School of Law in 2004 and joined BB&K in 2006.

Lindsay D. Puckett, whose practice focuses on environmental and land use law. She represents public and private clients in transactional and litigation matters involving the California Environmental Quality Act, the National Environmental Policy Act, state and federal endangered species laws, coastal development, alternative energy, water issues and American Indian law issues. She served for four years on the board of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, a nonprofit in Encinitas that provides educational outreach on recycling, composting, pollution prevention, sustainable living, conservation and habitat protection to businesses, schools and others in San Diego County. Puckett received her law degree in 2004 from the Washington University School of Law in St. Louis. She joined BB&K in 2006.

In Ontario, the new partner is:

G. Ross Trindle, III, who works on police-related legal issues and assists cities in developing consolidated, shared services and regionalization agreements for public safety services. His public safety litigation experience involves Pitchess motion defense, sex offender registration issues, and state and federal civil rights defense. As part of the firm’s municipal law practice and as leader of its police services team, Trindle serves as deputy city attorney for Arcadia, Azusa, Claremont, Covina, Colton and Shafter for public safety and public liability issues. In addition, his practice focuses on municipal defense litigation. Trindle volunteers with California high school mock trial, including as an attorney coach for Claremont High School in Los Angeles County, and previously with Upland High School in San Bernardino County. He earned his law degree in 2003 from Santa Clara University School of Law and joined BB&K in 2007.

In Indian Wells, the new partners are:

Kira L. Klatchko, who chairs the firm’s appellate practice and handles civil appeals in state and federal courts for cities, businesses and families. Klatchko is the only appellate law specialist in Riverside County certified by the State Bar of California Board of Legal Specialization. Among other notable cases, Klatchko is handling a high-profile case before the California Supreme Court on behalf of a city client involving the use of red-light cameras at traffic intersections. Klatchko is acting chair of the State Bar of California’s Standing Committee on Appellate Courts, and she sits on the Riverside County Bar Association’s executive board. She is a board member of Angel View, a nonprofit based in the Coachella Valley that is dedicated to serving disabled children and adults throughout the Inland region. Klatchko received her law degree from the University of California, Davis in 2004, and joined BB&K the following year. She also holds an executive master's degree in business administration from the Peter F. Drucker and Masatoshi Ito School of Management at Claremont Graduate University.

Carlos L. Campos, who serves as city attorney for Coachella and represents Palm Desert and Indian Wells in various capacities. He is also general counsel to the Desert Healthcare District and the Coachella Valley Enterprise Zone. A member of the firm’s municipal and special district practice groups, Campos' practice focuses on open meeting laws, conflicts of interest, land use and planning, and the Public Records Act. Campos serves as a trustee of the Desert Bar Association and sits on the board of directors of the Dr. Carreon Foundation, which seeks to increase educational opportunities for Mexican-American youth in the Coachella Valley. Fluent in Spanish, Campos earned his law degree in 2002 from the University of California, Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. He joined the firm in 2002.

Best Best & Krieger Moves Ontario Office to New Location

10 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: Jan. 10, 2013
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

ONTARIO, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP, a law firm whose attorneys represent public agencies and clients in the private sector, moved its Ontario office to a new location in the city.

On Monday, BB&K opened its office in a fourth-floor suite at the Ontario Airport Towers, 2855 E. Guasti Rd., south of Interstate 10, said Richard Egger, a business litigator who is the managing partner of the firm’s Ontario office.

“It was really important for the firm to remain in Ontario,” Egger said. “The city is not only a longstanding client but it sits at a key business crossroads in Inland Southern California."

Egger said the building’s sustainable features also played a role in the decision to relocate. The building was certified in 2009 as LEED silver for its environmentally friendly features such as a “cool roof” designed to reduce energy consumption for the building, low-flow toilets to reduce water consumption and recycled materials used in its construction, including the building’s steel structure.

In all, 200 attorneys work at BB&K in nine offices across California and in Washington, D.C. The Ontario office is the base for 16 lawyers, including those who focus on business, municipal and telecommunications law and serve as city attorney to Ontario, Fontana and Colton.

The law firm signed an 11-year lease for the 12,911-square-foot office space, said Jamie Zamoff, BB&K’s chief operating officer.

The firm’s previous lease, for the last 14 years, was at One Corporate Plaza, 3500 Porsche Way, about two miles away.

Fourteen Best Best & Krieger Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America for 2013

01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Fourteen attorneys from Best Best & Krieger LLP offices throughout California were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2013. (Copyright 2012 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.).

In addition, two attorneys were also named 2013 “Lawyers of the Year” for specific practices and geographic areas.

Best Lawyers, established in 1983, is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 attorneys cast nearly 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

BB&K attorneys based in Riverside who were ranked as leaders in their fields include Eric Garner, a water rights attorney and managing partner of the nine-office law firm, for environmental litigation and water law; Michelle Ouellette for energy, environmental, environmental litigation and natural resources law; Gregory K. Wilkinson and Arthur L. Littleworth for energy, environmental litigation, natural resources and water law; and George M. Reyes for corporate law. Best Lawyers also named Littleworth a 2013 "Lawyer of the Year" for Riverside in environmental litigation.

In the firm’s Ontario office, Stephen P. Deitsch, who serves as city attorney to Indian Wells, Arcadia, Big Bear Lake and Shafter, was named for municipal, land use and zoning law. Also named in the municipal law category was John E. Brown, who serves as city attorney to Ontario and as town attorney for Apple Valley.

In San Diego, Robert J. Hanna, a real estate attorney, was named for commercial litigation.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA

The attorneys honored in the Sacramento office were Edward J. Quinn Jr. and Joseph E. Coomes, Jr. for municipal, land use and zoning law; T. Brent Hawkins for municipal law; Harriet Steiner, the city attorney of Davis, for municipal law and municipal litigation; and Iris P. Yang, city attorney of Paso Robles, for municipal, land use and zoning law, and municipal litigation. Best Lawyers also named Coomes a 2013 "Lawyer of the Year" for Sacramento in municipal law.

In Walnut Creek, environmental attorney and former member of the California Attorney General’s office, Roderick E. Walston, was named for natural resources and water law.

BB&K Attorney Valerie Escalante Elected to Board of Inland Women’s Law Group

17 Jul 2012 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: July 17, 2012
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

ONTARIO, Calif. _ Valerie Escalante, a Best Best & Krieger attorney based in Ontario whose practice focuses on civil litigation and municipal law, was recently elected to the board of the Inland Empire Legal Association of Women, also known as IE LAW.

Escalante, who lives in Alta Loma where she grew up, will serve a one-year term on the five-member board of the association, which works to promote women lawyers and judges in the Inland region and to advocate for the concerns of all women in the community.

“It’s a great opportunity to both network with and support other professional women who are going through similar challenges and successes,” said Escalante, who was also programming chair of the Women’s Law Coalition while at Cornell Law School.

Laura Crane, a BB&K attorney who has been a board member of IE LAW since she helped found the group in 2009, said Escalante has hit the ground running, helping to plan an October event where the group will help Inland college students navigate the law school application process. In addition, a scholarship will be given to one of the attendees to cover the costs of a prep course for the Law School Admission Test, also known as the LSAT. Such courses can cost about $2,000.

“Valerie has definitely invigorated the group with some great ideas for our new scholarship committee,” Crane said.

In August, Crane will moderate an IE LAW panel examining juveniles in the law at BB&K’s Ontario office. Among the panelist for the Aug. 20 event beginning at 5:30 p.m. will be Barbara Buchholz, who is a San Bernardino Superior Court Judge in the juvenile dependency court, and Marcie Gardner, a Rancho Cucamonga attorney who specializes in juvenile law.

Best Best & Krieger Among Nation’s Most Diverse Law Firms

18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: June 18, 2012
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP ranked 15th among the nation's most racially diverse law firms, with nearly 20 percent of its attorneys hailing from minority backgrounds, according to The American Lawyer's annual Diversity Scorecard, published in the magazine’s June issue.

BB&K, with 200 attorneys in nine offices in California and Washington D.C., placed in the Top 20 for the fifth year straight. In all, 233 of the nation’s largest and highest-grossing firms responded to this year’s survey, placing BB&K’s No. 15 ranking in the top 6.5 percent.

Eric Garner, BB&K’s managing partner, said he was very pleased with the results of the Diversity Scorecard, which also placed the firm ninth overall for the highest percentage of minority partners.

“We believe that our continued presence in the Top 20, and our highest ranking yet, reflects the firm’s longstanding commitment to diversity, which we believe is essential to foster the kind of creative solutions our clients need in 2012,” Garner said.

BB&K clients includes cities, counties, public agencies, water and school districts, companies and individuals.

The survey showed:

- BB&K’s percentage of minority attorneys, at 18.5 percent, or 35 attorneys, is nearly five percent higher than the national average of 13.6 percent.

- Of the 195 attorneys at BB&K, 15 are Hispanic-American, 15 are Asian-American, four are African-American and one is of mixed race.

- The percentage of BB&K’s minority attorneys who are partners, at 14.4 percent, rose more than 2 percent from the year before and was the ninth highest overall.

One of those partners, Gene Tanaka, sits on the firm’s executive committee and is managing partner of the Walnut Creek office. Another partner, Marco Martinez, is managing partner of the firm’s Irvine office.

Tanaka, who is Japanese-American, said the firm has always been welcoming to attorneys from diverse backgrounds.

“In my 27 years at BB&K, I can honestly say that my race has never been a consideration or issue,” he said. “I frankly do not think anyone really thought about it professionally or socially. I cannot imagine any better treatment by a group of people.”

Tanaka said shortly after he arrived at the firm, BB&K’s partners appointed him to lead an ad hoc committee to consider diversity and, as a result, the firm adopted a policy in the early 1990s to encourage diversity based on race, ethnicity and sexual orientation before many other firms.

In 2008 and 2009, BB&K ranked 19th in the Diversity Scorecard; 17th in 2010; and 19th last year.

Last year, BB&K launched a scholarship/fellowship program for a law student from a diverse background. The program offers the recipient a paid summer associate position for two summers during law school in addition to a $7,500 scholarship once the program is completed. The program’s current recipient, Leo Li from Loyola Law School, will be working in the firm’s Riverside and Ontario offices for his second summer this year. Fluent in Mandarin Chinese, Li is on track to graduate in 2013.

According to American Lawyer, large firms slightly reduced their percentage of minority attorneys to 13.6 percent. The magazine editors said they weren’t too worried about the slight dip from 13.9 percent from the year before because the editors tweaked the methodology for the latest survey to include full-time equivalent numbers for the entire calendar year. That meant that part-time attorneys were prorated in their statistics.

The Explosion of Digital Information Needs: Is Your City Prepared?

14 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0800

By Gail A. Karish

Broadband communications are important to local communities. Local public officials do not need to be convinced. Broadband has become an essential component of modern community infrastructure, like electricity, water and roads. Yet California is not leading the nation in high speed broadband deployments. Is there anything local governments in California can or should be doing to spur broadband deployment? In a word, yes.

Communities around the country are building their own broadband networks. Unlike a number of other states that place restrictions and sometimes outright bans on municipal networks, the right of local governments to provide communications is constitutionally enshrined in the California constitution, Article XI, Section 9. Surprisingly, few California local governments have taken advantage of this right. Conditions may be right for that to change.

Is It Time to Think About Establishing a Municipal Network?

Local governments are major consumers of all forms of communications services – telephone and Internet in government buildings, cell phones for mobile workers, public safety communications for first responders, 911 call centers, traffic management systems, libraries, schools, and the list goes on and on. A major challenge for public officials is how to meet today’s myriad communications needs – both within governmental operations and with and by the public – in a cost-effective way.

Often communications planning is dispersed among different departments and incremental in approach. Typically, a need is identified by one department– say higher capacity Internet access in a departmental building – and then the department seeks the budget to upgrade the existing service. Over a longer planning horizon, taking an incremental approach may not be the most cost-effective way to meet these needs. Too often, local governments have stovepipes of IT networks and telecommunications services, purchased incrementally and not integrated to take advantage of the power and efficiency of new fiber optic based digital networks and services.

Leading communities are now thinking strategically about their public and private communications infrastructure: What are the government’s communications needs as a whole? What is the highest speed, lowest cost option for the community as a whole? Can actions today address both immediate needs and provide growth capacity over the next five years or more? Does the local government have the capacity to plan and operate a network itself, or should it be contracted out?

A community that is not considering self-provisioning its own local broadband network is ignoring a critical analytical and planning step. This is the time to engage in this analysis. Every local government is on the cusp of an explosion in the volume of digital information acquisition, storage and transmission. These needs will continue to grow by leaps and bounds, even as local budgets are being squeezed.

Institutional Networks Provided by Cable Companies Are Being Phased Out

When cable television franchising was still a local matter (prior to the enactment of the Digital Infrastructure and Video Competition Act of 2006 or DIVCA), it was commonplace for local cable franchises to include a requirement for the operator of the local cable system to construct and maintain an institutional network or I-Net – connecting government buildings, police and fire stations, perhaps schools and libraries also – for local government communications use. The costs of constructing the I-Net might be borne by the local government or shared by the cable operator who typically agreed to maintain the I-Net at no charge, treating it like part of its own cable system. The I-Net might be expanded to new sites from time to time, but the basic terms were reviewed every 10-15 years, typically when the cable franchise was up for renewal.

DIVCA changed all that. Now cable franchising authority has been removed to the Public Utilities Commission. There are no I-Net requirements in DIVCA, and the obligation to provide and support existing I-Nets continues only until the later of January 1, 2009, the date the local franchise expires, or the date the term of the local franchise would have expired if it had not been terminated early due to the local market entry of a competitive provider. The result is that cable operators have taken the first opportunity that comes to them to shed these I-Net obligations or to monetize them by charging the local government for continuing the services.

If your community’s local cable franchises have expired or been abrogated under DIVCA, then your community may already be dealing with this loss. Sometimes provider requests for compensation are reasonable, and sometimes they are not. But the significance of the change is the introduction of major uncertainty – as to future costs and availability of existing communications networks on which your community may depend to deliver services to residents.

T-Band Communications Systems Are Being Phased Out

Another example of the pending changes in local communications networks comes courtesy of Congress. The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (H.R. 3630) did not simply extend the federal payroll tax reduction. Title VI of the statute deals with public safety communications. It created a framework for a new nationwide 700 MHz public safety broadband radio system that should be built out over the coming decade. However, a little known provision of H.R. 3630 (Section 6103) contains a federal mandate to local governments to abandon use of the so-called “T-Band” (470-512 MHz) of public safety radio spectrum.

Upwards of 100 California communities, including major cities such as Los Angeles, are currently using the T-Band for important public safety communications and will be impacted by this mandate. As a first step, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed a T-Band channel bandwidth limit of 12.5 KHz effective January 1, 2013. The FCC later waived the deadline for Industrial/Business and Public Safety Radio Pool licensees in the 470-512 MHz band T-Band licensees that also operate on frequencies in the 150-174 MHz and 421-470 MHz bands must meet the narrowbanding deadline with respect to those frequencies. If your community uses the T-Band and has not invested in the new, narrower channel equipment, your community may need a waiver from the FCC to continue use beyond the end of 2012. Some major T-Band users such as the New York City Transit Authority have already applied for waivers.

The FCC may take up to nine years to begin auctioning reclaimed T-Band spectrum to commercial uses, but it need not wait that long. Commercial providers are clamoring for more spectrum now – warning of a spectrum crunch due to the explosive demand for wireless data services. And the FCC is a strong advocate of wireless broadband. Thus, if your community uses T-Band spectrum, there is real urgency to consider both whether a waiver request is needed and to plan for the relocation or replacement of your existing T-Band system.

Planning for Future Communications Needs

The above examples are just two of numerous state and federal regulatory mandates changing the local communications landscape. More broadly, the commercial communications industry has largely been deregulated in the last 10 years and is now dominated by a handful of large providers that have the power to engage in monopoly pricing. Your community’s actions to replace an institutional network or T-Band system can be responded to as one-off items. Why not use these changes as a catalyst for a fundamental rethinking of the local government’s approach to evaluating and addressing the community’s communications needs?

If you are willing to engage in a major re-think, the place to start is with thorough planning.

A critical component of the planning process is to inventory existing communications assets and systems. A collaborative effort among departments and agencies will identify and leverage existing communications assets – these may include transit system fiber, utility communications infrastructure, WiFi systems, public safety systems, radio licenses, Educational Broadcast Spectrum licenses and the like. Building on existing infrastructure is an important cost savings strategy.

Another important component is consultation. An aspect of local cable franchising that has been lost or at least deferred in California is the community needs assessment process that accompanies cable franchise renewal. With most 10-year state-level franchises having been issued in the 2007-2009 period, renewal processes that would have been due under local franchises in many communities have been deferred at least another five years, and how renewal processes will work under DIVCA is highly uncertain.

In a cable franchise renewal, the community needs assessment process serves as part evaluation and part projection of future needs. The point is to ascertain how well the community’s cable-related needs are being met and what investments in infrastructure are needed to meet current and future needs over the next decade. Using community needs assessment techniques (surveys, focus groups, interviews) may be helpful as part of a broader communications planning process. It will also help build community support for the investment.

Collaboration with other entities should also be strongly considered. Neighboring communities, special districts, educational institutions, healthcare institutions, private entities – everyone needs better communications infrastructure. Pooling resources – both financial and physical – can make a lot of sense. Organizational structure should be carefully considered up front. In our experience, three broad categories of issues exist, and the answers will vary depending on the legal structure of the entity involved: 1) Is the entity and/or the services being offered subject to regulation? 2) How complicated is it to get access to public rights of way and towers? 3) What contracting processes must be followed?

Funding, obviously, will be a major issue in the current fiscal environment. But this is also an opportune time to explore new broadband funding sources both at the state and federal levels. Some major middle mile fiber projects were funded with federal ARRA grants. These include public-private partnerships such as California Broadband Cooperative, Inc. (awarded over $80 million to build a fiber network more than 500 miles long along Interstate 395) and Central Valley Next Generation Broadband Infrastructure Project (awarded over $45 million to build broadband networking infrastructure in 18 counties within the California Central Valley).

Under SB 1040, the California Legislature extended and added funding to the California Advanced Services Fund (CASF) at the end of 2010. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) has already awarded grants for broadband planning to dozens of consortia throughout the state out of its “Rural and Urban Regional Broadband Consortia Account.” Many of these consortia include local governments. Federal and state telephone service universal service funds are also being restructured and redirected towards broadband deployments.

A careful evaluation of the benefits and risks of building rather than “buying” communications services will be key. Benefits can include controlling your own costs, technology and build out. Building may bring the opportunity to generate revenue by selling excess capacity and/or becoming a wholesale or retail provider. Financial risks, obviously, are different than with a service contract and typically involve longer payouts. Other risks include technology change and maintaining community commitment.

There will be opposition, particularly from the existing commercial communications providers.

In some states where communities have decided to build their own communications networks, there has been litigation and attempts to pass legislation to ban such projects or put hurdles in front of them. Here in California, under current CPUC rules, the broadband infrastructure grants and loans authorized under the CASF will only be available to entities registered with the CPUC (holders of certificates of public convenience and necessity or wireless identification registrations). These are typically commercial entities.

While at first considering self-provisioning a broadband communications network may seem daunting, none of these risks are unique. Local governments routinely take up complex and challenging construction projects – to build all sorts of essential infrastructure. Broadband is equally important and should be considered in the same light.

Gail A. Karish is of counsel at Best Best & Krieger LLP. She is a member of the firm’s Municipal Law Practice Group in the Ontario office. Karish advises local governments and numerous municipal utility clients on a wide range of cable and telecommunications law matters. Prior to entering private practice, she worked in-house at a long distance telecommunications carrier and at a major electric utility. Karish can be reached at gail.karish@bbklaw.com.

BB&K Attorney Joins San Bernardino County Non-Profit Board Aimed at Helping Low-Income Community

08 May 2012 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: May 8, 2012
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

San Bernardino, Calif. _ Rahsaan J. Tilford, a transportation and land use attorney at Best Best & Krieger LLP, was recently appointed to the board of a non-profit that helps San Bernardino County’s low-income population.

Tilford will serve a three-year term on the Community Action Partnership of San Bernardino County as a private sector representative. One of the county’s largest non-profits, the Community Action Partnership is charged with developing and implementing programs such as transitional housing, homeless prevention, tax preparation, home weatherization and food distribution.

Tilford, based in BB&K’s Ontario office, grew up in Rialto in a single-parent home.

“I have a personal interest in giving back to the community because this county is where I grew up and now work,” said Tilford, 36.

Tilford was appointed to his position by the board members. The 15-member board is made up of members from the public sector, the private sector and the low-income community. Tilford replaces Michael Gallo, president and chief executive officer of San Bernardino-based Kelly Space & Technology, Inc.

Tilford has worked at BB&K for six years, representing public agencies across the Inland region in matters involving land use, ethics compliance, transportation and affordable housing. He provides legal assistance to the Riverside County Transportation Commission and Omnitrans, which offers bus service in the San Bernardino Valley area.

Currently, Tilford is assisting Omnitrans on developing a 15.7-mile rapid transit bus project linking San Bernardino and Loma Linda in western San Bernardino County. The $191 million project will use 60-foot natural gas vehicles, operate within dedicated center bus lanes, and include 16 art-inspired stations at key university, government, business, entertainment and medical centers, as well as four park-and-ride facilities.

Tilford received his law degree in 2003 from Tulane University in New Orleans.

BB&K Adds Three Attorneys in Southern California

12 Mar 2012 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: March 12, 2012
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP recently hired three former summer clerks to work as first-year associates in the municipal and business practices in the Riverside and Ontario offices.

“We welcome these attorneys to the firm and we are excited to have them become part of BB&K’s future,” said Danielle Sakai, a Riverside-based partner who specializes in environmental law and serves as chair of the firm’s recruiting committee.

All three served as clerks at BB&K during the summer of 2010. They are:

_ Kevin J. Abbott, who works in Riverside as a member of the business services practice group. He focuses primarily on civil litigation, including construction cases and breach of contract matters. He also represents public entities in a variety of litigation matters, including eminent domain and tort actions.

Abbott graduated magna cum laude from the J. Reuben Clark Law School at Brigham Young University in 2011. As a law student, he served as an extern for Associate Chief Justice Matthew Durrant of the Utah Supreme Court, and for private and municipal law offices. Abbott also received a master’s degree in public administration from Brigham Young University in 2011.

_ Valerie Escalante, who works in the Ontario office and practices in both the municipal and litigation practice groups. She represents cities, counties, agencies, school districts, business entities and private individuals. Her practice focuses on the Political Reform Act, the Public Records Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Escalante also litigates private and municipal matters in state and federal court. She is lead counsel in gun confiscation matters for the police departments of the cities of Ontario, Corona, Woodland and Clayton.

She earned her law degree from Cornell Law School in 2011. During law school, Escalante clerked for U.S. District Court Judge Terry J. Hatter and the United States Attorney’s Office, Civil Division. She speaks conversational Spanish and Portuguese and can read and write in both languages.

_ Alison P. Gomer, who also works in Ontario as a member of the firm’s municipal practice group. Her practice focuses on land use planning and zoning issues and appropriation limits for cities and special districts, as well as the Political Reform Act, the Brown Act and electronic communication policies for local agencies.

Gomer received her law degree from the Gould School of Law at the University of Southern California in 2011. During law school, she was president of the Public Interest Law Foundation and served as a peer mentor for incoming law students. She also volunteered at the Los Angeles County Bar Association's Barristers Domestic Violence Project.
In addition to her law degree, Gomer received a master’s degree in planning from USC in 2008.

Twelve Best Best & Krieger Attorneys Named Best Lawyers in America for 2012

06 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0800

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Twelve lawyers from Best Best & Krieger LLP offices throughout California were recently selected by their peers for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America® 2012. (Copyright 2010 by Woodward/White, Inc., of Aiken, S.C.).

BB&K attorneys who were ranked as leaders in their fields include Eric Garner, a water rights attorneys and managing partner of the nine-office law firm, for environmental litigation.

Best Lawyers, established in 1983, is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 39,000 attorneys cast almost 3.1 million votes on the legal abilities of other lawyers in their practice areas. Lawyers are not required or allowed to pay a fee to be listed.

Other BB&K attorneys bestowed with the honor include the following from the Riverside office: Michelle Ouellette, for energy, environmental, environmental litigation and natural resources law; Gregory K. Wilkinson and Arthur L. Littleworth for energy, environmental litigation, natural resources and water law; and George M. Reyes for corporate law.

In the firm’s Ontario office, Stephen P. Deitsch, who serves as city attorney to Indian Wells, Arcadia, Big Bear Lake and Shafter, was named for municipal, land use and zoning law. Also named in the municipal law category was John E. Brown, who serves as city attorney to Ontario and as town attorney for Apple Valley.

The attorneys honored in the Sacramento office were Ed J. Quinn Jr. and Joseph E. Coomes, Jr. for municipal, land use and zoning law; Harriet Steiner, the city attorney for Davis, for municipal law and municipal litigation, and Iris P. Yang, city attorney for Paso Robles, for municipal litigation.

In Walnut Creek, Roderick E. Walston was named for natural resources and water law.

Landlords Renting to Medical Marijuana Dispensaries May End Up in Legal Battles

06 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0800

By Laura L. Crane

Since California voters passed the California Compassionate Use Act of 1996, also known as Prop. 215, hundreds of store-front dispensaries selling medical marijuana have opened throughout the state. In the Inland region alone, some 175 dispensaries are operating across Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

While legal battles erupting between the dispensaries and the many cities in which they are located have grabbed newspaper headlines, perhaps not as well known are the potential ramifications to landlords who rent out retail space to those dispensary owners. They can face costly penalties, a one-year loss in rental income and even jail time.

BB&K Hires Five Former Summer Associates to Join Firm

21 Apr 2011 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: April 21, 2011
Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP hired five entry-level associates to join the firm’s municipal and redevelopment law practice in offices throughout California.

The attorneys, who were summer associates at the firm in 2009, joined one of the largest municipal practices in the state: BB&K attorneys serve as city attorney to nearly 30 cities across California.

“We are glad to bring aboard the associates and make them part of a thriving practice,” said Jill Willis, a BB&K partner and chair of the firm’s recruiting committee.

The associates are:

Katherine A. Christenson, who is based in the firm’s Irvine office, and works primarily with public clients on a wide range of matters, including finance and economic development, land use, open government and ethics, and civil and criminal code enforcement. She graduated last year from Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, where she was a member of the nationally recognized moot court team.

Ruben R. Espinoza of the Ontario office whose practice focuses on municipal and public entity representation, civil & criminal code enforcement, and employment law litigation. He graduated from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law in 2010. Prior to law school, Espinoza worked for the California State Assembly, analyzing legislation and working closely with Inland public officials and residents to craft effective legislative solutions for the region.

Jonathan M. Franz, who is based in Los Angeles and works with public and private clients on matters related to redevelopment, civil and criminal code enforcement, and public and private contracting. He graduated last year from The Ohio State University’s Moritz College of Law where he participated in a law clinic and successfully represented an indigent party in an adoption law dispute pending in the Supreme Court of Ohio.

Andrew D. Maiorano, who is based in Ontario and represents municipal and public entities on matters involving civil and criminal code enforcement and litigation, and business litigation. He graduated from Pepperdine University School of Law in 2010. Prior to joining BB&K, Maiorano interned for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Appellate Services Unit and the International Wealth Planning Group of Withers LLP’s London office.

Kevin Wang of the Sacramento office whose practice concentrates on municipal and public entity representation, environmental law, and public and private contracting. He graduated from the University of Maryland School of Law in 2010. During law school, Wang was a recipient of the Martin Luther King Jr. Service Award for his work with inmates in Baton Rouge Parish Prison in Baton Rouge, La. He also interned at the Office of Chief Counsel at the U.S. Department of Transportation where he worked extensively on the rulemaking process to raise mileage standards for cars and light trucks.

All of the attorneys were admitted to the State Bar of California last year.

BB&K's Jonathan Lamb Comments on Federal Prosecutors' Request to Use Code in National Security Agency Case

11 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Federal prosecutors in the espionage case against a former National Security Agency employee, who allegedly gave classified information to a Baltimore Sun reporter, want to invoke a little-used rule that allows them to use code words in the courtroom — making portions of a public trial private.

The "silent witness rule," is meant to minimize the disclosure of classified information by allowing only those directly involved in a case — the judge, jury, witnesses, lawyers and defendants — to see it. Any public discussion of the secret details must be done in code.

"They literally have a key, a glossary, that the jury would have that the public would not," said Abbe D. Lowell, a Washington, D.C., defense attorney. He argued against the rule's use in an espionage case that was filed (and later dropped) against two pro-Israel lobbyists.

Judges typically allow the rule to be used only in a very limited way, lawyers said, noting that secret codes quickly become confusing and risk violating the defendant's constitutional rights to a public trial.

"It's literally been used three or four times in the last 30 years," said Jonathan Lamb, a California attorney who published a lengthy article about the rule in 2008 while attending Pepperdine University Law School.

Click here to read the entire article.

BB&K Ranks 27th in California; First in Inland Southern California

09 Feb 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Best Best & Krieger LLP ranked 27th in a survey of California’s largest law firms, up from 32 last year, according to a special supplement published in today’s Daily Journal.

BB&K, founded in Riverside in 1891, came in first in the Inland Empire, with 85 attorneys based in Riverside, Ontario and Indian Wells when the newspaper conducted the survey at the end of last year.

In Southern California, BB&K ranked 15th in a list of the top 25 largest firms in the region, the newspaper reported.

BB&K, with 195 attorneys at the time of the survey, has five other offices across California in San Diego, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Irvine and Walnut Creek.

Click here to view the Daily Journal's special supplement (subscription required)

Eight BB&K Attorneys Named 2011 Southern California "Super Lawyers"

27 Jan 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Eight attorneys at Best Best & Krieger LLP were named by their peers among the region's most respected lawyers in the 2011 Southern California Super Lawyers magazine for their expertise in municipal, environmental and estate planning law and litigation. The attorneys are John E. Brown, Scott H. Campbell, Christopher L. Carpenter, Sonia R. Carvalho, Dean Derleth, Nowland C. Hong, Michelle Ouellette, and Gregory K. Wilkinson. Only five percent of Southern California lawyers, excluding San Diego (which has its own list), received this honor.

Brown represents a variety of California public agencies including cities, redevelopment agencies, special districts and school districts. He is the city attorney for Ontario, Calif., and the town attorney of Apple Valley. Brown has served as general counsel to the Elsinore Valley Municipal Water District for more than 30 years. He is general counsel to the March Joint Powers Authority, March Inland Port Airport Authority and March JPA Redevelopment Agency, the local reuse authorities for the former March Air Force Base. Brown was named in the government, cities and municipalities category.

Campbell, a municipal lawyer and litigator with extensive trial experience, represents public entities as both general counsel and public works construction counsel. He has supervised public works projects involving more than $150 million in public funding and serves as city attorney for Avalon and general counsel for the Lake Arrowhead Community Services District. Campbell was named in the government, cities and municipalities category.

Carpenter’s practice includes the preparation and administration of revocable and irrevocable trusts and related matters. He focuses on business succession planning for families that own successful small businesses. Carpenter served as managing partner of Best Best & Krieger for more than seven years. He was named in the estate planning and probate category.

Carvalho is the city attorney for Azusa and Claremont. She is also co-chair of BB&K’s Public Policy and Ethics group. As general counsel to municipalities, Carvalho advises on all aspects of municipal law. In addition, she specializes in the areas of ethics and open government laws, land use entitlements and elections law. Carvalho was named in the government, cities and municipalities category.

Derleth represents many municipal and other public agency clients as general counsel and in areas such as public contracting, land use, the California Environmental Quality Act, the Williamson Act, risk management, the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS), and natural resources law. He is known particularly for his expertise in public works contracts and related contract and construction issues, as well as land use and development issues. Derleth is the city attorney for Corona and Colton. He was named in the government, cities and municipalities category.

Hong has five decades of experience in municipal and redevelopment law, and litigation. He has specialized in trials and appeals in the state and federal courts representing major public agencies and districts, private corporations and individuals in complex litigation, class actions and representative suits encompassing a wide range of issues. Hong was named in the general litigation category.

Ouellette is known for her expertise in federal and state endangered species laws, the California Environmental Quality Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. She steered two of the nation’s largest habitat conservation plans through a maze of environmental requirements, protecting dozens of endangered species in Southern California while allowing development to move forward. Ouellette was named in the environmental law field.

Wilkinson works on key cases in California involving water, the state’s most precious natural resource. He successfully argued before the United States Supreme Court in Bennett v. Spear, 520 U.S. 154 (1997), a case involving endangered species and an irrigation project that straddles the California/Oregon border. Wilkinson was named in the environmental law category.

About Super Lawyers

Super Lawyers is a list of outstanding lawyers from more than 70 practice areas who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and personal achievement. Polling, research and selection are performed by Law & Politics, a publication of Key Professional Media, Inc. Law and Politics has been publishing legal magazines since 1990 and Super Lawyers since 1991.

BB&K Hires Four Associates For Southern California Offices

13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: Dec. 13, 2010

Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP recently hired four associates to join the firm’s growing municipal and redevelopment law practice in its Los Angeles, San Diego and Ontario offices.

The new attorneys include Robert M. Shaw and Hannah Schartiger, as well as Rebecca Andrews and Curtis R. Wright, both of whom were summer associates with BB&K in 2009.

“We welcome the new attorneys to a growing and thriving practice here at BB&K,” said attorney Dean Derleth, a BB&K partner who oversees the firm's municipal and redevelopment law practice and serves as city attorney to Corona and Colton.

Attorneys in BB&K’s municipal law practice serve as city attorney to more than 30 cities across California. The firm most recently became town attorney of Mammoth Lakes in the eastern Sierra mountains, with Andrew Morris of the Sacramento office serving in that position.

BB&K’s municipal law practice was recently infused with 14 attorneys from the Sacramento law firm of McDonough Holland & Allen, which wound down operations earlier this year. All together, 19 former McDonough attorneys joined BB&K’s Sacramento office in September. In addition, three veteran litigators from Akerman Senterfitt recently joined BB&K’s municipal practice in Los Angeles.

Shaw, a recent addition to BB&K’s Los Angeles office, also came from Akerman Senterfitt, where he focused on construction litigation, arbitration and mediation for public and private clients, subcontractors, contractors and design professionals. Shaw graduated from the College of Law at Syracuse University in May 2004 and, at the same time, received a master's degree in public administration from the university's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Previously, Shaw worked as the assistant to the director of public works at the city of Long Beach where he researched environmental impacts and land-use restrictions for proposed projects.

Wright, a former Army captain who fought in Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom, is based in BB&K’s Ontario office. Wright graduated from the University of La Verne College of Law in May 2010.

Schartiger, a civil engineer turned attorney, joined the firm’s San Diego office. She graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in December 2009. Prior to BB&K, Schartiger worked for the Naval Facilities Engineering Command in San Diego as a senior construction claims engineer.

Andrews, who received a master’s degree in theology, joined BB&K’s San Diego office. She graduated from the University of San Diego School of Law in May 2010.

Wright, Schartiger and Andrews passed the California bar exam that was given in July.

Inland Legal Clinic Holds Auction to Raise Funds; Recognizes Volunteer Attorneys

22 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: Nov. 22, 2010

Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Baseball tickets, spa treatments and a seven-day stay at a vacation home in San Felipe, Mexico, are among the items up for auction Dec. 9 to raise money for the Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association, Inc.

Proceeds of a silent auction and a live auction that night will benefit the association's legal aid project. The project, with clinics in Riverside, Colton and Ontario, offers free legal services to poor and underprivileged residents in Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

The Fourth Annual Volunteer Attorney Recognition and Silent Auction Event will be held in downtown Riverside at the Riverside County Law Library, 3989 Lemon St. from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. A $25 entrance fee is a tax-deductible donation, said Monica M. Mar, executive director and staff attorney for the lawyers association.

In addition to the silent auction, a live auction will be hosted by Alfredo Figueroa, assistant dean of students at UC Riverside.

The event will be emceed by Art Alcaraz, president of the Latino Network, a local forum on issues affecting Riverside's Latino community.

Besides the auctions, 55 attorneys from throughout Southern California will be recognized during the event for their volunteer work at the clinics over the past year. Among the group will be 15 attorneys from Best Best & Krieger LLP, including Steven Anderson and Parissh Knox who serve as the association’s board president and vice president, respectively.

BB&K and its attorneys have been involved with the legal aid project for at least 18 years.

“The firm believes in giving back to the community and helping those who can’t afford to pay for an attorney, especially at a time when the economy continues to be challenging for so many families,” said Anderson, an environmental attorney.

Many cases handled at the clinics focus on family law and, with the struggling economy, matters such as evictions, foreclosures and debt collection have been on the rise, Mar said.

For more information on attending the event, call Inland Empire Latino Lawyers Association at 951.369.5846.

BB&K Offers First-Year Law Student Diversity Fellowship/Scholarship

11 Nov 2010 00:00:00 -0800

For Immediate Release: Nov.11, 2010

Media Contact: Jennifer Bowles • 951.826.8480 • jennifer.bowles@BBKlaw.com

RIVERSIDE, Calif. _ Best Best & Krieger LLP is offering a diversity fellowship/scholarship to a first-year law student in good standing at one of five law schools in California.

Students with diverse backgrounds, including ethnicity, gender, physical disability or sexual orientation, are invited to apply for the 2011 program. Applications are due by this Jan. 31 but the firm will begin accepting them as early as Dec. 1.

The recipient will be provided with a paid 2011 summer associate position in one of the firm’s participating office locations: Riverside, Ontario or San Diego. In order to qualify for the $7,500 scholarship, the recipient must return to BB&K for a second-year summer program in 2012. The scholarship will be paid following completion of the student’s second summer with BB&K.

The program is part of BB&K’s commitment to recruiting, hiring, promoting and retaining attorneys and staff of diverse backgrounds. BB&K has consistently ranked high nationwide among large law firms in the percentage of its diverse attorneys.

Click here for more information about the program and a copy of the application form.