“Welcome to Department 501 of your San Diego Superior Court.” That’s how the Hon. Peter F. Murray starts every session, setting a tone of openness and order for all who enter his courtroom, presiding over the county’s unlawful detainer calendar in the Central Courthouse.
Dear Mentor:
I’m having trouble with billing and meeting my billable hour requirement. Why am I at the office for 12 hours but only have 7 hours written down? I’m a second-year attorney and it still takes me a much longer than I think it should to finish projects. I feel like I can’t record all my time because it takes too long, but then I can’t meet my minimum hours. Help!
Legal Life: The Trials, Tribulations, and Triumphs of the Everyday Attorney” is your monthly invitation to laugh, commiserate, and connect with the real stories behind life in the law.
If you’ve spent any time around a courthouse, you know lawyers have a name for everything. We love labels. “Associate.” “Partner.” “Of counsel.” “Rainmaker.” But when it comes to new attorneys, the nicknames get especially creative. My friend Harrison recently told me that new attorneys are called “baby rattlesnakes.” Why? Because, just like their reptilian counterparts, new lawyers can’t regulate their venom.
Each year, the SDCBA Leadership Academy cultivates a cohort of legal professionals through an immersive six-month curriculum rooted in values-based leadership, emotional intelligence, community impact, and cross-sector collaboration.
There are approximately 190,000 active status licensed attorneys in California. Thankfully, the vast majority of us get through our entire careers without any disciplinary issue with the State Bar.
By Anne M. Rudolph
There are various situations that may arise where an attorney may be asked to allow a third party to pay a client’s attorney’s fees and costs. Examples include a parent paying for their child’s criminal defense attorney or divorce attorney. When a third party is paying the bills, it is particularly important that an attorney not conflate the client with the person paying the bills, and that an attorney maintain client confidentiality by not sharing confidential communications with the third party.[1]
By Stacey A. Kartchner
As Immediate Past President of the SDCBA and Chair of the Leadership Outreach Committee (“LOC”), I have the privilege of collaborating with an exceptionally talented and amazing group of individuals to recruit potential candidates for the 2026 Board of Directors election. If you want to dedicate your time and talent to creating real change and making a meaningful impact within the legal community, you can do so by serving on the Board.
By Charles Berwanger
Those two decisions are: Plantations at Haywood 1, LLC v. Plantations at Haywood, LLC (2025) 108 Cal. App. 5th 803; and Lake v. Gates (9th Cir., 2025) 130 F. 4th 1064. Both culminated in the imposition of in excess of $80,000 in sanctions on the attorneys, not the parties, and directly or indirectly implicate rules of professional conduct.
When the tools of your profession suddenly change, how do you adapt? For Stella Gerson, staff attorney at the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program and vice president of the Tom Homann LGBTQ+ Law Association, it has meant forging a new path in advocacy and leadership.
By Stacy Plotkin-Wolff
Imagine you are in court for a Case Management Conference regarding Client A’s case. The court has a busy calendar, and Client A’s case is well into the docket. To stay productive, you open your laptop and start drafting a discovery motion for Client B. After waiting for an hour and a half, Client A’s case is finally called and you spend just a few minutes on the court appearance. When you return to the office, you bill Client A for one and a half hours for a “court appearance” and Client B for one hour of “motion drafting.”