GPSolo Magazine - October/November 2004
Section News
General Practice, Solo And Small Firm
Section Awards Presented at Annual Meeting
The General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division Luncheon and Awards Ceremony was held August 5 in conjunction with the 2004 ABA Annual Meeting. Roy Barnes, former governor of Georgia, delivered the keynote address.
The Bar Leader Award was presented to Navneet S. Chugh. Mr. Chugh, managing partner of the Chugh Firm, is an attorney, a CPA, and an MBA. He was recognized for his significant contributions to bar leadership in the South Asian Bar Association and the International Bar Association.
The Section presented two Solo and Small Firm Project Awards this year, one to the Rich Harris Committee for “Turning Out the Lights: Planning for Closing Your Law Practice” (Malvern F. King Jr., Chair) and one to the Indian Law Section’s “WSBA & NIBA Scholarship Program” (Gabriel S. Galanda, Chair) for the program’s work nurturing future Indian lawyers. The Solo and Small Firm Project Award is designed to recognize bar leaders and associations for successful projects and the effective use of resources, regardless of overall budget.
Robert L. Ostertag received the Donald C. Rikli Solo Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his lifetime’s work for the betterment of the nation’s sole practitioners.
A special Difference Maker Award was presented to Paula J. Frederick, deputy general counsel for the State Bar of Georgia, for her efforts to break down barriers in the practice of law.
ABA Connection CLE Teleconference
The Changing Face of Consumer Protection Law
December 15, 2004
1:00 p.m. eastern time
In an event being co-sponsored by the GP|Solo Section, ABA Connection is presenting a one-hour CLE teleconference entitled “The Changing Face of Consumer Protection Law.” The teleconference will examine federal legislation that could bring significant changes to consumer protection law. In particular, legislative proposals seek to address consumer financial privacy issues and identity theft, which have become major problems with the growth of the Internet and computerized records for almost every transaction. Other potential topics to be discussed include new ways consumer protection laws are being used to pursue legal actions against industries, and the possibility that federal laws will supersede state statutes imposing stricter consumer protections.
The program is sponsored by the ABA Journal, Membership and Marketing, and the Center for Continuing Legal Education, and is co-sponsored by the ABA General Practice, Solo and Small Firm Division. CLE credit has been applied for in states that accept the teleconference format. To register, call the ABA at 800/285-2221 from 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. eastern time, Monday through Friday, beginning November 22. You can also register online at the ABA CLE website ( www.abanet.org/cle/connection.html) by Friday, December 10. If you are unable to participate in the live teleconference, the program will be available on the website for one month at no cost. Tapes of the program will be available to ABA members for $50 starting two weeks after the program. To order a tape, call the ABA Service Center at 800/285-2221.
GP|Solo Section Honors Attorneys Making a “Difference”
The Section is pleased to announce the 2004 Difference Makers. The four award winners are lawyers in the greater Los Angeles area who have made a difference in the lives of other L.A. residents by breaking down barriers for women, people of color, people with disabilities, and people regardless of sexual orientation.
Catherine Endo Chuck
McBirney & Chuck, P.C.
Los Angeles, California
Gary Farwell
Farwell & Associates
Los Angeles, California
Diane M. Goodman
Goodman & Metz
Encino, California
Lorraine Loder
Los Angeles, California
Marilyn Nelson
Studio City, California
Maria Villa
Lathrop & Villa
Torrance, California
The Section paid tribute to these outstanding individuals during an event in their honor Friday, October 15, 2004, at the Beverly Hilton in Los Angeles.