Educational Activities

Partial List of Legal/Judicial Education Activities (1994 to present)

"Sexual Harassment in a Nutshell: How Not to be a Plaintiff's Target" Presentation to American Contractors Insurance Group Safety/Claims Management Workshop, September 1994

"Do's and Don'ts of Accident Investigation": Presentation for Herzog Contracting Corp., September 1996

"Avoiding Sexual Harassment Claims": Presentation for Herzog Contracting Corp., September 1996

"Presenting Your Case: Common Problems, Uncommon Solutions" : Presenter on the topic "Winning the Battle But Losing the war? The Causation Trap" Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles" August 1996

Panelist for National Business Institute Seminar, "California Construction Law: What Do You Do When...?" November 1996

Author: “What Does a Municipal Court Judge Do Anyway? or, How I Survived the First 6 Months” The Gavel (Orange County Trial Lawyers Association) Spring 1998 (premier issue)

*Trial Skills

Presenter: Orange County Bar Association Italian Lawyers of Orange County October 9, 2018 meeting: "Frequently Asked Questions and Practice Tips/How to Make the Trial Judge Happy (or Not)"

Lecturer/Panelist for Orange County Hispanic Bar Association’s Mexico Seminars: May 30, 1999: Voir Dire; May 27, 1998: Trial Misconduct/Ethics in the Courtroom

Conducted Trial Practice Workshop for Orange County Asian American Bar Association: Cross-Examination of Expert Witnesses Spring 2000

Panelist: Various programs for Robert Banyard Inn of Court, including: March 2001 Program–“Mock Direct and Cross Examinations”; “The Orange County Superior Court Discusses Hot Topics Chosen by the Banyard Inn” --October 24, 2001; Jury Selection--October 28, 2009

Small Group Facilitator CJER Trial Court Judicial Attorney’s Institute, Newport Beach, California May 29, 2003

Moderator for Orange County Bar Association’s Insurance Law Section “Anatomy of a Bad Faith Lawsuit” June 10, 2003

Presenter: Presenter on trial skills at numerous Orange County Bar Association’s January “Last Dash” seminars, including “Law and Motion–What Every Lawyer Should Know” at Whittier Law School, January 22, 2005

Panelist for Orange County Bar Association’s Academy of Law October 28 and 29, 2004, “Advocacy in the Modern Trial”—Jury Selection; and “Cross Examination Workshop” 2009; Facilitator Judge: Direct and Cross Examination Workshop May 17, 2003 and various other years thereafter

Panelist for Orange County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division: Litigation Skills for New Attorneys: A View from the Bench March 22, 2007

Panelist for various Orange County Bar Association’s Bridging the Gap programs for new lawyers from 2010 to present

Presenter for the Orange County Superior Court at civil panel meetings, regarding the law on sealing of court records, and on minor’s compromises

Panelist Orange County Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division “Successfully Navigating Court as a Young Lawyer“ June 25, 2013

Panelist, Orange County Bar Association’s Judge’s Series June 27, 2014 “Building Your Professional Reputation in Court”

Panelist, National Business Institute’s “Top Mistakes Attorneys Make in Civil Litigation” January 30, 2015

Panelist, Orange County Trial Lawyers’ Association dinner meetings-- “Tips from the Bench” April 24, 2003; “Defense Physical and Mental Examinations” February 25, 2016

Presenter at the Orange County Superior Court’s annual Judicial Education Conference on Motions in Limine - April 16, 2016

Speaker, “A Dozen Common Sense Rules of Trial Advocacy: Tips from the Bench and the Trench”, Orange County Bar Association “Last Dash” program - January 17, 2015

Workshop Judge, Orange County Bar Association College of Trial Advocacy - April 22, 2017: Voir Dire

Presiding Judge: Orange County ABOTA Masters in Trial: A Trial Demonstration from Opening Statement through Jury Deliberation Chapman University - January 12, 2018

Speaker for Italian American Lawyers of Orange County: Motions in Limine: Do's and Don'ts if You Want a Happy Trial Judge" - October 9, 2018

*Ethics/Civility/Outreach

Lecturer/Panelist: “Ethics in the Courtroom” for Orange County Hispanic Bar Association May 2000

Panelist: Thomas More Seminar A Lawyer’s Professional Responsibility: The Lawyer of the Millennium’s Perspective–Lawyer as Servant January 27, 2001

Facilitator/Discussion Group Leader for Responsibility, Rehabilitation & Restoration: A Symposium on Crime, Punishment, and the Common Good in California (sponsored by the California Catholic Conference and the Justice and Peace Commission, Archdiocese of Los Angeles) Loyola Marymount University March 16, 2003

Panelist, Banyard Inns of Court “Civility in the Courtroom”, September 22, 2004

Presenter at Trial Court Judicial Attorneys Institute “Elimination of Bias in the Courtroom” - February 26-28, 2014

Mentor Judge for area law school student externs - 2015 to present

Panelist: "Ethics Under the Stars" presentation for the Association of Certified Family Law Specialists, Orange County chapter - July 11, 2019

*Probate/Family Law

Speaker for Orange County Bar Association Trusts & Estates Section Webinar June 10, 2020: Mediating Your Trusts and Estates Dispute ~Comparison of Caucus vs Joint Session Models, Mediations/Arbitrations/Trials Post Safe at Home Orders, ZOOMing Your Way to Success

Presenter: Orange County Bar Association ADR Section September 25, 2018 meeting: "Mediating the Probate Case"

Panelist: Orange County Bar Association Conservatorship, Guardianship & Protective Proceedings Section October 25, 2018 meeting: "Resolving Family Conflicts Without Litigation"

CJER (Center for Judicial Education and Research) faculty: Probate Conservatorships (Primary Assignment Orientation) January 10-14, 2011

CJER faculty: “Managing Fiduciaries” Fall 2011 Primary Assignment Orientation

Orange County Bar Association Probate Trial Skills panelist October 6, 2011: “I’ve Got a Trial Date in Probate Court. What Now?”

CJER faculty “Hot Topics in Decedents’ Estates and Trusts” (attorney fees) Probate Regional Program November 20, 2012; trial management for probate judges

Presenter at Southern California Probate Conference 2010 and 2013—case updates

Speaker on “Probate Law: Representing Children’s Interests in Probate Court” in conjunction with Orange County Bar Association and Whittier Law School November 1, 2013.

Presenter at the California Court Investigator’s Association Seminar May 9, 2014 “The Private Professional Fiduciary”

Panelist “Children and the Law” Whittier College of Law October 13, 2014
Panelist Orange County Bar Association/Public Law Center Basic Guardianship Training, twice a year between May 2009 and 2014

Regular presenter at monthly meetings for the OCBA’s probate and elder bar associations between 2009 and 2014

Presenter at the 2014 Orange County Superior Court’s annual Judicial Education Conference: on the intersection between general civil matters and probate law

*Settlement Programs

Developed and supervised the Orange County Superior Court’s first court wide training for temporary judges program March 5, 2005 (prior to the implementation of the statewide requirements for training of temporary judges), covering issues of ethics/fairness, traffic/small claims, and settlement conferences.

Organized program and established training for the Orange County Superior Court’s probate panel temporary judges (settlements) 2010 and 2013