Author: San Diego County Bar Association

Legal Ethics

Pick the Wrong Test, Be Held in Contempt

By Edward McIntyre

A Central District of California grand jury issued subpoenas to a company and its lawyers related to a criminal investigation of the company’s owner, also a client of the lawyers. The subpoenas sought documents and communications related to that criminal investigation, the target of which was the company’s owner. The company and the lawyers produced some documents, but withheld others based on assertions of the attorney-client privilege and work-product doctrine. Prosecutors pressed the issue. The district court (Hon. John Kronstadt) determined that the withheld documents were not protected by any privilege or were discoverable under the crime-fraud exception to the attorney-client privilege. The company and the law firm disagreed with the court’s rulings and continued to withhold the disputed documents. The court then held the lawyers and the company in contempt because they failed to comply with grand jury subpoenas.  Read More

Wellness

Mindful Minute: Boundaries and Wellness

Want Better Work-Life Balance? Set a Boundary

By Marta Manus

When people think of boundaries, they often think of limits or rules. Boundaries often imply learning to say “no” to others. I like to think of boundaries as the foundation of any healthy relationship, including your relationship with yourself and others. Boundaries are empowering, and an important aspect of self-care, which is something we could all use a bit more of. Boundaries are saying “yes” to yourself and teaching others how to treat you. Setting boundaries with ourselves and others, including colleagues and bosses, is essential if we want to create a healthy work/life experience. We have to get comfortable with setting healthy personal and professional boundaries.   Read More

President's Message

President’s Message: October 25, 2021

As my husband, Phil, and I spend this week boxing up our downtown office, I reflect on how much the practice of law has evolved over the past almost year and a half. Before March of last year, Zoom was an application used by few, virtual offices were looked at as a step down from large offices with picture windows and dark furniture, and working from home wasn’t fathomable. Until there was no alternative. Read More