Presented by Greg Coates, Esq.

Thursday June 26, 2025; 12:00 p.m.

Country Club of Santa Maria, 505 W. Waller Lane, Santa Maria

Register by June 19, 2025

$35 Members, Staff, Judiciary, Law Students; $50 Non-members

Menu Options: Chicken & Avocado Flatbread; French Dip; Portobello Ravioli

Mr. Coates graduated from UCLA in 1978 with a Bachelor’s of Arts Degree in History.  He obtained his Juris Doctorate from Santa Clara University in 1981.  Since that time he has continuously practiced law on the Central Coast focusing primarily on civil litigation. Mr. Coates has tried in excess of 100 jury and court trials representing both plaintiffs and defendants in the fields of personal injury litigation, real estate/contract/business litigation, employment law and governmental entity law.  In September 2019, he closed his litigation practice and now focuses on Alternative Dispute Resolution matters.

March 27, 2025, 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m., via Zoom

(This activity is approved for 1 hour of specialty MCLE credit for Wellness Competence)

Speakers:

Tracy Simmons, PhD is psychologist serving the greater Sacramento area at Kaiser.  She serves as a liaison between primary care and psychiatry to offer consultation, education, evidence-based intervention, coaching in lifestyle change, and is passionate about helping working professionals avoid burnout.

Ruben Escobedo is an attorney at WorkWorld Law in Atascadero, CA.  His firm partners with lawyers across California representing employees in employment law litigation.

Course Description: 

This program will cover various subjects relevant to high-performance professionals, focusing on the well-being of lawyers and their staff in the law firm environment.  Topics will include: (1) Managing stress; (2) Compassion fatigue; (3) Time management; (4) Self-compassion; (5) ABA resources; (6) and other practical tools and techniques.

Registration $10 members/staff; $20 nonmembers

November 21, 2024, 12:00 p.m.

Santa Maria Country Club

What does homelessness look like in North County?  What is being done? Is it enough? What can we do?

Presented by Michael St. Denis of Legal Aid Foundation of Santa Barbara County

Michael St. Denis is the Housing Attorney in Legal Aid’s Lompoc office, handling all the housing cases in Lompoc and the Santa Ynez Valley.  Mike has been with Legal Aid for five years; prior to that he was in private practice in Los Angeles, first at Sheppard Mullin as a litigation partner, followed by several years in his own firm.  Mike also has a master’s degree from USC in social work with specialized training in military social work.  He is also a veteran.

1 hour MCLE

Register by Thursday November 14

Menu Choice: French dip sandwich; Chicken and avocado flatbread; Macho veggie salad

Registration: $35 Members/Staff/Judiciary/Law Students; $50 Non-members

Speakers: Hon. Patricia Kelly and Darrel Parker, Court Executive Officer

September 26, 2024; 5:00 p.m. Happy Hour, 6:00 p.m. Dinner

Santa Maria Country Club, 505 West Waller Lane, Santa Maria, CA

Entree Choices:

Santa Maria Style Tri-Tip & Chicken

Oven Roasted Salmon

Portobello Ravioli

$75 Members, Staff, Students, and Judicial Officers

$95 Non-Members

1 hour MCLE

Please register by September 20

Presented by Austin Lampson

August 29, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at the Santa Maria Inn, Hancock Room

The intent of this course is to educate attorneys on the nuances of how residential lending treats entities, trusts, and estates on income, liabilities & assets and how best to navigate.

1 hour MCLE 

Register now with your menu selection: Ranch Cobb Salad, Deli Trio, or Grilled Vegetable Wrap

$35 Members, Staff, Judiciary, Law Students; $50 Non-members

A brief history of recent (and not so recent) law concerning homelessness and the historic impact of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Grants Pass decision.

Presented by Phil Sinco

July 25, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at the Santa Maria Inn, Hancock Room

1 hour MCLE.  Register now with your menu selection: Grilled Chicken Caesar Salad; Turkey Club Sandwich; or Coastal Green Salad

$35 Members, Staff, Judiciary, Law Students; $50 Non-members

A review of the new stringent reporting requirements of the Corporate Transparency Act, effective January 1, 2024, as well as penalties for violations

Presented by Evan Ferini with Alex Simas

June 27, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. at the Santa Maria Inn, Hancock Room

I hour MCLE.  Register now with your menu selection: Chinese Chicken Salad; Southwest Chicken Sandwich; or Grilled Vegetable Wrap

$35 Members, Staff, Judiciary, Law Students; $50 Non-members

Presented by Hon. Matthew Guerrero, San Luis Obispo Superior Court

May 2, 2024, 12:00 p.m.

Santa Maria Inn (Hancock Room)

This event will be in-person only.

Judge Guerrero will present the evolution of the judicial and legislative attempts to eliminate bias during jury selection.  This will include analysis of the current state of the law and the application of C.C.P. 231.7 in jury selection and is intended to identify recognized bias in jury selection. The current state of the law and a brief summary of the cases shall be included.

Judge Guerrero was appointed by Governor Brown to the San Luis Superior Court in 2017.  He spent his first 3 years in a criminal trial court overseeing misdemeanor and felony cases.  From 2021-2023 Judge Guerrero presided over the family court in Paso Robles.  In 2024, he returned to San Luis Obispo and is again sitting in a criminal trial court.  He has presided over 200 trials, including both court trials and jury trials.  Prior to being appointed, he was a contract public defender for San Luis Obispo County and litigated numerous felony and misdemeanor trials.  Prior to appointment, Judge Guerrero was active with California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ), was a small business owner,  and an elected official.  Most importantly, he is married to his wife of 20 years, Cynthia,  with whom he shares two children.  Judge Guerrero continues to serve the legal community by speaking at MCLE events on topics that include criminal law, family law,  and trial advocacy, and by volunteering on the Judicial College Steering Committee as well as serving as a seminar leader for new bench officers. 

1 hour MCLE Specialty Credit in Elimination of Bias

Register now with your menu selection:

Chicken Croissant Sandwich; Deli Trio Sandwich; Coastal Green Salad

$35 Members, Staff, Judiciary, Law Students; $50 Non-members

March 28th @ 12 Noon at The Santa Maria Inn, Hancock Room

Presenter: Ty Green of Radovich Tangeman Green

Ty has been practicing law for 43 years with the first half of his career devoted entirely to litigation. His career gradually moved from litigation to a practice dominated by transactional/commercial matters. Over his career, Ty has been involved in hundreds of mediation sessions.

The discussion will focus on strategies for more satisfying mediation for attorneys and clients:

1. Pre-mediation conferences with the mediator
2. Preparing the client for mediation
3. Strategies for an effective resolution
4. What you can do to help the mediator
5. Creative settlement options
6. Making sure the settlement sticks
7. Post-mediation
8. And, of course, the inevitable war stories (which will hopefully be used only for illustration)

Registration/lunch prices are $35 members/staff/law students; $50 non-members and includes your choice of a Ranch Cobb Salad, Turkey Club, or Veggie Wrap.

Thursday, October 19th 2023, 12:00 PM via Zoom

Topics will include:
Nuts and bolts of remote practice
The evolving role of the office
New opportunities for efficiency gains
Drawbacks of remote practice, and other lessons learned
Recent ethics opinions and academic research on the subject
New considerations for office employment law compliance
Recent Department of Labor guidance

Speakers
Ruben Escobedo practices employment law at WorkWorld Law, a virtual law office focusing on employee rights. He has represented both employers and employees throughout his career.

Crystal Forsher has been fighting for injured workers since 2003. She manages the Law Offices of Edwin K. Stone’s Santa Maria office and is Certified by the State Bar of California as a Workers’ Compensation Specialist.

1 hour of general MCLE

Registration $10 members/staff; $20 nonmembers

Zoom link and materials will be provided to registrants the morning of the event