Category Archives: Miscellaneous

Last, But Not Least (I Say!)

Well, I received the results of the Board election on March 10th,  literally as I was leaving town, so I didn’t get a chance to report back.  In a field of five candidates, I came in last!

So, in the short term, it’s back to work!  I’ll have to consider whether to run again in three years, but for now, there’s plenty to do.

Thanks to all who voted for me.

It’s Official: I’m a Candidate for Calbar Board of Trustees in District One

Vote RWBLate last week, my nomination as a candidate for the State Bar of California Board of Trustees in District One was certified (I just haven’t had time to mention it until now).  For those who are wondering, District One includes Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano, and Sonoma counties.

Who can vote?  “Any active member of the State Bar, in good standing on the date the eligibility list closes, whose principal office for the practice of law is located within a county that is included within the State Bar district in which there is an election, shall be eligible to vote in the 2016 election.”

I understand that ballots will be mailed out December 31, 2015 and voting concludes February 29, 2016.

More to follow.

eClassics: The Midnight Ride of Sarah Palin

Colonial Palin

Another one from ‘the vault’ to celebrate the silly season of politics. A lot of people missed the apolitical point of this post, which was that it was all just a tempest in a teapot:

Listen my children to a tale in error
Of the midnight ride of Palin, Sarah
On the tenth of June, in Twenty-eleven;
Many a reporter is now in heaven
Who remembers that famous day and year.

She said to her friend, “If the Alaskans power
By land or sea from the town to-night,
Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry tower
Of the North Church arch as a signal light,–
One if by ‘Times, and two if by ‘Post;
And I on the opposite shore will at most,
Be ready to ride and spread the alarm
Through every Juneau village and farm,
That the lamestream-press means to do me harm!”

Then she said “Good-night!” and with muffled oar
Silently steered to the New Hampshire shore,
Just as the moon rose over the bay,
Where swinging wide at her RV lay
The NY Times, American man-of-war;
A phantom Grey Lady, with each mast and spar
Across the moon like a prison bar,
And a huge black hulk, that was magnified
By its own reflection in the tide.

Meanwhile, her friends through alley and street
Wandered and watched, with eager ears,
Till in the silence around her she hears
The muster of newsmen at the office door,
The sound of typing, and the tramp of feet,
And the measured tread of the cop-iers,
Marching down to their presses on the shore.

Wrapped in silence so deep and still
That she could hear, like a sentinel’s tread,
The watchful night-wind, as it fell
Creeping along from dell to dell,
And seeming to whisper, “All is well!”
A moment only she feels the spell
Of the place and the hour, and the secret dread
For suddenly all her thoughts are bent
On a shadowy something far away,
Where the river widens to meet the bay,–
A line of six boxes that bends and floats
Of 24,199 e-Mails like a bridge of boats.

A hurry of hoofs in a village street,
A shape in the moonlight, a bulk in the dark,
And beneath, from the pebbles, in passing, a spark
Struck out by a steed flying fearless and fleet;
That was all! And yet, through the gloom and the light,
The fate of a nation was riding that night;
And the spark struck out by that steed, in her flight,
Kindled the land into flame with its heat.
She has left the village and mounted the steep,
And beneath her, tranquil and broad and deep,
Is the Mystic, meeting the ocean tides;
And under the alders that skirt its edge,
Now soft on the sand, now loud on the ledge,
Is heard the tramp of her steed as she rides.

It was 9 am by the village clock,
When she came to the bridge in Juneau town.
She heard the bleating of the flock,
And the Twitter of Droids among the trees,
And felt the breath of the Daily Breeze
Blowing over the meadow brown.

You know the rest. In the papers you have read…

So through the night rode Sarah Palin;
And so through the night went her cry of alarm
To every Juneau village and farm,—
A cry of defiance, and not of fear,
A voice in the darkness, a knock at the door,
And a word that shall echo for evermore!
For, borne on the night-wind of the Past,
Through all our history, to the last,
In the hour of darkness and peril and need,
The people will waken and listen to wailin’
The hurrying hoof-beats of that steed,
And the e-Mail message of Sarah Palin.

Welcome to My New, Improved(?) Blawg

Just a short note to let you know that I’ve migrated the blawg to a new platform.  It’s a bit of a job migrating 577 posts that have accumulated since 2008, and there are a few tweaks to complete; however, since I depart tomorrow morning for the State Bar of California 88th Annual Meeting, it will remain a work in progress for the next couple of weeks.

I’ll also re-establish subscriber feeds soon.  Thanks for your patience.

 

Co-Chair of the Council of State Bar Sections

Bored-kitty

Geez.  Last year I was much more excited.  This year, my attitude is akin to that old football proverb; when you reach the endzone, act like you've been there before.

Still, for a guy who grew up in Calgary, Canada, it's an honor and privilege to ascend to the position of Co-Chair of the State Bar of California Council of State Bar Sections.  Even better?  My Co-Chair is the very talented Family Law atty Mark Ressa.

I look forward to a very challenging and exciting term ahead!

Browning Marean in a Single Image

When we would have dinner or be at a reception, Browning always left early. That was his ‘thing’. He was just one of those guys that turned in early. Maybe he subscribed to the adage, “Never be the first to arrive at a party or the last to go home.”

I wish – just this once – he’d made an exception.

I didn't know Browning Marean as well as many others who wrote eloquent tributes about him upon his recent passing.  I also didn't know him as long as many others; nevertheless, he influenced my life the same way they have described.  I wanted to share a little bit of that with you.

I originally met Browning like many of us did – at a technology conference.  He was doing one of his numerous talks and displayed his version of a map of the world that was simply hilarious.

I came up to him afterward, introduced myself and told him I wrote a little blog about eDiscovery and would he consider permitting me to post his map?  You know the answer.  I had a copy of it in my hands within a day or two.  Here's both the post from July 2009 and the map:

World According to Americans - Marean

Typical Browning.  He seemed so…patrician, yet here he was with this off-color map.  One thing was certain; Browning was an equal opportunity offender!

Around that time, I was appointed to the LPMT Executive Committee of the State Bar of California and met Robert Brownstone.  As it turns out, he and Browning were good friends and next thing I knew, I was being included in a lot of other conferences; and eventually added to the faculty of one.  After that, I saw Browning much more often…but I digress.

Approximately two years ago, I was at the state bar's annual meeting in Monterey and was chatting with someone at a reception when I felt a gentle, but firm grip on my shoulder.  I turned around and there was Browning (he was not a 'tapper', you understand).  In his booming 'on the air' voice, he said, "I just saw you there and wanted to say hello!"  After a brief conversation he said, "We should do a presentation together."  I was floored.  Here was the Granddaddy of eDiscovery in California (perhaps the world) offering to do a program with me [I always called him, "The Father of eDiscovery" in public out of respect – "Granddaddy" made him seem too old.]  I considered it carefully (a millisecond) and accepted with the notion that, knowing Browning's hectic schedule, he was probably being gracious and it would never happen.

I was wrong.  It happened, and it's on video!  He and I presented together at last year's Annual Meeting.  What a privilege to share the stage with him.  That was less than a year ago – and now he's gone.  I can barely get my arms around it.  With the next Annual Meeting coming up, all of the memories are flooding back.  I'm trying to focus on the good ones these days.

That's all I wanted to say.  I'll close with this: When we would have dinner or be at a reception, Browning always left early.  That was his 'thing'.  He was just one of those guys.  Maybe he subscribed to the adage, "Never be the first to arrive at a party or the last to go home."

We wish – just this once – he'd made an exception.

Happy New Year!

Party Hat

Everything's a trade-off.  I've had a great year, but it's come at the expense of not having as much spare time to post as often as I'd like.  Will that improve next year?  I'm not sure, but I'll do what I can.

In the meantime, I'll continue to post a lot of interesting articles on Twitter.

All the best for 2014!

…So Begins My Year as Co-Vice-Chair of CSBS!

OMG_Excitement!
On Thursday, October 10th, I was a couple of days away from taking my place as the "Immediate Past Chair" of the Law Practice Management and Technology Section.  Instead, I was elected Co-Vice-Chair of the Council of State Bar Sections along with my good friend Mark Ressa of the Family Law Section.  It's a new, three-year commitment with the Bar!

Yes, yes…I know what you're thinking.  It has "BS" in the name…

Onward & upward!

CalBar LPMT Section Announces New App for Android & iOS!

LPMT App LinkedIn

Well, I've been working on this for two years, and today it's finally reality!  The new Android & iOS app from the State Bar of California Law Practice Management and Technology Section went live this morning.

Access our best publications, social media offerings and resources; all available under one roof for people on the go!  Best of all, you don’t have to be a member of the LPMT Section; the app is free to everyone.  It also makes a great companion to the upcoming annual meeting, because all of our presentations are pre-loaded on the calendar.

We hope you enjoy it!