About Our Chapter

Committees

Board of Managers

Board of Examiners/Membership: Hal Bartholomew

The board of examiners is made up of the seven voting members of the Board of Managers. This board reviews applications for Fellowship to the Northern California chapter and makes recommendations to the national Board of Examiners. Note that the National Board of Managers is the body that makes the final decisions regarding membership.

Amicus Committee : Chair, Diana Richmond, members John Rothschild, Harry Styron

The Amicus Committee monitors important cases pending before the various courts. The committee considers requests that the chapter become involved in amicus positions with respect to important issues and makes recommendations to the board of manages

Nominating Committee: Chair, Madeleine Simborg, members Robert Miller, Lana Norris, Richard Berra

The nominating committee presents candidates for the officer positions and for members of the Board of Managers.

Symposium Committee: Larry Moskowitz (Chair 2006) Ron Granberg (Chair 2007) Anne Fallon, John Staley, Renee Chernus

The Symposium link committee plans, organizes and presents our chapter's annual Symposium

Trial Practicum Committee: Chairs: Ron Granberg, Belinda Hanson, Andrea Palash

The Trial Practicum (link) Committee puts on a week-long educational program that will teach young lawyers the skills they need to handle a trial from start to finish.

Charitable Contributions Committee: Chair, Richard Sherman; members Bob Blevans, Sharon Mah, Tom Wolfrum, Chris Emley

Receives requests for donations, considers applications for charitable contributions and recommends how funds available for charitable contributions shall be distributed.

Awards, Traditions, and Institutional Memory: Chairs, Dick Barry, Renee Chernus; members Bob Miller, Lowell Sucherman, Cecelia Lannon, Chris Emley, Madeleine Simborg

This committee is charged with the task of putting together an "Institutional History" of the chapter in order that all of our traditions and policies are continued and honored; examples: to put together a comprehensive list of who has served in what capacity and when, to whom awards were given and when; what benefits from the chapter flow from having been given such an award (example: being invited to the annual Christmas party)

As part of the committee tasks, it will consider candidates for various awards that have been traditionally given by the chapter and to make recommendations to the Board of Managers for the presentation of such awards.

Mentoring: Chair, John McCall; Members Andrea Palash, Madeleine Simborg, Chris Emley

The chapter's mentoring committee, headed by John McCall, have put together mentoring groups in many of the Bay Area Counties, where AAML fellows supervise, educate and facilitate networking for groups of up to 30 young lawyers. The fellows who are leading these groups are;

  • John McCall
  • Andrea Palash
  • Diana Richmond
  • Lowell Sucherman
  • David Fink
  • Belinda Hanson
  • Sharon Mah
  • Clay Greene
  • Tom Wolfrum

Website: Jennifer Jackson

To develop and maintain our chapter website.

Programs

Associates' Night: The mentoring committee presents an Associates Night each year - all of their mentees as well as our own associates are invited out for a night of "super-mentoring" dinner and program

Judges Dinner: The chapter sponsors an annual Judges' dinner in February, attended by 11 bench officers from all of the Bay Area Counties. We bring them together to share with us and each other their upcoming events, changes and new programs for each of the superior courts.

Symposium

POST INFO HERE ABOUT THE SYMPOSIUM

Trial Practicum

POST INFO HERE ABOUT THE PRACTICUM

Our annual Trial Practicum provides 24 young associates and new attorneys a 4- day "hands on" program on every aspect, practical and ethical, of bringing a case from the initial meeting to trial. The course culminates in all-day mock trials, held in the San Mateo County County Courthouse.

Charitable Activities

The Northern California Chapter of AAML puts on its popular Symposium each year featuring high end and sophisticated presentations to educate and inspire family law attorneys of all levels of expertise. We also provide an annual Trial Practicum, in which our fellows and experts from all over Northern California donate their time to teach young attorneys trial skills and effective, ethical family law practice.

Substantially all of the proceeds from these activities are traditionally donated to local charities who submit applications to our Charitable Donations committee. Since 2004, the chapter has donated in excess of $25,000 to local worthy causes, examples of which are:

  • A Home Within - SF
  • Center for Youth Development Berkeley Through Law
  • Family and Children's Law Center - San Rafael
  • Family Stress Center - Concord
  • Harmony at Home - Carmel
  • Kids' Turn: Alameda , Contra Costa, Sacramento , San Mateo
  • Legal Aid of Napa Valley
  • Sacramento Children's Fund
  • Superior Court: Napa County : High Conflict Parenting Specialist Program

We are proud that a member of our chapter, Suzie Thorn, is president of the National AAML Foundation, whose only job is to give money to worthy programs. Nearly $100k was distributed last year, in Oklahoma , Boston , Texas , Minneapolis , Chicago , Florida , New York , Illinois , and $10k to Kids' Turn chapters in San Diego and San Francisco . Many of our Northern California fellows have paid ten years advance contributions in order to become life members

Meeting schedule

Announcements

Annual Symposium: April 11-13, 2008

REGISTER NOW for the Northern California Chapter's 2008 Symposium

Learn About Membership

To find out more about how to become a Fellow of the Academy, see AAML National or click here

Read more about membership