Protecting client files, @AZStateBar program covered by @12News

State Bar of Arizona conservatorship program heads off identity theft: General Counsel John Furlong interviewed by 12 News.

Bankers boxes and old files never looked so good.

Last weekend, 12 News interviewed State Bar of Arizona General Counsel John Furlong about its conservatorship program, which safeguards client files when a lawyer cannot.

As the story asks: Clients give their lawyers a lot of personal information, but what happens to all of that data once an attorney dies or is suspended?

As it turns out, in the best circumstance, that data and those files end up in a warehouse maintained by the Bar.

The story—including video—is here. Be sure to share it, especially with those who may benefit from the information.

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Criminal justice conference @JohnJayCollege offers education, journalism fellowship

I write today to seek your insight—and to share some good news.

In the coming months, I’ll be reporting and writing a story on the collateral effects of criminal convictions. I am interested in the effects not only on individuals, but on their communities.

Statistics tell us that many of us—you and me—may know someone who was caught up in the criminal justice system. Or we may know community leaders who could speak to the impacts that neighborhoods have felt when large numbers of previously incarcerated people return to their communities. Once there, those people may be unable to obtain consistent work or stable housing, given the conviction on their record. What do we do about this?

I’d appreciate hearing from you, now or in the future, for your insights or suggestions on angles to pursue. I’m at arizona.attorney@azbar.org. And my cell is 602-908-6991.

The article and the research/reporting that precedes it are largely made possible by the award of a fellowship, just announced, that I received from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice and a center at the University of Pennsylvania. As the State Bar has kindly reported:

“State Bar’s Tim Eigo Selected as John Jay/Quattrone Fellow: Tim Eigo, Editor of Arizona Attorney Magazine, has been selected as a John Jay/Quattrone Fellow and will attend the 11th Annual Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium on Crime in America in New York City. He will be joining 20 other journalists from across the nation as a fellow for a story he pitched on the ‘collateral, downstream effects of prior convictions.’ The John Jay/Harry Frank Guggenheim Symposium is the only national gathering that brings together journalists, legislators, policymakers, scholars and practitioners for candid on-the-record discussions on emerging issues of U.S. criminal justice.”

Here is a link to the conference/fellowship press release, which includes the list of the other 20 journalists.

I am also pleased to report that a friend and great journo was also among those chosen: Kristen Senz is the Editor of the New Hampshire Bar News, and she’s been working on legal aspects of the opioid-use crisis. John Jay will be lucky to count her among the Fellows’ ranks!

So next week, I’ll be in chilly Manhattan to hear from smart people, some of whom may become story subjects and info-providers. I’m looking forward to it.

The conference is titled “Making Room for Justice: Crime, Public Safety & the Choices Ahead for Americans.” The complete program is here.

The Friday portion of the conference will be held in the moot court room of John Jay College.

I previously received a fellowship in 2011, from John Jay/Guggenheim, that allowed me to attend the conference and then write on the topic of criminal-sentencing reform (I told you about it here.). That year and in 2012, I wrote numerous online stories and a cover story in Arizona Attorney Magazine about it. Here is the link to that issue/article (clicking on the image takes you to the story).

As I promised in 2011, I’ll report back after the conference. And I’ll try to keep warm.

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.@AZStateBar Member Discount provider Citrix @sharefile offers free personal brand webinar by @TAO_LEADERSHIP

This month: Free online learning from Citrix ShareFile

This month, two free webinars will be available to members of the State Bar of Arizona via Citrix ShareFile. The first will be this Thursday, Feb. 18. (I’ll share next week’s webinar soon.)

Here’s the important information:

Citrix ShareFile has partnered with expert speaker Rasheryl McCreary to host a leadership webinar this month.

DATE: Thursday, Feb. 18, at 1 p.m. EST

TOPIC: How to elevate your personal brand to attract your ideal customers

Rasheryl McCreary

SPEAKER: Rasheryl McCreary – As a personal brand strategist, leadership presence expert and host of the new podcast Communicate With Impact for Virtual Teams™, she helps Fortune 500 companies, business owners, and others identify, communicate, and leverage their authentic personal brand.

WEBINAR OVERVIEW: This webinar will provide you with the tools to elevate your authentic personal brand in ways that attract and delight your ideal customers. Learn how to craft your “Brand P.I.E.™” – a simple formula for leveraging your Presence, Image and Environment in ways that make you stand out, increase your visibility, and keep your customers coming back for more.

More information and a registration link are here. 

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New public board member sought by @AZStateBar

News from the State Bar of Arizona:

The State Bar of Arizona’s Board of Governors is accepting applications from nonlawyers from outlying counties to fill one seat on its board. The application deadline is Friday, March 18, 2016. Participation of public members is essential to the State Bar’s mission of serving the public and its efforts of making sure the people of Arizona have a strong voice in the legal system.

A total of four public members, who serve three-year terms, sit on the 30-member board. The board establishes the vision, mission and policies of the association and ensures that there are sufficient resources for its management and operations.

Applicants for the public member position may be from any county within Arizona except Maricopa County and:

• Must be at least 21 years of age
• Must have resided in Arizona for at least three years
• May not be an active or inactive member of any bar association
• May not have, other than as a consumer, a financial interest in the practice of law

Individuals with experience in human resources or accounting, or who have previous experience serving on professional boards, are especially encouraged to apply.

Members of the Board of Governors attend approximately 10 all-day meetings each year. Meetings are usually held on the third Friday of the month at the State Bar’s office in Phoenix. Preparation in advance of the meetings, including review of related materials, is essential. In addition, members attend the Bar’s annual convention in June and a two-day retreat in July. Board members also serve on standing board committees. Travel and meal expenses are paid for all meetings, but there is no other compensation for service as a board member.

An application form must be submitted to the State Bar by Friday, March 18, 2016. The form can be found online here or by contacting Nina Benham at 602-340-7329 or by email at nina.benham@staff.azbar.org.

State Bar of Arizona Board of Governors, 2015-16

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Caller ID Spoofing new scam aimed at lawyers, clients, says @AZStateBar

Today I share news from the State Bar of Arizona about a new spoofing scam that is afoot.

If that sentence sounds funky to you, it’s because it’s simply a new and different way to “exploit the attorney/client relationship and defraud consumers of their money.”

You can read all the information here.

And if your outlook was not fraught enough, turn to this helpful piece on additional cybersecurity tech tips to avoid getting “the willies.” The risks include ransomware, pfishing, and even the threat your own employees may represent.

Finally, here is my previous coverage of a panel discussion last summer that managed to cause quite a few willies. Live and learn.

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Lawyers on Call @AZStateBar @12News to offer estate planning advice on Feb. 2

Next Tuesday, February 2, the State Bar and 12News are co-sponsoring a lawyer call-in program that may benefit someone you know—or it may even benefit you!

The topic for Lawyers on Call that night will be estate planning, wills and trusts. It runs from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. that evening, and the call-in number is 602-258-1212. More detail is here.

After the event, I’ll share the names of the lawyers who generously gave of their time at the event.

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Yes, the annual @AZStateBar dues are due by Feb. 1

State Bar of Arizona dues are due on or before Feb. 1, 2016.

On the very top of the front cover of Arizona Attorney Magazine’s January issue (the space we call an eyebrow), we reminded Arizona Bar members of an important deadline: February 1 is when the annual statement and dues are required to be filed.

Because everyone can stand another reminder (and because I suddenly remembered my own California Bar dues this past Friday!), I share the news with you again.

All the detail, and a place to get started online, are here.

Our January magazine ‘eyebrow’ shares the dues news.

Paying dues may be the least-enjoyable part of any membership. But it sure makes February 2 feel better.

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Family Law Institute of @AZStateBar on January 21 and 22

The State Bar Family Law Institute will be held on Thursday and Friday, Jan. 21 and 22.

Planned your whole workweek yet? Got some time free on Thursday and Friday?

You should consider attending what has often been one of the most helpful continuing education programs of the year: the Family Law Institute of the State Bar.

The two-day event occurs Thursday and Friday, January 22 and 22.

The Institute will be held at the Desert Willow Conference Center, 4340 E. Cotton Center Boulevard, Suite 100, in Phoenix.

I’ve attended the conference in the past and found it helpful and the instructors well selected. And this year’s location is, in my mind, an improvement over the past. The space is bright, new and the classroom space is modern and technology-adept. And the snacks. Hmmm.

A few years ago, a friend created an entire blog to describe CLE opportunities based largely on the food that was offered at each. (Sadly, the visionary piece of journalism is now defunct.) But I imagine she would have given Desert Willow high marks, not just for its lunch buffet, but also for the panoply of treats and snacks on offer throughout the day.

In what world is being schooled on family law—or any law—not improved by a warm and salty pretzel ’round about 3:00 pm? No world I want to be part of.

More information, including the faculty and registration, is here.

And offers related to the Institute can be found here.

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Jobs at the @AZStateBar posted and available for applicants

If a position at the State Bar sounds good to you or someone in your circle, things may be looking up.

Today, I’m pleased to report that there are some open positions at the State Bar—jobs—and that you and your circle may be interested.

When you get to the web page with the listings, here, you’ll see that they range from jobs for an attorney to those for various other staff positions.

Please read, share, and apply at will.

As you’d guess, each position comes with its own requirements, skills, and experience levels. Among them, I suppose, there’s always a general, free-floating requirement that you get along with others (even for the lawyer position—ha!). HR might disagree with me, but that may be the most important skill of all. But … how best to assess that?

Well, before you consider applying, I urge you to contemplate the following hypothetical, wholly unrelated to my own experience at the State Bar of Arizona. (This is my own entirely un-self-interested way of helping out the HR professionals—you’re welcome!)

Mere drops left in a hot carafe: Whom does this help, I ask you? Whom?

For this hypo, refer to the exemplar photo at right.

You walk into the break room for a cup of coffee. The carafe appears to hold a few teaspoons more than a single cup. Do you:

A. Pour the pot down the drain and start a fresh pot, because the remaining coffee is probably awful.

B. Fill your own cup, and then start a fresh pot.

C. Fill your own cup, replace the carafe onto the hot burner with mere drops left, and walk away.

Answer key:

A. You are a stand-up individual, one who should be considered for employment.

B. Though your taste in coffee is suspect, you would be welcome to be hired in a probationary capacity.

C. I can’t even. Please gather up your application and resume and return to the parking lot. We’re done.

Again, this is a mere hypothetical, not one that an applicant would necessarily be subjected to. Just food for thought.

Happy job hunting!

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Office holiday party tips by @alpenglowexp help, but cornhole etiquette advice needed

Today is all about cornhole. The game, not the metaphor for the risks of holiday work parties.

By the time you read this, I may be engaged in revelry the likes of which Western civilization has never witnessed. Yes, that means I’ll be at my workplace’s annual holiday party.

Fortunately, just yesterday I was able to benefit from reading a helpful compilation of tips on surviving and thriving at your office party.

Yes, the essay is aimed at law office parties. But I think the messages Adrian Ballinger conveys are universal:

• Think before you talk and act.
• Stay hydrated, but ixnay on the intoxication.
• Chat with folks—even some you don’t normally work with—but don’t overdo it. They can only take so much of you.
• Don’t overstay your welcome. They’re co-workers, not family.

For too many of us, office parties are an opportunity for unfortunate missteps.

Probably his most important advice—ignored too often—is that you are AT WORK while you’re at a holiday party. Disregard that counsel at your peril.

So Adrian’s advice was great, but our own workplace—the State Bar of Arizona—has the added wrinkle that there will be competitive sport involved—cornhole, to be precise.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the game, I offer the research gleaned from Wikipedia. Plus my own advice: Be careful Googling cornhole at work. Be ready to avert your gaze.

Our estimable party committee (they have a more formal name, but I like that one) must have anticipated the rivalries that will ensue when we gather at the restaurant Culinary Dropout at The Yard. (A photo of cornhole at The Yard is below.)

The cornhole field of battle at The Yard. Eight people enter … and eight people leave. (I know, not too dramatic, right?)

How do I know? Well, via email, they provided … the rules of cornhole.

Um. The rules of tossing a beanbag into a hole?

Not just that. It turns out 16 bullet points are needed to explain the intricacies of those cornhole regulations.

Understand, I am not being critical. I know exactly why they’re acting this way: Because crazy competitive.

Many folks here at the State Bar of Arizona are likely in Olympic-level practice sessions, all while I sit at my desk and type. God bless ‘em, they WILL crush the cornhole competition.

Meanwhile, I’ll be looking for a Moscow Mule at The Yard’s accommodating bar. Because the holidays are about all of our diverse interests. And the kids. Always the kids.

Enjoy your own holiday parties. And be careful out there.

The only kind of stubborn I like to encounter in a bar: the Moscow Mule.

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