The Palo Alto Area Bar Association developed out of a need for community. The meetings started out small, as lunches between fellow practitioners and neighbors. It was the early 1930s, before the concept of “power lunches” and the proliferation of books on networking. Commutes wound through orchards and along marshlands. Luncheon debates of the day probably concerned the nation’s entrance into World War II, the establishment of the FBI and Social Security. Early members might have criticized or lauded the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Through the advent of manual transmission, the establishment of Hewlett Packard, and as orchards made way for roads, office parks and neighborhoods, Palo Alto and its environs blossomed into a cosmopolitan leader. No matter how the world changed, though, the one constant our members could rely upon was each other.
PAABA has managed to thrive in an environment of constant change because we stay focused on our goals: to help members meet each other, learn about the ever-evolving legal profession and support the community. Our location in the heart of so much innovation and technology allowed us access to the knowledge and tools to operate more efficiently and effectively to help the people for which it was intended. We take the best of our generation’s modernization and, in this instance, have redesigned our website to include features that invite participation and promote involvement.
We hope you find our upgrades useful, return often and get involved! Please let us know what you might miss about the old site and how the new one has improved. As always, we continue to evolve!
Soyeun D. Choi, President, Palo Alto Area Bar Association
August 2011
Happy 2012! The quaint days of the Y2K bug are firmly behind us—not only have we actually made it to the new millennium, we have soundly surpassed the first decade mark. We once might have associated 2012 with flying cars and a clear universal vision but now, across the threshold of “the Future” we cross our brows at the tentative first steps of world leaders and the struggling economy.
PAABA maintains that the best buffer for time and adversity is each other and so keeps its steady course, by continuing to provide informative, low cost CLE events, mixers and other activities through which to meet legal professionals. In addition, we now have four practice area sections: Family, Patent, Tax and Trust and Estates Planning.
These sections were implemented directly by members and are examples of how we all contribute to our bar association and its evolution. Even the most jaded cynics acknowledge that involvement with PAABA broadens networks, enhances opportunity and strengthens community. The discovery of new assets and friends amongst neighbors takes time but is worth the investment. Our group consistently reveals itself to be fascinating in breadth and depth of experiences, both professionally and personally.
Make the best of 2012 and let us know how we can serve you!
Soyeun D. Choi, President
Palo Alto Law Firm has 2 A-/B+ offices and 1 cubicle for sublease with a qualified
subtenant near California Avenue train station and the Palo Alto County Courthouse.
Conveniently located near El Camino Real and Oregon Expwy./Page Mill Rd. Reception
area, use of large conference room, kitchen access, furnished or unfurnished, free
parking, daily cleaning. Services available: network services and copier. The corner
office is 700 sq. ft. for $1,800. The inner office is 500 sq. ft. for $1,300. A cubicle is
also available for $600. Please call Terry 650-566-2290 or email tquinlan@millerlg.com.
Volunteers Needed to Judge the 2012 Philip A. Harley Memorial Mock Trial Competition!
When: 6:00-8:00 p.m. on January 11, 12 & 31, and February 2, 7, 9 &16.
**Volunteers may sign up for one or more of the evenings**
Where: Alameda County Superior Court Administration Bldg, 1221 Oak St., Oakland
Attorneys are needed to score high school teams from the jury box.
Judges/commissioners are needed to preside over the bench trial competitions.
If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Jenny Keystone
at 510.206.7366 or mokstone@gmail.com. For more information, visit:
http://www.acoe.org/acoe/EdServices/ProgramsandServices/YouthDev/MockTrial
This holiday season, PAABA members disperse into the four corners of the world and the by-product, for a while anyway, is frayed family nerves from your failing to put phones/lap tops/tablets aka “that thing” down for one moment.
Unbeknownst to them, you reduced technology use by fifty percent the moment you disembarked. Proof: As they rushed around searching for a pen, you refrained from texting the information. You also waited through ten minutes of conjecture about a song title instead of looking it up. Oh, the holidays.
After a few days, you’ll appreciate being unplugged.
Before you embark on travels home, be sure to familiarize yourself with the remainder of the 2011 PAABA calendar: On the evening of December 5th, attorneys from Chinese and U.S. firms discuss the perils of foreign investments in that immense and complex nation. Join practitioners for lunch on December 6th for the inaugural Family Law Section meeting. Later that evening, we are pleased to co-sponsor an event at the Little Fox in Redwood City celebrating 50 years of African American jurisprudence. On December 9th, we are pleased to co-sponsor an event on managing your first arbitration.
December 13th presents an opportunity to catch a drink with members at the Rosewood. The next day, our Estates Planning and Trusts Committee convenes on December 14th for lively discussions over lunch.
In January, we have an opportunity to clear out a substance abuse CLE on the 5th. The 10th provides an opportunity for the Tax Salon to discuss updates. January 19th the very active Patent Group convenes to continue the search for meaning after this year’s reform. The Estates Planning and Trusts Group and Family Law Section will also have their meetings scheduled for that month and other 2012 events can be found at our website.
From all of us at PAABA, enjoy a safe and happy holiday season!
Soyeun D. Choi
President, Palo Alto Area Bar Association
