January 2016 Newsletter

DEAR MEMBERS:

Happy New Year to all!

I hope everyone had a successful year full of growth and satisfaction. I am hopeful that with your assistance and participation, we can continue to work together to grow the Bar Association to meet the needs of our membership. As always, we’ll hold a monthly CLE luncheon on the 3rd Friday of the month. As a result of all the great feedback that we have received, we’ll continue to hold the lunches at Keith Young’s Steakhouse in Madisonville. The lunch is served at noon and the CLE will start at 12:30.

As a special note this month, we are repeating a topic of interest that we tackled at our past All-Day CLE because the changes to the summary judgment procedure impact many, if not most of us, and not everyone had an opportunity to attend this discussion back in November. Ms. Elisia Tipton of the Marchand Law Firm will present this month’s CLE topic, and I know she will offer a thorough discussion of all of the revisions to Article 966 of the Louisiana Code of Civil Procedure.

The officers for this year are Elizabeth Sconzert, President; Rene Frederick, Vice-President, Tammy Griggs, Treasurer, and Judy Walz, Executive Director. We look forward to making 2016 a great year for our association. If you have any questions, concerns or recommendation, please feel free to contact me or one of the other officers. My ears and door are open!

Thank you for providing me with this opportunity to work alongside all of you, and I am excited to see what the New Year unfolds for us all.

Elizabeth Sconzert, President

MEMBERSHIP

It is time to renew your membership for 2016! Our association membership follows the calendar year, January 1 to December 31. This year the membership cards will be “blue”. Your 2015 yellow membership cards will expire at the end of January, so please mail in your form and payment soon. The membership card allows you to enter the courthouse without removing your belt and admits you and a guest to our annual Christmas party. Once your membership form and payment are received, you will be mailed a 2016 membership card. Attached is the registration form.

CLE

The monthly CLE’s are held on the third Friday of each month, January through October, at Keith Young’s Restaurant. Lunch is $25 and is served at 12:00 p.m. and the CLE is $15, for members, from 12:30-1:30 p.m. We will offer a full day of Family Law CLE in April, and a full day of general CLE in November, including Ethics and Professionalism. Both all day CLE’s will be held at the Courtyard Marriott.

Our first 2016 luncheon/CLE is January 15th at Keith Young’s Restaurant. Our guest speaker is Elisia Tipton, who will speak on “Big Changes in the New Year: What You Really Need to Know about the Amendments to Article 966”. Please rsvp judy@22ndjdcbar.org.

Mark your calendars now for the rest of the monthly meetings: February 19th, March 18th, April 15th, May 20th, June 17th, July 15th, August 19th, September 16th, October 21st and November 18th (all day CLE). If you have CLE ideas/requests, please share them with us as we want to make the CLE’s relevant to our members.

FAMILY LAW

The Family Law Section Chair is Jesmin Finley. The CLE’s will be held on the third floor of the courthouse in the 22nd JDC Bar Association library. The cost for members is $15. If you wish to be a part of the Family Law Section and receive emails regarding CLE and updated information, please check the section on your membership form.

YOUNG LAWYERS

The Young Lawyer Section Chair is Kyle Wiedemann. This Section is composed of lawyers who are 40 years of age and under, or who have been admitted to the bar for 6 years or less. The Section conducts several CLE’s throughout the year. They also host luncheons with local Judges who offer valuable information and crucial skills to young lawyers. If you wish to be a part of the Young Lawyer Section and receive emails regarding CLE and Judges Luncheon, please check the section on your membership form.

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Our Community Outreach Section Chair is Jessica Karr. This section is going to be more active with our community this year, so please contact us with any community needs that arise. If you are interested in helping with the projects, please check that section on your membership form.

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is seeking qualified applicants to fill a vacancy in the position of United States Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The current annual salary of the position is $185,012. The term of office is eight (8) years. A full public notice and application for the Magistrate Judge position is posted on the court’s website at www.laed.uscourts.gov and in the office of the Clerk of the District Court at 500 Poydras Street, Room C-151, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130.

Applications must be submitted only by potential nominees personally and must be received by January 29, 2016.

THE DISTRICT COURT IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

COSTA RICA CONDO FOR RENT

Luxurious three bedroom, three full bath, condo located on the Pacific side of the country with a great jungle view. Sleeps six comfortably, one and a half hour drive from the San Jose airport, five minutes from miles of beautiful nearly deserted beaches and just steps away from a beautiful pool. Great nightlife; world class fishing; surfing; outdoor adventures; national parks and restaurants all located nearby. Local bilingual manager can assist with planning outings. $1000.00 a week, except Christmas, New Year and Easter weeks.

For more information and pictures contact Allan Breslin at 985-630-1147

Judy Walz
Executive Director
985-867-4833