January 22, 2025 Dinner Meeting and Presentation

At the December 4, 2024 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Hon. Joshlynn “Josh” Pulliam, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our regular location, Loft 84, and was preceded with a social where the members mingled.

Josh provided information about The Pegasus Scholarship. The Pegasus Scholarship is an exchange program, wherein young American Inn of Court members visit London for four to six weeks to learn about the English legal system and young English barristers visit the United States for four to six weeks to learn about the American legal system. The deadline to apply for the American Inns of Court is Monday, January 27, 2025.Additional information can be found on the American Inns of Court website.

Josh announced that the Joint Meeting of the Inland Empire Chapters of the American Inns of Court, which will be hosted by The Southwest Inn of Court, will be held on Thursday, February 27, 2025 in Temecula, California. A formal announcement will be sent via email. RSVPs are due by February 3, 2025 to Executive Director, Thelma Collins at collinsthelma055@gmail.com.

Josh reminded Inn members that if they know anyone interested in learning more about our Inn, to please invite them to an upcoming dinner meeting. She thanked several interested individuals for attending today’s dinner meeting and presentation. The theme of this year’s presentations is “Olympics and the Law.”.

Team Rings of Fire presented at tonight’s meeting. Team Rings of Fire is comprised of Hon. John Vineyard (Judicial Master) Kamola Gray (Attorney Master), Dani Mouri (Attorney Master), Gabriel White (Attorney Master), Trevor DeBus (Barrister), Xinia Guerra (Barrister), Michelanne Hrubic (Barrister), Lauren Cohen (Associate), Shane Duncombe (Associate), and Janinda Gunawardene (Associate)..

The presentation began with the 1994 Olympics controversy involving Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding, the first American woman to land a triple axel in competition.

The next presenters spoke about Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDs) and a clip from Out to Punch (1956) featuring a boxing match between Popeye and Brutus was shown.

A brief discussion about the World Anti-Doping Agency was held.

The final segment of the presentation was about gender controversies in the Olympics with the most recent issue occurring at the 2024 Olympics, in the sport of female boxing, involving Algeria's Imane Khelif and Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting.

Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting, left, and Algeria's Imane Khelif have competed in boxing competitions as women for years. But their presence in Paris is being scrutinized by some after they failed a vague gender eligibility test last year.

John Locher/AP and Aijaz Rahi/AP; from NPR website.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2025 Orientation Meeting.

December 4, 2024 Dinner Meeting and Presentation

At the December 4, 2024 Dinner Meeting, President-Elect of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Attorney Gabriel “Gabe” White, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our regular location, Loft 84, and was preceded with a social where the members mingled.

Gabe made a few announcements about the upcoming Inn year, including our April 2025 social where current Inn members can invite attorneys who they believe would be interested in joining the Deegan Inn to mingle with other attorneys and judges in an informal setting. He also reminded those Inn members who had not yet paid their full dues to do so immediately!

Gabe introduced Commissioner Stefanie Field, the judicial master for Team Raygun. The presenting team consists of Commissioner Stefanie Field, Attorney Master Marina Dini, Attorney Master Diana Renteria, Mary Reyna, Barrister Jeremiah Raxter, Barrister Daniel S. Shahidzadeh, Barrister Joseph Torri, Associate Sandra Lattouf, and Associate Zion Maffeo. The team spoke about Athlete Qualification and Disqualification, which was part of the overall theme for the 2024-2025 program year, Olympics and the Law.

The presenting team, showing off their Olympic spirit.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2025 Orientation Meeting.

Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court History - Award Winning Program: Effective Jury Selection Techniques

The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court was founded on April 3, 1992 by Sharon Waters, the Honorable Robert J. Timlin, Stanley Orrock, James Heiting, and Terry Bridges. During the 1992-1993 program year - its first full program year, the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court won Seventh Place in the American Inns of Court Program Awards, for its program “Effective Jury Selection Techniques.”

Hon. Craig Riemer (Ret.) provided the VHS on which the program was recorded. Milestone Media in Riverside, California, digitized the VHS tape with a generous donation by L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus.

A copy of the submission to the American Inns of Court may be viewed here.

The video may also be viewed here.

October 23, 2024 Dinner Meeting and Presentation

On the evening of October 23, 2024, the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court held its first program meeting of the 2024-2025 Program Year. The meeting was held at Loft 84 in Downtown Riverside. President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Hon. Joshlyn “Josh” Pulliam, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn.

Josh announced that the Deegan Inn has a scholarship program, to invite those who are interested in learning more about the American Inns of Court and becoming members to an upcoming presentation and the Deegan Inn will cover their meals. If you know anyone who would be a perfect fit for the Inn, please contact your team leader aka Judicial Master.

Josh advised Deegan Inn members that Project Graduate, a program of Riverside County Bar Foundation, is looking for educational representatives to assist foster students struggling to graduate from high school. Additional information can be obtained from Emeritus Member Alexandra Fong.

Olympic torches were placed on each of the tables, as were mini Olympic flags.

Team Vance (named after the adorable service dog who is pictured below) presented on their topic “Common Mental Health Issues” which provided all members with one hour of specialty credits in the field of competence. The team is comprised of Hon. Matthew Forsse (Judicial Master), Chris Heikaus Weaver (Attorney Master), Matthew Kraus(Attorney Master), Diane Mar Wiesmann (Attorney Master), Malvina Ovanezova (Barrister), Bryan Owens Sahagun (Barrister), Alejandro Barraza (Associate), Maryann Briseno (Associate), Michael Geller (Associate), and Krystle White (Associate). Team members spoke about their favorite Olympian, all of whom struggled with mental health issues.

Guest speaker and Olympic Champion Staciana Winfield (2000 Summer Olympics, 4 x 100 medley relay) spoke about mental health issues she faced in her life. You can learn more in her book, Stolen Dance: An Olympian’s Perpetual Search for Healing from Trauma and Grief.

If you or someone you know is suffering from mental health issues and want to speak with someone, please call or text 988. If you are an attorney, you may also call The State Bar of California's Lawyer Assistance Program (LAP) at 877-LAP-4HELP or 877-527-4435), or send an email to LAP@calbar.ca.gov.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2024 Orientation Meeting.

September 25, 2024 Orientation

On the evening of September 25th, the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court held its yearly orientation meeting at the RCBA’s Gabbert Gallery.  New and returning members enjoyed an informal social hour, just getting to know one another over light refreshments. 

Current President Hon. Joshlynn Pulliam (“Josh”) welcomed all members to the meeting and introduced two guest speakers, Hon. Jacqueline Jackson and Hon. Judith Clark.

Hon. Joshlynn Pulliam

Hon. Jacqueline Jackson was President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court during the Inn’s 25th Anniversary in the 2017-2018 Program Year. She spoke about the history of our Inn.

Hon. Jacqueline Jackson, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Riverside Superior Court (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024).

Past President of Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court

Hon. Judith Clark, Presiding Judge of the Riverside Superior Court (January 1, 2023 - December 31, 2024), spoke to the members about civility in the legal profession.

Hon. Judith Clark

Josh announced the Winning Team Presentation for the 2023-2024 Program Year, Team F•R•I•E•N•D•S of the Court. Congratulations!

Team F•R•I•E•N•D•S of the Court: Danielle Linker, Jeremy Roark, Maryann Briseno, Summer Devore, Hon. Jennifer Gerard, Bryan Owens Sahagun, Summer Devore, Dani Mouri (L-R)

Josh thanked Sherri Gomez, our former Executive Director, for all her years of services with the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court.

The teams were announced and this year’s theme is The Olympics. Each team met separately, for the first time, to get started on how to present their topic.

Josh reminded the members that the next meeting of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court will be held at Loft 84 in Downtown Riverside on Wednesday, October 23, 2024. Social begins at 5:30 p.m. with the dinner and presentation to begin at 6:00 p.m.

May 22, 2024 Dinner Meeting and Team Presentation

At the May 22, 2024 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Hon. Stefanie Field, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our new location at Loft 84, conveniently located in Downtown Riverside.

Commissioner Field reminded Inn members that Board elections were ongoing and that candidate statements for the sole Board position had been emailed to all active members. Ballots were on the tables and must be returned to the ballot box at the entrance in order to be tabulated and the winner announced by the end of tonight’s meeting.

Commissioner Field thanked many people who helped her throughout her tenure as President of the Inn, including L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus of the Inn. Ms. Fong answered many of her questions and a lot of information regarding the history of the Inn, as well as assisted in the requirements to maintain Platinum Distinction in the Achieving Excellence program of the American Inns of Court. Commissioner Field announced that the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court was able to maintain Platinum Distinction, which was first achieved during Ms. Fong’s tenure as President of the Inn in the 2018-2019 program year.

Commissioner Field announced the winner of the Leo A. Deegan Outstanding Jurist Award, Hon. Irma Asberry, who has devoted the past seventeen years of her career to various community activities. Congratulations Judge Asberry!

Commissioner Field announced the winner of the Terry D. Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award, Jeremiah Raxter of Raxter Law, P.A. Jeremiah is chair of the Probate Section of the Riverside County Bar Association (RCBA) and active in many community efforts, including donating to Project Graduate, a philanthropic program of RCBA that assists foster youth in graduating from high school. Congratulations Jeremiah!

Commissioner Field announced the winner of the Biddle Book Award, Natalie Hollis of Holstrom, Block and Parke, APLC. Natalie received a book, chosen by the President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court. The book she received is My Own Words, by Ruth Bader Ginsberg. Congratulations Natalie!

Team “All In the Family” presented on Demystifying Implicit Bias and showed clips of Norman Lear’s “All in the Family” television series, featuring the Bunker family, including Archie’s racial ranking, bigots vs. liberals, and Edith’s worth.

After the team presentation concluded, Commissioner Field announced the winner of the Board elections, Malvina Ovanezova! Congratulations Malvina!

Commissioner Field reminded all Inn members that applications to return to the Inn for the 2024-2025 program year needed to be completed by July 15, 2024.

Commissioner Field passed the torch of the presidency to Judge Joshlynn Pulliam, who will be the Inn’s president for the 2024-2025 program year.

Judge Pulliam thanked Commissioner Field for all her hard work during the 2023-2024 program year and told the Inn members that she hoped to see them all return in the next program year.

Enrobement Ceremony of Commissioner Stefanie Field

On the morning of May 15, 2024, Stefanie G. Field, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court for the 2023-2024 Program Year, was sworn in as Riverside County Superior Court’s newest commissioner. Hon. John Vineyard administered the oath of office to Ms. Field.

Hon. Stefanie Field and Hon. John Vineyard

Commissioner Field’s family was present to watch the ceremony.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Stefanie Field!

Stefanie Field, Attorney Master and President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (2023-2024 Program Year), has been elected a Commissioner of the Riverside Superior Court. She will be sworn in on Wednesday, May 15, 2024 in Department 1 of the Historic Courthouse and be assigned to Department 21 in the Hall of Justice.

Congratulations Stefanie!

March 27, 2024 Dinner Meeting and Team Presentation

At the March 27, 2024 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (“The Deegan Inn”), Attorney Stefanie Field, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at a new location, Loft 84, located in Downtown Riverside, within walking distance of the courthouses.

Stefanie began the evening with a somber announcement concerning the death of Hon. Mona Nemat’s son and announcement of his service, set for Saturday, March 30, 2024. Additional information regarding Adam Nemat can be found here:

Stefanie announced that the April and May meetings of The Deegan Inn will be held at Loft 84. April’s meeting will be focused on the Community Service Team and May’s meeting will consist of one hour of Implicit Bias credit, a new requirement for California attorneys, imposed by The State Bar of California.

Stefanie reminded Deegan Inn members that notices will be sent out to remind members of upcoming deadlines to express interest in returning for the 2024-2025 program year, as well as recruiting new members to the Deegan Inn. It is also the time of year to consider nominations for the Leo A. Deegan Outstanding Jurist Award and The Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award. Please submit your nominations to any Board Member or Executive Director Theresa Collins.

After a brief break for the dinner buffet, Team Schitt$ began their presentation. Team Schitt$ is comprised of Hon. Jay Kiel (Judicial Master), Marlene Allen Murray (Attorney Master), D.W. Duke (Attorney Master) Michelanna Hrubic (Barrister), Jeremiah Raxter (Barrister), and Natalie Hollis (Associate). Each presented a clip of a scene from the television series Schitt$ Creek and spoke about different areas of the law in relation to the clip.

Multiple choice questions were posed to members of the Deegan Inn of Court and winning teams received a paddle. The team with the most paddles won Peeps.

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2023 Orientation Meeting.

Chamber Chats - Probate Law

On Wednesday, March 27, 2024, The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (“Deegan Inn”) hosted Chamber Chats, a continuing series of chats by Riverside County judicial officers to answer any questions our Inn members may have. Chamber Chats began in 2018-2019 program year, as the official mentoring program of The Deegan Inn.

Hon. Jacqueline Jackson, Assistant Presiding Judge of the Riverside Superior Court, hosted the Chamber Chats in Hon. Kenneth Fernandez’ courtroom, which is located in Department 11 of the Historic Courthouse, located at 4050 Main Street, Riverside, California.

Picture credit to Steinberg Hart Designs, who restored the Historic Courthouse

Our Deepest Sympathies to Hon. Mona Nemat and Family

The members and Board of Directors of The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court extend their condolences to the Hon. Mona Nemat, Judicial Master, and her family for the loss of their beloved son and brother. The following statement was provided by Judge Nemat on a public post on Facebook:

There is no easy way to do this. On Friday night, March 22, 2024, our world was shattered. There was an accident. Our amazing 17 year old son, Adam Nemat, and some of his friends were riding a large golf cart in a dirt area behind a friend’s house when it flipped. Everyone was thrown out. Adam was in the front passanger side, and unfortunately, the cart landed on him. He passed away instantly. Our baby boy didn’t suffer. Fortunately, nobody else was hurt, at least not physically.

The outpouring of support has been tramendous. We hurt a lot. Unbearably a lot. It’s hard to breathe. But we hurt not only for ourselves and our family, but also for his friends who are likewise shattered. We love you guys.

Adam was so much more than his death. Here are some things about this amazing soul, who did so much good in such a short time:

He was kind, wild, always smiling, and beyond adventourous. He was a thrill seeker. He went bungee jumping and he thought himself how to snowboard, skateboard, and play the guitar.

He was the treasurer of the Thirst Project Club at Santiago, which raises awareness for the global water crisis.

He was the vice president of the Physics Club.

He was a big advocate of donating blood and helped run blood drives. He personally donated whole blood and power red since he turned 16.

He broke down over the sheer poverty he saw in South Africa and was considering how to help that region. Ali and he were talking about doing a Habitat for Humanity type trip this summer as their solo trip.

He spent time feeding those in need, both during Covid and through Unity.

He just wanted to make the world better.

He didn’t believe in a hierarchy- he didn’t think Unity should even have an e-board and everything should be done by collective agreement.

He refused to take prep classes for his AP exams, SAT, or get a coach for college applications because he genuinely and whole heartedly believed that it is unfair that people with resources can gain advantage in the process where someone just as intelligent or dedicated would miss out on their dream college simply because of their socioeconomic status. He didn’t even let anyone review his personal statements (to this day I don’t know what he said) because he didn’t want an unfair advantage. And again, not every one has parents educated enough to help with them.

He had a 1510 on his SATs, took seven AP exams, including two that he self studied for, and got 5s on several of them. He was set to take three more in May.

He had just received his acceptance to UC San Diego with a major in physics. He had a passion for physics and math. He was still waiting to hear from Berkeley and the Ivys.

Ali took him last weekend to get a tux fitted for senior prom. He was going to graduate on May 29th, with honors, a cord for Unity, a cord for being chief lab assistant for AP chem, and being a teaching assistant for AP physics.

He died three months to day of his 18th birthday, which would be June 22nd. He and I were going to go skydiving to celebrate. That has been planned since he was 15 and reaffirmed last week, much to my chagrin.

Instead…

We spent an excruciating 45 mins yesterday giving consent, body part by body part, for organ and tissue donation because he was a minor and that’s what he wanted. Through personal absolute torture, we carried out his wish.

People keep asking if we need anything. What we need, what we will never have again, is our baby boy.

We just don’t understand how we are expected to survive this.

Some amazing friends of mine have created a gofundme to continue his mission of making the world a better place. All proceeds will go to Unicef in Adam’s name. Here is a link if you are interested. https://gofund.me/76ac9cb0

I’m making this post public. Please feel free to share. He was loved by so many people - we just aren’t capable of personally informing everyone.

You may also view more of Judge Nemat’s courage at this video here and Adam’s story here.

Congratulations to Sophia Choi

Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court Member and Past President (2019-2020) Sophia Choi has been appointed a judge!

Sophia Choi, of Riverside County, has been appointed to serve as a Judge in the Riverside County Superior Court. Choi has served as a Deputy District Attorney at the Riverside County District Attorney’s Office since 2020 and has served as a Senior Deputy District Attorney since 2023. She served as a Deputy County Counsel at the Riverside County Counsel’s Office from 2007 to 2020. Choi earned a Juris Doctor degree from Southwestern Law School. She fills the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge John G. Evans. Choi is a Democrat.

The compensation for this position is $238,479.

CREDIT: Governor Newsom Announces Judicial Appointments 3.12.24

Joint Inn Meeting - The Wisdom of Walt

On the evening of Wednesday, February 21, 2024, The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (“Deegan Inn”) hosted the Joint Inn Meeting of the Inland Empire Chapters of the American Inns of Court. Members from The Hon. Joseph Campbell Inn of Court (“Campbell Inn”), Southwest Inn of Court (“Southwest Inn”) and The Warren Slaughter-Richard Roemer American Inn of Court (“Slaughter-Roemer Inn”) met at The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture - Riverside Art Museum (“The Cheech”) to celebrate the second Joint Inn Meeting that has occurred since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Cheech. Photograph courtesy of L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus member and Past President of The Deegan Inn.

Prior to dinner, guests enjoyed light cocktails, served by Lavish Cocktails of Pomona, CA. Drinks were sponsored by The Law Office of Dawn M. Saenz.

Guests were also able to tour The Cheech’s exhibits before and after dinner.

Abram Feuerstein, Past President of the Deegan Inn, prepares to swing a stick to break the piñata. Photograph courtesy of L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus member and Past President of The Deegan Inn.

Members of the Deegan Inn: Gabriel White (Vice President), Mary Reyna, and Abram Feuerstein (Past President). Photograph courtesy of L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus member and Past President of The Deegan Inn.

The dinner buffet was catered by Taste of The Town Catering and featured the following assortment of dishes:

• Carved to order Cajun Rub Baron Of Beef AuJus served with creamed horseradish sauce;

• Fresh chicken breast lightly flour dusted, flat grilled and finished with a white wine tarragon sauce;

• Dried Cranberry Bacon & Pecan Wild Rice Pilaf;

• Baby red rosemary potatoes;

• Fresh sautéed vegetable medley with squash, zucchini, red pepper, red onions and baby carrots ;

• Baby Fields of greens salad with Romaine lettuce, angel hair carrots, Julian red peppers, finally shredded purple cabbage, cucumbers, heirloom cherry tomatoes, homemade ciabatta croutons and herb vinaigrette dressing;

• Assorted mini European desserts: mini eclairs, assorted French macarons, lemon bars, chocolate strawberries fondue, mini fruit tarts and red velvet cake pops.

Although the meal was buffet-style, servers were present to dish out the delectable delights to guests.

After guests were served and seated, Stefanie Field, President of the Deegan Inn, welcomed guests to the Joint Inn Meeting. She thanked the evening’s sponsors, JAMS, The Briseno Law Firm, Thompson & Colegate, and The Law Offices of Dawn Saenz for sponsoring the event. She also thanked the events committee for their assistance in planning the event. The events committee consists of Bryan Owens Sahagun, Jeremy Roark, Erica Alfaro, L. Alexandra Fong, Xinia Guerra, Danielle Linker, Michael Gouveia, and Vanessa Gomez.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Stefanie introduced Dr. Jeffrey Barnes, best-selling author of The Wisdom of Walt and Beyond the Wisdom of Walt. who provided an interesting discussion of the trials and tribulations endured by Walt Disney in his quest to open a movie studio and Disneyland.

Stefanie Field, President of the Deegan Inn, and Dr. Jeffrey Barnes. Photograph courtesy of L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus member and Past President of The Deegan Inn.

At the conclusion of the presentation, the guests were able to view the exhibits throughout The Cheech.

Hon Les Murad (Administrative Law Judge with CAL-OSHA), Christopher Lockwood of Arias & Lockwood, and Timothy Ewanyshyn of La Quinta Law Group. Hon. Murad and Mr. Lockwood are members of The Campbell Inn. Mr. Ewanyshyn is a member of the Slaughter-Roemer Inn and President of the Desert Bar Association. Photograph courtesy of L. Alexandra Fong, Emeritus Member and Past President of The Deegan Inn.

Guests were also able to purchase one or both of Dr. Barnes’ books.

Photograph courtesy of The Wisdom of Walt.

The Joint Inn Meeting was a success! Hope to see all of you at next year’s Joint Inn Meeting!

Chamber Chats - Family Law

On Thursday, February 15, 2024, The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court (“Deegan Inn”) hosted Chamber Chats, a continuing series of chats by Riverside County judicial officers to answer any questions our Inn members may have. Chamber Chats began in 2018-2019 program year, as the official mentoring program of The Deegan Inn.

Hon. John Vineyard, a judicial master and Board Member of The Deegan Inn, invited members to his courtroom, which is in Department F501 of the Family Law Courthouse, located at 4175 Main Street, Riverside, California.

Hon. John Vineyard. Photograph courtesy of Malvina Ovanezova, Esq.

Courtroom personnel. Photograph courtesy of Malvina Ovanezova, Esq.

Members of The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court. Photograph courtesy of Malvina Ovanezova, Esq.

Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court to host Joint Meeting of the Inland Empire Chapters of the American Inn of Court

The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court will host the joint meeting of the Inland Empire Chapters of the American Inns of Court. Members from the Hon. Joseph Campbell Inn (San Bernardino), Southwest Inn (Temecula), and Richard Roemer-Warren Slaughter Inn (Desert) will travel to Downtown Riverside for the joint meeting, which will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at The Cheech - The Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art & Culture, a public-private partnership between Riverside Arts Museum, the City of Riverside, and comedian Cheech Marin—one of the world’s foremost collectors of Chicano art.

Image Credit to Riverside Art Museum

Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court Seeks Sponsors for Joint Inn Meeting

The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court is seeking sponsors to help defray the costs of the Joint Inn Meeting. Please see the flyer for details.

December 6, 2023 Dinner Meeting and Team Presentation

At the December 6, 2023 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Attorney Stefanie Field, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our regular location, Canyon Crest Country Club, and was preceded with a social where the members mingled.

Stefanie introduced the Inn’s new Executive Director, Thelma Collins, who is a retired judicial secretary with the Riverside Superior Court. Stefanie reminded Inn members to check their emails, sent via the Inn Management System (IMS) to reply to a specific email address (Thelma’s) with your RSVP and meal selection. Please don’t “reply” to the original message because our emails are generated from IMS!

Stefanie announced the winning team of The Leo A. Deegan Best Team Presentation Award for the 2022-2023 Program Year, which was Team Dolly Parton (Community Service Team). The team members are Hon. Randall Stamen (Judicial Master), Diana Renteria (Attorney Master), Mary Reyna (Attorney Master), Matthew Kraus (Barrister), Dani Mouri (Barrister), Kimberly Prendergast (Barrister), Michelanne Hrubic (Associate) and Dawn Saenz (Associate). Congratulations Team Dolly Parton! Hon. Randall Stamen was present to accept the award on his team’s behalf.

Hon. Randall Stamen

Winning Team Presentation Award

Stefanie announced the winner of The Leo A. Deegan Award for Outstanding Jurist for the 2022-2023 Program Year. Normally, these are announced at the final meeting of the program year of the award, but due to delays and schedules, it was not announced until tonight. Hon. Mac Fisher was posthumously named the recipient of the award and his widow, Gretchen, was on hand to receive this honor.

Hon. Mac Fisher (August 26, 1952 – July 15, 2022). Judge of the Riverside Superior Court from 2007 - 2022.

Hon. Randall Stamen and Gretchen Fisher, widow of Hon. Mac Fischer

After the presentation of the awards, the team presentation began. Team Yada Yada Yada, led by Hon. Joshlyn Pulliam, introduced the team members and shared a tidbit about each team member’s favorite holiday snacks.

The team showed scenes from various sitcoms, including “All In The Family” and “Night Court.”

The five other teams were assigned holiday icons, to play a game to catch Santa Claus and answered trivia questions based upon the scenes from the sitcoms and the law, including the ADA, The Pregnancy Discrimination Act, The Civil Rights Act, and other areas of civil law. These holiday icons included a reindeer resembling Rudolph, a Snowman resembling Frosty, a penguin, hot cocoa, and a Gingerbread Man.

The winning team - Team Reindeer - won lottery scratchers after getting 9 spaces toward Santa. The other losing teams were not too far behind, with 5-7 spaces toward Santa.

After the team presentation concluded, President Stefanie Field had a few more reminders for Inn Members as follows:

• Riverside County Bar Association continues to seek Money Elves to donate funds towards purchasing holiday gifts, Shopping Elves to spend the donated funds to purchase holiday gifts, Wrapping Elves to wrap the purchased gifts, and Delivery Elves to deliver the purchased gifts. Contact RCBA for further details;

• The Joint Inn Meeting of the Inland Empire Chapters of the American Inns of Court will be held on Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at the Riverside Superior Court - Historic Courthouse. Our keynote speaker will be motivational speaker Jeff Barnes.

• If any member is interested in being part of the committee to plan the joint Inn meeting, please contact Stefanie

Happy Holidays!

October 25, 2023 Dinner Meeting and Team Presentation

At the October 25, 2023 Dinner Meeting, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, Attorney Stefanie Field, welcomed all new and returning members to the Inn. The meeting was held at our regular location, Canyon Crest Country Club, and was preceded with a social.

Stefanie announced the winner of the Terry D. Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award for the 2022-2023 Program Year, Jeremy Roark of Holstrom, Block & Parke APLC. Jeremy has practiced in the field of family law for over 10 years and is a volunteer educational representative with Project Graduate. Congratulations Jeremy!

The announcement of the winner of The Leo A. Deegan Outstanding Jurist Award and the winning team for The Leo A. Deegan Award for Best Team Presentation for the 2022-2023 Program Year was deferred to another date, due to the delay in obtaining the awards from the trophy company.

After announcements concluded, dinner and the first team presentation began. Team Friends of the Court, led by Hon. Jennifer Gerard, presented on the sitcom “Friends.” Team members Maryann Briseno, Dani Mouri, Jeremy Roark, Bryan O. Sahagun, Summer DeVore, Danielle Linker, and Lauren Vogt dressed in costumes inspired by the Friends’ Halloween episode (officially, there was only one Halloween episode) - “The One With the Halloween Party.”

A query for our readers: Which team member dressed as Chandler Bing’s Pink Bunny?

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing aka Big Pink Bunny in the Friends episode “The One With The Halloween Party.” RIP: Matthew Perry.

The answer to our faithful readers is…. Jeremy Roark!

Jeremy Roark, as the Big Pink Bunny, holding his Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award

Close-up of award

At the conclusion of the presentation, Deegan Inn members were invited to score the presentation from a ranking of 1 (worst) to 5 (best). The team and winning presentation will be announced at the September 2024 Orientation Meeting.

Congratulations to Kelly Moran

Kelly Moran, Barrister member, has been elected a Commissioner of the Riverside Superior Court. She will take her oath of office and begin her new position on November 6, 2023.

September 27, 2023 Orientation

On the evening of September 27th, the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court held its yearly orientation meeting at the RCBA’s Gabbert Gallery.  New and returning members enjoyed an informal social hour, just getting to know one another over light refreshments. 

Current President and long-time member Stefanie Field spoke about the history of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court.  Teams were announced for our group presentations, and teams drew lots to decide what month they will get to present.  Our theme for the year will be “Sitcoms,” with teams largely free to interpret that broad category as they please.  The exception is that one lucky team was assigned the specific task of putting together a presentation that will qualify for ethics credit for MCLE.  The teams then each met separately for the first time.

Painting of a hallway at the Historic Courthouse (Riverside County) displayed in the John Gabbert Gallery