Riverside, CA
On July 1, 2021, the 2021-2022 Board Members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court officially took office. The Board is comprised as follows:
President: Abram Feuerstein
President-Elect: Hon. Jennifer Gerard
Vice President: Stefanie Field
Secretary-Treasurer: Gabriel White
Financial Secretary: Hon. Randall Stamen
Members-At-Large: Kiki Manti Engel, Joshlyn Pulliam, Goushia Farook
Past President: Hon. Eric Keen
On May 26, 2021, the members of the 2020-2021 program year met for the last time. Due to the lifting of restrictions on gatherings, this was the first meeting that was held in-person at the Canyon Crest Country Club. Hon. Eric Keen, President of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, welcomed members to the final meeting of the year.
Judge Keen announced the recipients of the Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award. The Terry D. Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award honors an attorney for his or her professional accomplishments and contributions to the legal community. The criteria for being nominated for this award is as follows:
The attorney exemplifies and demonstrates exceptional and superior legal and professional skills and conduct.
The attorney participates in programs improving the legal profession and system of justice.
The attorney gives back to the community-at-large.
The recipients of the award for the 2020-2021 program year are L. Alexandra Fong, Deputy County Counsel for the County of Riverside and Sophia Choi, Deputy District Attorney for the County of Riverside. After accepting the award, Ms. Fong and Ms. Choi made a few remarks.
The Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award bestowed to Ms. Fong
The Terry Bridges Outstanding Attorney Award bestowed to Ms. Choi.
Judge Keen announced the recipient of The Leo A. Deegan Award for Outstanding Jurist. The award is given to a judicial officer for his or her professional accomplishments and contributions to the legal community.
The criteria for being nominated is as follows:
The jurist exemplifies and demonstrates exceptional and superior judicial conduct and demeanor.
The jurist participates in programs improving the legal profession and system of justice.
The jurist gives back to the community-at-large.
The recipient of The Leo A. Deegan Outstanding Jurist Award is the Hon. L. Jackson “Jack” Lucky IV, Riverside Superior Court.
The Leo A. Deegan Outstanding Jurist Award bestowed to Hon. Jack Lucky.
The three award winners, from left to right, are Sophia Choi, Hon. Jack Lucky, and L. Alexandra Fong
Judge Keen announced the winner of the Leo A. Deegan Award for Best Team Presentation for the 2020-2021 Program Year. Congratulations to Team Notorious RBG. The team consists of L. Alexandra Fong, Stefanie Field, Diane Mar Wiesmann, D.W. Duke, Jean-Simon Serrano, Joshlyn Pulliam, Danielle Linker and Jeremiah Raxter.
Congratulations Team The Notorious RBG. The perpetual award (trophy) will remain in the care and custody of Sherri Gomez, Administrator for the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court.
Team Notorious RBG (from left to right): Jean-Simon Serrano, L. Alexandra Fong, Danielle Linker, Jeremiah Raxter, Stefanie Field (holding trophy) and Joshlyn Pulliam. Not pictured: Diane Mar Wiesmann and D.W. Duke
Corrected trophy which debuted in September 2021.
Judge Keen announced the winner of the elections for the open position on the board as Past President Sophia Choi will no longer be on the board as of June 30, 2021. Elections took place virtually, via Simply Voting, and results were tabulated. The winner is Goushia Farook of Bratton, Razo & Lord
Abram Feuerstein, President-Elect of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, presented Judge Keen with an award for his service to the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court. A few parting gifts came with the award, including a miniature Leaning Tower of Pisa.
Congratulations to all award winners!
Pictured from left to right are Hon Eric Keen, Sophia Choi, Jack Lucky and L. Alexandra Fong
Congratulations to all award recipients and thank you for another great program year! Please don’t forget to apply for membership for the 2021-2022 Program Year by clicking this link.
On May 19, 2021, Judge Kenneth Fernandez hosted a chambers chat via Zoom for Inn Members about his work on a probate calendar. He was joined by Judge Thomas Cahraman, the supervisor of Riverside Superior Court’s probate departments.
On May 12, 2021, Judge Randall Stamen hosted a chambers chat via Zoom for Inn Members. Other judicial officers of the Riverside Superior Court handling criminal calendars who participated included Assistant Presiding Judge Judith Clark, Judge John Malloy, Judge Russell Moore, Judge O.G. Magno, Judge Emma Smith, Judge Bernard Schwartz, and Judge Ronald Taylor, and Commissioner Walter Kubelun.
On April 30, 2021, Judge Eric Keen and Judge Jennifer Gerard hosted a chambers chat via Zoom for Inn members. Other participating judicial officers of the Riverside Superior Court’s Family Court included Commissioner Belinda Handy and Commissioner Samra Furbush.
The Leo A. Deegan American Inn of Court’s Community Service Team You’ve Been Served presented on the community service projects they embarked on during the program year. Team You’ve Been Served is comprised of Hon. Judge Eric A. Keen, Diana Renteria, Everett L. Green, Matthew Forsse, Keith Willis, David Horton, Daniel S. Shahidzadeh, and Mathew Kraus.
During the program year, Team You’e Been Served volunteered their time at multiple projects. This includes:
Riverside Food Co-op
Riverside County Bar Foundation Elves Program
Riverside County Mock Trial
Meals on Wheels
Feeding America Riverside/San Bernardino
Calvary Presbyterian Church – Sunday Dinner Preparation
Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center
Room 8 Memorial Cat Foundation
American Red Cross
Riverside Legal Aid
With Riverside County Bar Foundation’s “Elves Program,” various team members shopped for, wrapped, and delivered gifts for needy families in Riverside County in December 2020. Due to privacy concerns, pictures of these activities cannot be provided. One team member drove over 200 miles round trip to Blythe to deliver holiday gifts.
With Meals on Wheels, the group delivered hot and/or cold meals to housebound seniors and individuals with temporary or permanent disabilities, residing in the Greater Riverside County.
Community Service Team Members at Meals on Wheels
Community Service Team Members show off their specially made shirts at Meals on Wheels.
At Calvary Presbyterian Church, the group volunteered at an opportunity to assist in providing food to those who were homeless or in need on Sunday, April 11, 2021.
For the American Red Cross, team members donated pints of blood.
Community Service Team Member Diana Renteria donates blood.
At Feeding America, Community Service Team Members boxed up and distributed food to people within the Inland Empire.
Community Service Team Members at Feeding America, a local food bank serving the Riverside and San Bernardino communities in need.
At the Mary S. Roberts Pet Adoption Center, a Community Service Team Member (Diana Renteria) helped clean kennels for the animals and donated used towels.
Community Service Team Member Diana Renteria
At the Riverside County Mock Trial, a Community Service Team Member (Diana Renteria) participated as a scoring attorney via Zoom.
If you are interested in donating your time or funds to any of the projects that the Community Service Team “You’ve Been Served” volunteered at, please visit their websites as noted above.
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
On April 23, 2012, Judge Irma Asberry hosted a chambers chat via Zoom for Inn members. A number of other judicial officers of the Riverside Superior Court’s Civil Division participated, including Judge Carol Greene, Judge Jackson Lucky, Judge Daniel Ottolia, Judge Craig Riemer, and Judge John Vineyard.
Team The Notorious RBG presented on their movie “On the Basis of Sex” (2018), a biographical film about Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom.
The film stars Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Armie Hammer as her husband, Martin David Ginsburg. The movie co-stars Justin Theroux as Melvin "Mel" Wulf (legal director of the ACLU), Kathy Bates as Dorothy Kenyon and Sam Waterston as Erwin Griswold.
The title of the presentation is “Fight For The Things That You Care About.” Team The Notorious RBG is comprised of L. Alexandra Fong, Stefanie Field, Diane Mar Wiesmann, D.W. Duke, Jean-Simon Serrano, Joshlyn Pulliam, Danielle Linker and Jeremiah Raxter.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field introduced the members of Team The Notorious RBG and provided a fun fact about each member of the team. Attorney Master L. Alexandra Fong presented a short biography of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, which is set to the music of Fidelio (Leonore) Overture No. 1, Op. 138 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Justice Ginsburg was a lifelong fan of opera.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field and Barrister Jean-Simon Serrano showed a film clip of a dinner scene at Harvard Law School, wherein Dean Erwin Griswold asked each female student to explain why they were at the law school, taking the place of a man.
After the clip was shown, the audience, comprised of members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court, was asked the question “What was the make-up of your first year law student body?”. The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The majority of audience members indicated their law school class was 50% men, 50% women. A few indicated 60% men, 40% women and vice versa.
Attorney Master Stefanie Field spoke about how this dinner scene actually happened in real life and Justice Ginsburg’s perspective regarding the question. Barrister Jean-Simon Serrano gave the audience updates as to what happened to each of the other female students at Harvard Law School.
Attorney Master L. Alexandra Fong and Attorney Master Diane Mar Wiesmann showed a film clip of a scene where Ruth Bader Ginsburg, after graduating from Columbia Law School, interviewed at her 13th law firm and was still unable to secure a job as an attorney, despite her numerous accomplishments.
After the clip was shown, two questions were asked of the audience, comprised of members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court: “Has anyone experienced this type of bias before, either toward themselves, or toward someone they know” and “If so, briefly describe what happened.” The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app.
It was surprising to see that many of the audience members had experienced similar bias in their legal profession, primarily female attorneys who had been asked if they planned to have children and those who had been passed up for a partnership opportunity due to being pregnant. Some attorneys had been asked if they were the court reporter when they walked into a deposition or court room.
Special Guest Presenter Virginia Blumenthal, a notable criminal defense attorney and owner of the first female-led law firm in Riverside County, shared her similar struggles at gaining employment as an attorney in the Inland Empire after graduating from law school in 1975, a mere 16 years after Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated. In those 16 years, times had not changed. Additional information about Ms. Blumenthal can be found in the July/August 2020 issue of Riverside Lawyer, a publication of the Riverside County Bar Association. The portion of the magazine containing only Ms. Blumenthal’s article “My Journey Through the Glass Ceiling” can be found here.
Ms. Blumenthal answered at least ten questions from the audience, ranging from “What advice do you have for a female attorney who has encountered gender discrimination from the bench or opposing counsel?” to “Who is your inspiration?” Each of her responses was thoughtful and well received by the members.
Barrister Joshlynn Pulliam gave a brief synopsis of the appellate case, Charles E. Moritz v. Commissioner of Internal Revenue, 469 F. 2d 466 (1972). The team showed a film clip where Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg presented rebuttal argument in that case, heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit.
After the scene was shown, Ms. Pulliam advised the audience of the decision of the Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals in the Moritz case. SPOILER ALERT: Charles Moritz prevailed!
Barrister Jeremiah Raxter asked the following question “What did the Government rely on in their argument as to why Moritz should not prevail?” The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The answer to this question is precedent.
Barrister Jeremiah Raxter presented information about the Government’s infamous Appendix E . He also asked the audience the question “How many different U.S. code sections from Appendix E did the government rely on in their argument?” The answer was revealed within the rebuttal argument clip. The audience members’ answers were displayed on the screen with the help of a polling app. The answer to this question is 178.
Barrister Danielle Linkler, told the audience that the March/April 2021 issue of the American Inns of Court magazine The Bencher is devoted to the late Justice. It can be found by clicking this link.
Barrister Danielle Linkler, who also provided technical support with showing the film clips and polling, introduced a short video in which former clerks of the late Associate Justice Ginsburg remarked on their experiences with her.
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court Member and Attorney Master L. Alexandra Fong (President, 2018-2019) has been invited to join the American Inns of Court (AIC) Programs Award Committee for two program years, 2020-2021 and 2021-2022. The Program Awards Committee seeks to deepen and enrich the American Inns of Court member experience by identifying and recognizing those programs which best reflect AIC’s commitment to excellence.
Members of the Program Awards Committee review submissions from various chapters of the American Inns of Court from the United States to determine whether the program should receive an award. The American Inns of Court Program Awards recognize exceptional programs created and presented at local Inn meetings during the Inn’s fiscal year (July 1 to June 30). The top three programs are recognized with plaques that are presented at an Inn meeting and with special lapel pins presented to each member of the pupillage team that presented the program.
By showcasing and highlighting program excellence each year from across the country, AIC provides a valuable educational and inspirational tool to allow Inns to prosper while achieving our goal as a committee – to support the AIC mission “To foster excellence in professionalism, ethics, civility, and legal skills,” and to enhance the Inn member experience by providing the best and highest quality examples of educational programming nationwide.
Ms. Fong is the only member from California invited to join the committee.
Team The Notorious RBG will present a MCLE titled “Fight For The Things That You Care About” on Wednesday, March 24, 2021. See flyer for details.
On the evening of February 24, 2021, Team Bit-O-Honey presented on the movie “The Judge” (2014) starring Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Vincent D'Onofrio, Jeremy Strong, Dax Shepard and Billy Bob Thornton. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom.
Prior to the presentation, Team Bit O’Honey shipped out bumper stickers with the phrase “99% of Bad Lawyers Give the Rest A Bad Name” and Bit-O-Honey candy snacks to Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court members.
Team Bit-O-Honey is comprised of Abram Feuerstein (USTP), Marlene Allen Murray, Wendy Seto, Kristen Holstrom, Kelly Moran, Gabriel White, Eric Oh, and Malvina Ovanezova.
Attorney Master Abram Feuerstein (USTP) introduces the members of Team Bit-O-Honey to the Inn members.
Clips of various scenes from “The Judge” are shown and ethical dilemmas are shown during the presentation..
Team Bit-O-Honey presentation began with a brief summary of the movie by Attorney Master Wendy Seto. The audience is introduced to attorney C.P. Kennedy (portrayed by Dax Shepard), who also dabbles in antiquities.
Barrister Gabriel White presented on the ethical topic of “Fitness as a Judge or Lawyer“ and referenced the California Rules of Professional Conduct, the California Code of Judicial Ethics, and the American Bar Association Model Rules.
Attorney Master Marlene Allen Murray presented on the topic of “Voir Dire” (Jury Selection) and discussed the ethics related to this important procedure.
Barrister Kelly Moran and Associate Malvina Ovanezova presented on the topic of “Relationships with Opposing Counsel.” They discussed attorneys’ professional obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct and also provided other resources on civility.
Barrister Kristen Holstrom and Associate Erik Oh presented on the topic of “Relationships with Clients.” They discussed attorneys’ professional obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct as well as how to deal with difficult clients.
Attorney Master Abram Feuerstein (USTP) discussed the satisfaction of one’s legal career and hobbies that attorneys could undertake in their spare time (painting, learning a foreign language, and reading).
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
Team Bit-O-Honey will explore the movie “The Judge” in its MCLE presentation
On January 27, 2021, Team Undeniably Amazing Feldman and Fućík presented on “The Movie Denial and Ethical Boundaries.” Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom.
The team drew inspiration from the movie “Denial” (2016), a biographical film based upon Deborah Lipstadt's book History on Trial: My Day in Court with a Holocaust Denier (2005), where Ms. Lipstadt, a Holocaust scholar, was sued for libel by David Irving, a Holocaust denier. The movie stars Rachel Weisz, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Spall, Andrew Scott, Jack Lowden, Caren Pistorius and Alex Jennings.
Team Undeniably Amazing Feldman and Fućík is comprised of Hon. Irma Asberry, Angela Viramontes, Aaron Chandler, Sophia Choi, Kamola Gray, Kristine Borgia, Megan Demshki, Goushia Farook, and Michelanne Hrubic.
The team introduced an English barrister, who explained the differences between British and American legal professionals. The English barrister also explained the differences between a solicitor and a barrister and displayed the wigs that a barrister has to wear in court.
The team discussed the differences in American and British law, with respect to libel, as the burden of proof is on the defense to prove that the claims and statements are substantially true.
The team also discussed the ethical duties of an attorney, including confidential communications with a client and compensation from one other than a client. This discussion included whether the client should testify at trial.
During each segment of presentation, the audience (Inn of Court members) were invited to answer questions by texting a number with their answers. The responses showed up during the presentation. The audience was also invited to play BINGO with various key words displayed on the BINGO board. Two lucky winners received Riverside County Bar Association lapel pins.
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
Team Undeniably Amazing Feldman and Fućík will explore the movie “Denial” in their MCLE presentation.
The Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court has achieved Platinum Status for the 2019-2020 program year. This is the second program year that the Inn has achieved Platinum Status.
Platinum Status recognizes “outstanding efforts in effective administration, communications, program development, mentoring, community outreach, and participation in the American Inns of Court movement.” Congratulations to the Board and all our members for the 2019-2020 program year!
On December 2, 2020, Team Thurgooders presented on their movie “Marshall” (2017), a biographical film about Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States Thurgood Marshall. The movie stars Chadwick Boseman, Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Dan Stevens, Sterling K. Brown, and James Cromwell and focuses on one of the first cases of his career, State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom.
The title of Team Thurgooders’ presentation is “No Easy Way: Thurgood Marshall’s Fight for School Desegregation and Its Impact on the Riverside Unified School District.” Team Thurgooders is comprised of Hon. Jennifer Gerard, Richard Majchrzak, Mark Mellor, Chris Heikaus Weaver, Dani Mouri, Erica Alfaro, Christopher Ortega, and Bryan Sahagun.
The presentation began with a description of the case State of Connecticut v. Joseph Spell and a biography of Thurgood Marshall, the first African-American Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States. The trailer from Marshall was shown to the audience.
In order to capture the Inn members’ interest, Jeopardy! America’s Favorite Quiz Show® was played. The teams were given the answers and the teams had to come up with the correct question in response. The categories were “The Marshall Court,” “Marshall the Movie,” “School Desegregation,” “The Life of Marshall,” and “Race and Criminal Justice.”
The presentation was dedicated to the memory of Chadwick Boseman (1976-2020), star of “Marshall” and Alex Trebek (1940-2020), the longtime host of “Jeopardy!”
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
Team Thurgooders will explore the movie “Marshall” in their MCLE presentation.
On October 28, 2020, the Inn held its first full meeting of the 2020-2021 program year. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the meeting was conducted virtually, via Zoom. The team “It’s in All of Us (to Do the Right Thing),” led by Judge Randall Stamen, gave a presentation entitled “The Evidence Is in Your Blood,” which took the movie “Dark Waters” as its starting point.
Team members include Kiki Manti Engel, Elisabeth Lord, Mary Reyna, Rebecca McKee, Kimberly Prendergast, Mona Nemat, Christina L. Godbey, and Dawn Saenz. Guest speaker Professor Brian Craig presented on an aspect of Riverside history with environmental and legal themes, which he wrote about in his book “Stringfellow Acid Pits: The Toxic and Legal Legacy.”
At the conclusion of the presentation, 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 May 2021 meeting.
Team It’s In All of Us (to do the right thing) will explore the movie “Dark Waters” in their MCLE presentation.
Six members of the Leo A. Deegan Inn of Court were installed as officers of the Riverside County Bar Association (RCBA) today, September 26, 2020. Due to COVID-19, the event was socially distanced and viewers were invited to witness the installation ceremony via Zoom.
The six Inn members installed are as follows:
Sophia Choi, President of RCBA;
Kelly Moran, Chief Financial Officer of RCBA;
Megan Demshki, Director-at-Large of RCBA (2nd year);
Aaron Chandler, Director-at-Large of RCBA (1st year);
Elisabeth Lord, Director-at-Large of RCBA (1st year);
Goushia Farook, Barristers President.
In addition, two former Inn members (Neil Okazaki and Jack Clarke, Jr.) were installed as officers of RCBA. Congratulations to all!
