October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month. I have seen the worst examples of DV in my cases and HLG takes it seriously. We agree with National AAML President James McClaren that “we should all take the time to be even more mindful about the ways in which we can offer leadership within our communities toward more effectively addressing these issues.

Electronically stored information (“ESI”) is information that is stored in technology having electrical, digital, magnetic, wireless, optical, electromagnetic or similar capabilities. Electronic Discovery, also known as e-discovery, is the use of legal means to obtain ESI in the course of litigation for evidentiary purposes.

The International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, of which I am a Fellow, is a worldwide organization of 700 practicing lawyers who are selected by our peers and focused on international family law matters. It was formed in 1986 to improve the practice of law and administration of justice in the area of divorce and family law throughout the world.

The Bar Association of San Francisco to the Conference of California Bar Associations has proposed a controversial change to the Mediation Confidentiality rule, Evidence Code section 1120. For family law actions only, it would create an exception to mediation confidentiality for communications in mediation between spouses or registered domestic partners that constitute a fraudulent breach of fiduciary duty.

The California Court of Appeal recently published Marriage of Winternitz. The holding was that a court-appointed expert custody evaluator’s (1) failure to adhere to all the requirements of the California Rules of Court and (2) admission that he made significant errors does not require a trial court to automatically remove him or to exclude his written report.

Our Southern California Chapter of the AAML presented the first annual Trial Basics Seminar on April 10, 2015 in Orange County. The TBS is aimed at less experienced family law lawyers. We designed it to (1) Reach out to potential future Fellows, (2) Help educate family law attorneys and (3) Give back to the courts and our family law community.

The Southern California Chapter of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers will present the first annual Trial Basics Seminar in April , 2015. The TBS is aimed at less experienced family law lawyers. It has two parts: (1) The main seminar in Costa Mesa at the Westin South Coast Plaza Hotel on April 10, 2015 and (2) Follow-up “break-out” sessions in Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego Counties on April 18, 2015. The idea is for all the attendees of the main seminar to then attend one of the break-out sessions on April 18.

California family law guru, Garrett Dailey, will moderate the main session.

At the AAML Southern California Chapter’s Institute of Trial Advocacy in San Diego last month, I was honored to introduce the Honorable William Q. Liebmann as one of our Chapter’s Distinguished Judicial Officers of 2015. He is only the second judicial officer from the “805” area to have received this honor.

Herring Law Group arises from my 24 years of civil litigation and family law trial experience, and also from the energy, creativity and support of so many. I appreciate that some can here be mentioned. Trial legend, Terry Bacchus, originally recruited me as a new attorney to Lord, Bissell & Brook’s Los Angeles office, where he provided me hands-on sophisticated trial work from day one.