Section News

Annual Meeting Recap
Over 200 members of the ABA Family Law Section met in San Francisco in conjunction with the ABA Annual Meeting from August 9-12, 2007. Section members participated in many CLE presentations, with Family Law Section presentations including Assisted Reproductive Technology and Hot Tips From The Experts. Our Council had a productive session and we discussed numerous issues of concern to the area of Family Law, and also received reports on the successful operations of the many publications and projects in which we participate. A number of committees and boards met as well and conducted their important business.

Section members also participated in the many networking opportunities available as well as social events, including a wine trip to the Sonoma Valley and a fun Section dinner at Castagnola's restaurant at the famous Fisherman's Wharf.

We concluded with the Annual Section Luncheon where the accomplishments of the Section were discussed and a number of our members were honored for their outstanding service to the Section this last year, including Anita Ventrelli (Chair's Award), Gregg Herman (Special Chair's Cup), Deborah Akers-Parry (Financial Officer), Linda Ravdin (Publications Board Chair), Linda Elrod (Family Law Quarterly Editor), and Willard DaSilva (Family Advocate Editor), as well as outgoing Council members and Committee Chairs. We also presented our Schwab Essay contest winner, Lila Slovak, with her award.

It has been a very interesting experience leading the Section this past year, and I appreciate the privilege and honor of serving as the Chair of the Family Law Section.

Jim Preston (Immediate Past Chair)

(Editor's Note: Photos from Annual will soon be featured on the Family Law website.)

Looking Ahead
It was a great honor to be sworn in as Chair of the ABA FLS at the annual meeting in San Francisco on August 11, 2007. Jim Preston set an impressive standard of hard work, professionalism and commitment to the section. Fortunately, I am blessed with an outstanding executive committee, consisting of Chair-Elect Anita Ventrelli, Vice Chair Mitch Karpf, Secretary Debra Lehrmann, Section Delegates Marshall Wolf and Tim Walker and Financial Officer Deborah Akers-Parry.

During my year as Chair, there will be, as usual, two Section meetings. From October 10-13, we will enjoy the Southern hospitality of Memphis, thanks to our gracious Host Committee Chair, Amy Amundsen. In addition to outstanding CLE (thanks to Co-chairs Maryann Foley and David Hofstein), the meeting will feature the "Three Kings":

(1) We will have a luncheon at the Civil Rights Museum which is at the Lorraine Motel where Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated; (2) our social event Friday evening will be at B.B. King's; and (3) of course, we will have a visit from "The King" himself.

The spring meeting will be different and special; from April 30 - May 3, 2008, we will have a joint meeting in Chicago with the American Psychological Association. We will explore areas of common interest and continue an ongoing, developing dialogue between the two professions.

In addition to these meetings, the usual member benefits and services will continue at a high level. Want to help? Have ideas, questions, comments? Give me a call or better yet, an e-mail at gherman@loebherman.com.

Gregg Herman, Chair

More information about the Fall Meeting

Call for Nominations
The ABA Section of Family Law Wants You!

If you'd like to get more involved with the Section, consider a leadership or Council position.

We are currently accepting letters of interest for a one-year term for the Region V Council position to fill the remaining year (2007-2008) of the unexpired vacancy created when Debra Lehrmann was elected as Section Secretary. (Region V is composed of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas.) Visit the Nominations page for more information on submitting letters of interest.

Deadline for submissions is September 5, 2007.

We are also seeking nominations for the following leadership positions for the 2008-2009 Section year: Chair-Elect; Vice Chair; Secretary; Delegate to the ABA House of Delegates; Council Members-at-Large; Region III Representative (composed of Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois); and Region V Representative (composed of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas).

Visit the Nominations page for more details and how to submit letters of interest.

Deadline for submissions is November 1, 2007.

Toss your hat in the ring, don't be shy! We look forward to receiving your letters of interest.

Committee Corner

Young Lawyers Committee
There's a new committee on the Family Law Section block, and it's for young lawyers and those new to the field of family law!

Chaired by Henry DeWoskin, this committee strives to assist young and new lawyers in advancing their family law careers and to expand their knowledge regarding family law. The committee also aims to teach young and new lawyers the operations of the Section of Family Law, and get them actively involved in the Section. In addition, the committee serves as the bridge for young and new lawyers to the Section of Family Law. And if that weren't enough, it also encourages participation in the community. We expect good things from this newly-formed committee, so get in on the ground floor.

If you'd like to get involved, just visit the Committee's webpage. We will be adding more to the website very soon, but in the meantime, you can join the committee online and sign up for the list serve.

Publications

The Family Lawyer's Guide to Stock Options
(includes CD-ROM)
Lester Barenbaum
Robert D. Feder
Walter Schubert


Product Code 5130147

Published in May 2007, this book provides a complete examination of executive stock options within the unique context of family law. Written by experts in financial compensation and a practicing family lawyer, The Family Lawyer's Guide to Stock Options begins with a discussion of whether a grant of an option should be considered marital property, to what extent exercising an executive stock option generates income for child support and alimony, valuation, taxation, and the advantage and disadvantages of the immediate offset vs. the deferred distribution approach.

More information (including a table of contents)

To order today, call the ABA Service Center at 800-285-2221 and request Product Code 5130147 or order online.

Best of the List Serve

This month's Best of the FamLawEsq list features four questions that focus on foreign divorce judgments; UCCJEA modification jurisdiction; IRA/401(k) early distribution penalties; and contingent fees in child support actions.

Read more about this month's selected topics. (You will need to log in to the ABA website.)

Not on the list? All of our lawyer members are encouraged to join this popular discussion list. Read more about How to Join FamLawEsq in the Members Only section of our website.

CLE Calendar

Unable to attend a teleconference? Not to worry, you can learn on your own time when you purchase the CLE materials.
See a listing of available CLE materials

Tech Corner

Getting More from Google
Google is the search engine of choice for millions of people, but it can do more than just find websites. Here are a few useful tricks for getting a little bit more out of Google:

Search a Single Site
Want to search for something on a website that doesn't have its own search bar? Google can do that for you. Just add "site:" followed by the URL for the website you want to search to your search query and Google will limit the results to that website only. See example below:

adoption site:www.abanet.org/family

Entering the above will search for all occurrences of the term "adoption" on the ABA Family Law website.

Google Dictionary
Google puts a dictionary--several, actually--right at your fingertips. Just type in "define:" before the word you want to look up and Google will return definitions from a number of different dictionaries. See example below:

define:technology

Family Law Fun