SCA has been busy with a number of seminars, events, and community activities. Recent seminars covered liens and premises liability. Course materials are available if you missed these by contacting Debbie Keller at 451-2366, or via fax at 451-2206. Note that these are new numbers for SCA.

SCA recently made a $500 donation to the Mustard Seed School. Mustard Seed School provides temporary schooling for children in homeless families. We were pleased to be able to make the donation and look forward to volunteering at the school as well. On the political front, past President Allan Owen recently hosted a fundraiser for Darrell Steinberg, who has been strongly pro-consumer in the Assembly.

The recent revelations involving Firestone and Ford give us a renewed vision of the importance of lawyers fighting for people. Here, a corporation manufactured a vehicle with a propensity to rollover and sold it with defective tires, leading to many deaths and serious injuries. The problem was brought to light by the efforts of lawyers who fought for the rights of people injured as a result of these defective products. Beginning in 1992, suits were filed that helped uncover the dangers of these products. Without these suits, the pattern of accidents might never have emerged, the press would not have reported the dangers, and the companies would likely not be presently engaged in the recall. I wonder if the folks driving around in their Explorers chuckling about the McDonalds verdict are feeling as smug today.

As lawyers, we need to be proud of the difference we make when we stand up for people. I know that I am proud of the remarkable results achieved by the members of SCA fighting for justice for injured people, putting their own resources and skill on the line and repeatedly prevailing against big companies with unlimited resources.

When we work together we are that much stronger. I encourage you to join SCA if you are representing people. We can be reached at 451-2366. Our state organization, CAOC, can be reached at 442-6902 and also has great resources, as does ATLA, at 800 424-2727.

If you do primarily plaintiff's work and would like to join SCA, we have a special offer of a free problem-solving clinic with membership.

If you have an idea for an article, or have a recent verdict you would be willing to share, please fax it in and we will include it in our SCA newsletter, The Litigator.

Mark your calendars for our annual Holiday Reception. Thursday, December 14th, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Grapes Restaurant, near the courthouse. Hope to see you there.