Editor's Note: Ruthe Ashley, an attorney and advisor in the Career Development Office at the McGeorge School of Law, was recently elected to the State Bar Board of Governors from District 2. Here is the first of an occasional series of updates about the Board of Governors' activities.

After two meetings, I'm beginning to get the feel for the work that the Board of Governors (BOG) does. Much of the work is done in committees on the Friday before the full BOG meeting on Saturday. Since the January meeting was a planning meeting, the BOG reviewed and discussed issues including non-dues revenue, leadership in the legislature, bar examination trends and technology trends. In our planning committee, small groups discussed funding issues such as fee scaling criteria and the level of inactive fees. Also, members of board committees were discussed and approved by the Board. These included members of the Judicial Council, Judicial Nominations Evaluations (JNE) committee and the Foundation Board members.

The staff does an amazing job of having all the materials ready for us before the meeting and as the meeting progresses, we receive updates on what each committee voted to send to the entire BOG. General Counsel is always on hand to advise the board in its work.

On Saturday morning, the entire board meets and discusses and votes on issues before the board. In addition to the BOG, others in attendance at these full board meetings include Section officers, representatives of the public, state bar staff and anyone who might be interested in issues that will be coming before the board. I encourage anyone interested in the work of the board or a specific issue before the board to attend BOG meetings. Any change in board policies that affect the practice of law is available for public comment. Before any final resolution is made, a complete discussion and review of all the information is made at the BOG meeting. The process is complete and thorough. So far, it's a great experience and an education in the foundation of the practice of law in California.

In other news items:

Public Protection Response: The State Bar sent a team of representatives to the site of the recent Metrolink train accident in the Los Angeles area this week.

Education Institute: The annual Section Education Institute was held in San Francisco February 3-5. Up to 16 hours of legal education credits were offered.

BOG/CYLA Members Sought: Nominating petitions will be available Feb. 1 for five openings on the State Bar's 23-member board of governors. Five seats also are open on the board of the California Young Lawyers Association.

Pathways To Justice: The 2005 State Bar Spring Summit, "Pathways to Justice," is scheduled for June 2-4 in San Francisco. Participants can earn more than 13 hours of MCLE credit.