Our cover this month features Joseph S. Genshlea, the SCBA Distinguished Attorney 2001. The SCBA renamed the former Lawyer of the Year award this year to indicate that the award is given to a lawyer based on career achievement, not performance within a specific year. Joan Stone's article leaves no doubt about the reasons why Mr. Genshlea richly deserves this honor.

Political law serves as the theme of this month's magazine. Thanks mainly to the efforts of Charity Kenyon in rounding up writers and pairing them with subjects, this issue contains profiles of a variety of members of the legal community who are also major players on the political scene.

Our issue begins with a quartet of local advocates. Geoffrey Goodman pulled double duty this month, writing profiles of Lance Olson, the managing partner of Olson, Hagel, Waters & Fishburn, LLP, the general counsel to the California Democratic Party, and Steve Merksamer, a partner in Nielsen, Merksamer, Parrinello, Mueller & Naylor and former chief of staff to Governor George Deukmejian. I had the privilege of profiling Olson's opposite number (and good friend), Chuck Bell, the general counsel of the California Republican Party and a partner in Bell, McAndrews, Hiltachk & Davidian, LLP. A profile of Gene Livingston, a lawyer and litigator who co-founded of Livingston & Mattesich, rounds out our coverage of local political lawyers.

Next we feature the regulators. Holly Armstrong and Jon Matthews have profiled Luisa Menchaca, who has followed her political ideals to become the general counsel of the Fair Political Practices Commission. Sigrid Bathen has profiled Menchaca's boss, Karen Getman, the first woman to chair the FPPC.

The influence of Sacramento lawyers on the national political scene is amply demonstrated in our features on Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman (most recently of Nossaman, Guthner, Knox & Elliott here in Sacramento) and Judge Craig Manson, who was chosen by President Bush to serve as Assistant Secretary of the Interior for Fish, Wildlife and Parks. Secretary Veneman was profiled by Brenda Jahns Southwick and Rebecca Dell Sheehan. Katharine Wagner, Judge Manson's former colleague at Downey, Brand, Seymour & Rohwer, describes the breadth of experience he brings to Washington. The partners of Riegels, Campos & Kenyon have jointly submitted a profile of Sue Ellen Wooldridge, who left Sacramento earlier this year to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton.

Our last political law profile subject stands in a group by himself. Deborah Caplan has profiled Judge James T. Ford, who ruled in numerous election law cases as the writ judge of the Sacramento Superior Court before retiring earlier this year.

Finally, I would like to thank Joan Stone for giving me the opportunity to stand-in for her as the editor of this month's magazine. I hope all of you enjoy reading this issue as much as I enjoyed editing it.