Bench Bar Meeting: June 4, 2025
Lauren Corman, SCCBA Board of Directors Past President, submits her report from the Bench Bar meeting.
Judge Syda Cogliati (presiding Judge) 6/4/2025 Bench Bar meeting
Add to regular agenda item – reports from all specialty bars; SCCBA, SCCTLA, Advocates, Family Law, WLSCC
Judicial Assignment Updates
Abrupt assignment switch. Judge Connelly will be in Civil Dept 5 through end of year. Judge Cogliati will be back in January 2026. Judge Schmal will stay in Department 10 through next year.
Look at judicial assignments on a yearly basis.
Want judges to gain experience in different assignments, and have flexibility in case of vacancy or absences.
Shout Out to Judge Pro Temps
Thank you for attorney volunteers who serve as judge pro temps. Cover absences in judicial assignments.
Currently 6 active: Steven Grant (juvenile and family mediation), Emily Trexel (traffic), Heidi Simonson (child support and family law settlement conference), Mark Johanssen (traffic, small claims, and DCSS, and settlement conferences), Robert Allen (small claims), and Dinah Sapia (small claims)
Acknowledged Alisa Thomas, who served in small claims weekly for 2 ½ to 3 years, incredible asset.
If interested in being a judge pro temps, open to applicants. Go to court website to get more information. There is a three-hour class every two years, but can also take it in any other court.
Judge Connelly remarked from family law bar and small claims and traffic, makes such a difference to our community. Benefits from hard work of judge pro temps. Personally thanks them.
Civil Jury Trials
Still going out.
Call out to Judge Connelly and Judge Schmal. Department 10 is not designed for jury trials, so Judge Schmal has to find a new courtroom to do so each time.
Mediations
Mediations continue. A week in Dept 5 and Dept 10.
Judge Schmal remarked judicial mediation week typically fully booked out for next three months. Booking four months out for setting new mediations. On occasion, he will specially set judicial mediations, and shoe horn them into his calendar.
Good success with this program.
Judge Connelly remarked she is set out until October and November 2025. She encourages parties to stipulate to come in. Don’t have to wait for case management conference. Pleasure to get these cases settled. Also offered to self-represented litigants.
Also wanted to acknowledge Judge Hansen as being an amazing resource for the civil department.
Ms. Patten for Other Announcements
Quick announcements
Courts must provide electronic notice to parties. Goes into effect soon. Extension until July 1, 2025 across California. Now ready for this change. Court will no longer be sending paper copy of notice. Notice from court will now be coming electronically.
In email, can click and view the document that is served, but can also access documents in the portal.
If any questions, reach out to Ms. Patten. She will send an email the end of this week.
Angel Hess asked a question: how are you handling self-served parties? Only required for people who are required to be electronically noticed. Self-served parties can opt in, if they fill out a form with their email address. Self-served parties can also opt-out of electronic service after the fact.
Reports from Specialty Bars
SCCBA
Upcoming MCLEs in August
SCTLA
Heather Rogers reported: Amazing elbow rub honoring Sasha Morgan.
Working on MCLEs
Family Law Bar
Angel Hess report: didn’t get a lot of turn out to the SCTLA elbow rub by family law members.
Membership zoom meeting in August.
MCLE in October hybrid with estate planning.
The Advocates
On hiatus
WLSCC
Working on MCLE for September.
Allied Legal Professionals
Hillary Dickson – elbow rub on Wednesday, June 18th, at 5:30pm at Balefire Brewing Company on East Cliff. Anyone is welcome to come. Encourage staff to join their subsection. Great way to network. Places some paralegals in jobs. Great resource to support each other who are non-attorneys.
SCCEPC
Gratitude for Emily Buchbinder, who ran this subsection for 10 years.
Lauren new Chair. Looking for Co-Chair.
Questions
Angel has a question about probate calendar. Said been booking out eight weeks. Court will look into it and get back to her.
