Effective Communication Across Differences:
Free Virtual Series

A free virtual workshops series presented by the Law School Admission Council,
the Berkeley Judicial Institute, and the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society.

Thank you for your interest in our program series for law students, Effective Communication Across Differences. We are excited to announce that will be running a third round of this very successful program in early 2023! 

Meaningful dialogue with people with whom we disagree is challenging. The ability to communicate productively across differences can transform your career and your professional relationships. This hands-on small group program, designed to attract students across a broad spectrum of viewpoints, aims to help you hone your skills in engaging in conversations that demonstrate and request respect. 

With an opportunity to interact with Ninth Circuit and District Court judges in a 1:2 judge to student ratio, and with specific exercises led only by experienced mediators, this is a program not to be missed!

Application deadline: December 19, 2022. Details below.

Navigate to:
> Program Details & Frequently Asked Questions
> Participating Judges
> Application Guidelines
> Student Experiences

Want to learn more about the program from our fabulous facilitators and two of the participating judges? Click below to watch the recording of our ECAD informational event with BJI!

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE!

DETAILS & FAQs

1 | What is it? A FREE five-part series of small-group hands-on participatory workshops led by federal judges, highly skilled mediators, and other guest speakers, with the goal of increasing each participant’s skills in effective, respectful communication on difficult, and sometimes divisive, topics. Presentations and conversations with judges are separate from skills exercises conducted with mediators.

2 | What are the benefits of participating?  Small-group interactions with federal judges and highly experienced mediators; increased ability to approach and communicate on difficult topics with others. 

3 | When will it take place? There will be five roughly two-hour sessions held on Thursdays: February 2, 9, 16, and 23; and March 2, 2023 from 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. Pacific (7:30 – 9:30 Eastern).

4| Where will it take place? Over Zoom.

5 | Who can apply?  Rising 1L, 2L, and 3L students at law schools within the Fourth, Sixth, and Ninth Circuits.

6 | What are the selection criteria? We seek a class of 20. Participant selection will be based on multiple factors, with an eye to creating a cohort that reflects a variety of backgrounds, experiences, and opinions. Program spaces are limited, so please only apply if you can commit to participate in all five program sessions.

7 | What is the application deadline? December 19, 2022.

8 | Will you be sharing my application with anyone?  Your candor and demonstrated interest in the program will greatly assist the team in the decision-making process. All of your answers, including your name and basic info, will be kept in full confidence. Only the review team, made up of individuals from our partners at the Law School Admission Council (LSAC,) and the Berkeley Judicial Institute (BJI), will have access to your application.

9 | When will I hear if I am selected? Participants will be notified by January 13, 2023. If you are not selected immediately, you may be placed on a waitlist if space becomes available.

If you have additional questions, please contact Robyn at ExecutiveDirector@NJCHS.org.


PARTICIPATING JUDGES

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Deadline:
December 19, 2022

Due to the small and personal nature of this program, we would like to get to know you better. Please tell us as much as you feel comfortable telling us (your application will be confidential).  We are looking for sincerity, interest, and a willingness to participate fully, not polished writing skills.

If you have any questions, please contact Robyn at ExecutiveDirector@NJCHS.org.


Already participated in the program? Want to connect with other alumni, AND a network of mentors in the legal field?

Check out our LinkedIn group!

OPPORTUNITY | Executive Director

The Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society (the “NJCHS”) is a 501(c)(3) that was founded almost forty years ago but sits at the cutting edge of education and preservation about the vital role played by the federal judiciary in the Ninth Circuit, and beyond.  The NJCHS accomplishes its mission through exciting programming; taking and sharing inspirational  judicial oral histories; and through publishing engaging articles in its journal, Western Legal History.  

The NJCHS seeks a highly collaborative, diplomatic leader with a deep understanding of the importance of an independent judiciary and a commitment to build upon our legacy of education, preservation, and outreach.  The Executive Director has overall strategic and operational responsibility for the execution of the NJCHS’ mission and works under the guidance of the Board and its committees to solidify and continue to build the NJCHS’ future.   

The Executive Director is part of a dynamic and enthusiastic two-person team charged with guiding the organization toward a sustainable future by developing and executing strategies for programming, revenue generation, communications, and other aspects of the NJCHS’ mission. The position can be on-site, but can also operate primarily remotely from within the boundaries of the Ninth Circuit.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Organizational Leadership & Management:

  • Work collaboratively with NJCHS Board valuing the ideas, suggestions, and innovations of this experienced group’s priorities for the work of the Society. 
  • Manage the associate position. Supervise operations strategy, and related processes to ensure achievement of organizational goals.
  • Liaison with other court and bar organizations and engage in regular communications with NJCHS members and partners. 

Strategic Development, Implementation & Fiscal Responsibility 

  • Build and monitor the annual organizational budget.
  • Oversee fiscal management and compliance and financial accountability and reporting.
  • Foster positive relationships with existing donors ensuring current sources of funding are protected and enhanced.  
  • Work with the Board and staff to expand the NJCHS donor/supporter base and identify and diversify funding streams to increase financial  sustainability.

Board & External Relations:

  • Partner with and support the effectiveness  of the Board of Directors in their roles of governance, and strategic direction through regular meetings and individual relationship-building.    
  • Reporting on the organization’s operations, fiscal health, and strategic issues at regular Board meetings and to the Executive Committee.
  • Cultivate and maintain strong relationships with partner organizations and key constituent groups, as well as with Courts within the Circuit through direct contact and collaborative partnerships. 

Communications and Marketing:

  • Supervise the Program and Communications Associate in the design, development and content for organizational website, electronic newsletters, social media, brochures, email campaigns, and other external communications.
  • Provide regular updates on program activities information on NJCHS website, newsletter, and end of year fundraising campaign.

Event Management:

  • Plan and execute educational and fundraising events (including an annual Gala) for members and the public.
  • Manage and provide all oversight and planning of logistics from outreach to day-of management to ensure program success. 
  • Recruit and engage sponsors and attendees.
  • Develop budgets and timelines and oversee reports on program accomplishments.

Oral History Program:

  • Coordinate outreach to subjects.
  • Provide all necessary materials, information, and support.
  • Oversee transcription and posting (where approved).
  • Maintain collection records.

Journal Oversight and Coordination:

  • Work directly with the Editor in Chief of the Journal.
  • Set editorial board meetings.
  • Coordinate and consult on solicitation and submission of articles and tracking of the same.
  • Supervise layout; assist in gathering images where appropriate.
  • Set communications strategy for publication and distribution of issues. 

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS:

The ED will be a proven leader and relationship manager who has demonstrated commitment to the NJCHS’ mission. 

Qualifications are described below and interested applicants are encouraged to apply even if you may not meet all the desired qualifications. Your lived and professional experiences may be relevant beyond what a list of qualifications would suggest.  

DESIRED EXPERIENCE & SKILLS:

  • Demonstrated integrity and commitment to the organization’s mission as evidenced by professional and personal experiences and impact.
  • Track record of effectively leading and scaling nonprofit organizations and/or programs, including having developed and operationalized growth strategies, budget management, and reported to and/or worked with or on Boards of Directors. 
  • Clear written and verbal communication skills; open, persuasive, and passionate communicator with excellent interpersonal and multidisciplinary project skills.
  • Marketing, public relations, and fundraising experience with the ability to engage a diverse range of stakeholders. 

DESIRED LEADERSHIP QUALITIES:

  • Self-directed, action-oriented, entrepreneurial, and adaptable with a collaborative approach to organizational growth and planning.
  • Track record of ethical and honest professionalism, adept at balancing the need for transparency and collaboration.Timely decision-making and follow-through in accomplishing key objectives. Organized and detail-oriented
  • Strong project management/time management skills and attention to deadlines
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite (MS Word, Excel) and Google. 
  • Ability to handle multiple tasks/projects, and meet deadlines promptly
  • familiarity with the federal judiciary and contacts in the legal community within the Ninth Circuit a plus!

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS:

The anticipated annual compensation range for this role is $130,000 – $150,000, commensurate with experience. Generous paid time off, and holidays are also offered. Other benefits as negotiated. 

Apply here!

SEPTEMBER 12, 2024

The Historic California Club
538 Flower St, Los Angeles, California


KEYNOTE PRESENTATION:

Elections, Free Speech, Social Media & More
With acclaimed legal scholars Rick Hasen and Eugene Volokh Moderated by Prof. Abby Wood


5:00 – 6:30 |
 For those of us who are able to join us in person, we will enjoy fabulous cocktails and delicious hors d’oeuvres followed by a sit-down dinner. 

6:30 – 7:30 | Both our in-person and virtual guests should join us to hear from our esteemed speakers.
1.0 CA CLE credit available. 

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS FOR THEIR TREMENDOUS SUPPORT!

Click on their logos for more info.

Platinum

Gold

Registration for this program has now closed.

DETAILS

WHEN: April 2, 2024 | 3:30 – 4:45 PM
Reception to follow

WHERE: U.S. District Courthouse
700 Stewart St., Seattle, WA
19th Floor
& virtually over Zoom

COST: Attendance is free!
CLE Add-On: $40

How do we maximize AI’s benefits while addressing risks?

AI, like any other technology, has “the potential to become both a tool and a weapon.” Come hear Brad Smith of Microsoft and Mariano Florentino (Tino) Cuéllar of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace talk about our future in a world with AI in a conversation moderated by Judge McKeown.

Welcome by Hon. Eric D. Miller, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals


MEET OUR PANELISTS

MARIANO-FLORENTINO (TINO) CUÉLLAR is the tenth president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. A former justice of the Supreme Court of California, he served two U.S. presidents at the White House and in federal agencies, and was a faculty member at Stanford University for two decades.

BRAD SMITH serves as Microsoft’s vice chair and president, leading work on a wide range of issues involving the intersection between technology and society, including cybersecurity, privacy, ethics and artificial intelligence, human rights, immigration, philanthropy and environmental sustainability.

HON. M. MARGARET McKEOWN, Moderator | Judge McKeown was appointed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in 1998. Judge McKeown was a White House Fellow, serving as Special Assistant to the Secretary of the Interior and Special Assistant at the White House. She was the first woman partner at Perkins Coie. Judge McKeown has taught courses on the federal courts in the digital age both in the U.S. and abroad, and also has lectured and taught on constitutional law, international law, intellectual property, litigation, and ethics. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the recipient of numerous awards, including the ABA Margaret Brent Women of Achievement Award.


Court Family Registration | The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence

Email Audrey@NJCHS.org for assistance.

Virtual Registration | The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence

Email Audrey@NJCHS.org for assistance.

In Person Registration | The Promise and Peril of Artificial Intelligence

Email Audrey@NJCHS.org for assistance.

Presented by the Ninth Judicial Circuit Historical Society and the Sacramento Chapter of the FBA.

Registration for this event is now closed.

DETAILS

WHEN: Wednesday, March 13 | 5:00 PM

WHERE: Virtually over Zoom

COST: Attendance is free!

CLE Add-On: $40
CLE Information

The San Joaquin is California’s second longest river. Its restoration presents unique challenges and opportunities to restore a vitally important river and historic salmon populations. Our expert panel have played leading roles in this multi-decade effort, from the original 1988 litigation, to formation of the ground-breaking 2006 Settlement, and the return of spawning spring-run Chinook salmon to the system in 2017.

This panel will delve into the many facets of the San Joaquin River restoration effort with a look at the history, the litigation, the governance, and the continued efforts to restore this river.

Introduction by Hon. Dale Drozd, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of California


MEET OUR PANELISTS

HAMILTON (HAL) CANDEE is a Partner at Altshuler Berzon LLP. Hal’s practice consists primarily of efforts to restore ecosystems, protect endangered species, encourage water conservation, and promote other environmental reforms in federal and state water policy. He has briefed and argued numerous cases at the trial and appellate level. Hal represents a variety of nonprofit conservation organizations as well as local public agencies.

Hal is a member of the Board of Directors of the NRDC Action Fund. For over twenty years, he served as a Senior Attorney in the San Francisco Office of the Natural Resources Defense Council and as Co-Director of NRDC’s Western Water Project. Previously he was a legislative assistant in the United States Senate.

Hal received a CLAY Award as one of California’s “Lawyers of the Year” in 1999 for his work pursuing restoration of the San Joaquin River below Friant Dam. Hal graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University and cum laude from New York University Law School, where he was a Root-Tilden Scholar.

DR. DONALD PORTZ has been the Program Manager for the San Joaquin River Restoration Program for nearly six years. He officially joined the office in 2015 as Lead Fish Biologist but had been working for the Program since 2010 through Reclamation’s Denver Technical Service Center. Dr. Portz has over 23 years of experience working with Bureau of Reclamation on fisheries issues throughout the western United States with particular focus on California’s Central Valley after receiving a doctorate in Fish Ecology from the University of California, Davis. Throughout his career, Dr. Portz has contributed greatly to fisheries research and survival of Chinook salmon and has been instrumental in the effort to reintroduce spring-run Chinook salmon to the San Joaquin River, where they had been absent for over 60 years.

Throughout his tenure, Dr. Portz has developed strong relationships with the diverse set of stakeholders associated with Restoration Program and has come to appreciate the competing demands on water for fisheries, wildlife, agriculture, industry, and domestic needs. He is known for his determination and holds a strong belief that good science should inform decision making. He is steadfast on moving the Program’s implementation of the Settlement forward and is excited about construction of large in-river fish passage and fish protection projects in the near future, as well as having salmon back in the river!

MONTY SCHMITT is an elected Director serving on the Marin Municipal Water District Board and a senior project director with The Nature Conservancy’s California Water Program. Monty has over three decades of experience in California working collaboratively with water districts, farmers, state and federal agencies and conservation groups on water resource management issues. With the Nature Conservancy, Monty oversees the development and implementation of strategies to restore the health of rivers and improve water supply reliability for communities in Northern California. Previously, Monty worked for the NRDC as a senior scientist and led the organization’s efforts to restore flows and salmon to California’s second largest river, the San Joaquin. Monty also specializes in the effect of climate change on water resources and has co- authored reports on water management strategies to increase resiliency against the effects of global warming. Monty is also an expert on state and national flood management issues. In California, he served on the Governor’s Taskforce on Floodplain Management in 2001 and has worked on the development and implementation of the Central Valley Flood Protection Plan. Monty has a B.S. in Biology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master in Natural Resource Management from Cal Poly Humboldt.


CLE INFORMATION

1.25 hours California CLE sponsored by Hughes Hubbard & Reed

CLE Materials

Read the latest double issue of Western Legal History entitled “Water” for 14 terrific articles.

Read Western Legal History Vol 33: Water
Want to see more great Water Law programs?

Watch these program recordings:

How Public Policy Got Us Here and Could Get Us Where We Need To Be Water Sharing In The West

Court Family Registration | The San Joaquin River: Litigation, Settlement and Ongoing Restoration

Trouble signing up? Email Audrey@NJCHS.org for assistance.

Virtual Registration | The San Joaquin River: Litigation, Settlement and Ongoing Restoration

Email Audrey@NJCHS.org for assistance.