Candidates for SCCBA 2011 Officer Positions

The electronic ballots for the SCCBA 2011 election of trustees and officers will be distributed to all active SCCBA members on Wednesday, September 22, 2010 to be submitted no later than Friday, October 8, 2010. The 2010 President-Elect, Shannon Stein, automatically becomes the President of the SCCBA for 2011. Candidates for the officer positions of President-Elect, Treasurer and Secretary are below with candidate statements submitted by the candidate. Officers serve for one 1 year term.

President-Elect Candidate
TERM OF OFFICE: 2011
NAME: Mindy Morton
FIRM: Bergeson, LLP
TYPE OF PRACTICE: Intellectual Property and Business Litigation
LAW SCHOOL: Yale Law School
DATE ADMITTED TO CA STATE BAR: 2000 (NY 1998)
I am an active member and current Secretary of the SCCBA. I previously served as the Chair of the High Technology Section and I have been a speaker on electronic discovery, copyright law and recent IP developments at section seminars. I practice intellectual property and business litigation as a partner at Bergeson, LLP.

I am the Chair Emeritus of the Board of Directors of Schola Cantorum, a local community chorus, and I have also served as a co-chair of UC Berkeley's Class of 1994 Reunion Committee. I enthusiastically support both Cal and the Sharks.

Before I joined Bergeson, I was associated with Squire Sanders & Dempsey and Fenwick & West in Palo Alto as well as Cahill Gordon & Reindel in New York. I have represented technology companies in copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret, and computer fraud litigation. I previously represented one of the leading file sharing companies in its dispute with the recording industry. In May 2009, I was the first chair in a $10 million dollar jury trial in Santa Clara County Superior Court. After a two week trial, the Bergeson trial team successfully obtained a nonsuit verdict for our client. I am a 2009 and 2010 Northern California "Rising Star" in IP litigation and I have several published articles on trade secrets and electronic discovery.

I have practiced for over twelve years in both big and small firms. I appreciate the collegiality and breadth of experience I have found at Bergeson and in San Jose. As President, I would work to further participation in the SCCBA's voluntary professionalism code. Courtesy, collegiality and professionalism are necessary to ensure the vitality and diversity of the bar. If elected, I would also focus on continuing the SCCBA's diversity efforts and working with Santa Clara County law firms to recognize the contributions and life choices of today's lawyer. Finally, as an active community volunteer, I would encourage members of the SCCBA to donate their time and skills to the community.

I would be honored to receive your vote for President-Elect.

Treasurer Candidate
TERM OF OFFICE: 2011
NAME: Steve Haley
FIRM: Groom & Cave, LLP
TYPE OF PRACTICE: Commercial & Residential Real Estate, and Transactional & Litigation
LAW SCHOOL: Santa Clara
DATE ADMITTED TO CA STATE BAR: 1976

I have been a member of the Santa Clara County Bar Association since 1976.
I served as SCCBA Secretary in 2009.

I have served on the Board of Trustees for 7 years, and have been active on numerous committees: Executive Committee; Finance Committee; Strategic Planning Committee; Fair Election Practices Committee; and the Professional Rules Revision Task Force.
In addition, I have been President of the West Valley Bar Association since 2007.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to serve the members of the Association throughout this period of time.I would appreciate your vote to allow me to serve as Treasurer for the Santa Clara County Bar Association. Thank you.

Secretary Candidate
TERM OF OFFICE: 2011
NAME: Robert Chastain
FIRM: Chastain Law Group, A Professional Corporation
TYPE OF PRACTICE: Family & Veterans Law
LAW SCHOOL: Stanford University
DATE ADMITTED TO CA STATE BAR: 1998

I am currently serving on the 2010 Board of Trustees holding the Office of Treasurer, Chair of the Finance Committee. I also sit on the Executive and Strategic Planning Committees. In the past, I participated in the Santa Clara County Bar Association's Barrister's Leadership program serving both Ed Davila and Bill Priest as outgoing and incoming SCCBA Presidents, respectively, for 1998 and 1999. I have continued to support SCCBA MCLE and events over the years since 1998 doing primarily pro bono practice while running a small corporation catering to Biostatistics ($1M+ budget). At the end of 2008, I became one of the first VA accredited attorneys for representing veterans before the Board of Veterans Affairs, the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and the United States Federal District Court of Appeals. I am Treasurer/Chief Financial Officer of Shorebreeze IV Owners Association, a self-managed non-profit corporation. I continue to enjoy working with the Executive Director, Chris Burdick, and plan to stay active with or without an official SCCBA position.

UPCOMING EVENTS
Annual Reception Honoring Unsung HeroesDate: Thursday, October 7, 2010Time: 5:30pm- 7:30pmLocation: Fallon House, San Jose A Special Thank you to Morrison & Foerster, LLP for generously sponsoring this event.

Find a Mentor through Speed NetworkingDate: Thursday, October 14, 2010Time: 5:30pm- 8:30pmLocation: SCCBA Conference Center, San Jose A Special Thank you to Fenwick & West, LLP for generously sponsoring this event.