JOSEPH CHAIREZ, is a partner at the national law firm of Baker & Hostetler. He is the in coming President of the Orange County Bar Association. He is in his second term on the California Commission on Access to Justice and servers on various boards of non profit organizations, including, The El Viento Foundation, Public Law Center, Hispanic Educational Endowment Fund and the Orange County Charitable Fund.
This year MARY-ALICE COLEMAN expanded her Sacramento law practice to include a second office in Davis. The Law Office of Mary-Alice Coleman is now located at One Capitol Mall, Suite 700, Sacramento, and also at 430 D Street in downtown Davis. The firm focuses on employee rights and personal injury matters. http://lawofficemac.com.
KAREN D. JOHNSON, now known as K.D. Johnson: "still a sole practioner in Mountain City, TN; now have 70 acres in the Appalachian Mountains, with 2 ponds, a barn, and my little cabin nestled in the middle of it:-) I do most of my work out of my home office and only go "into town" when I have to be in court. I love the slow pace of the lifestyle here, and am easing into retirement gently."
BRUCE S. KLAFTER - "Our oldest, Adam, is a freshman at University of Oregon in the architecture program and Lauren is a HS freshman - time flies! I enjoyed organizing our class reunion back in May and seeing so many friends."
MICHAEL KRAMER is the founding partner of Kramer & Patel, LLC, a 5-lawyer civil rights/employment/education law firm in Atlanta, Georgia. Michael has been General Counsel for the state teachers union for 15 years, represented labor unions SEIU, Teamsters, IATSE in arbitrations and contract negotiations, and non-profits such as the Atlanta Housing Authority. He is also Pension Counsel to a public employee retirement system and has served for ten years on the Board of an Environmental Public Interest Law Firm. He's been married to Gerri Goodman, PhD Clinical Psychologist (good thing for him!) for 20 years and they have two exuberant, talented daughters 16 and 12 years who play basketball, gymnastics, soccer, and his oldest daughter recently played in the U.S. Ultimate Frisbee Nationals Tournament. This summer he became certified along with all his family in PADI scuba diving and they went diving in Mexico.
"I went to law school to do civil rights/labor union work, and I managed to keep the faith and still thrive. All is well--peace out." His website: http://www.kramerpatel.com/
TANIA KREININE - "In August of 82 I married Eric Sundquist, a Professor of English a UC Berkeley. We've been around the country since then- At UCLA, at Vanderbilt, back to UCLA and then for 5 years when he was Dean of Arts and Sciences at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. We returned to LA in 02, and he is the UCLA Foundation Chair in American Literature at UCLA. We are now in the process of being divorced.
From Jan 81 to June 90 I practiced principally Family Law and had a general practice in Richmond/Pinole, Contra Costa County.
From June 90 through June 92 I practiced Family Law with Joseph Taback, an important family law attorney in Century City. I left him in 92 and spent a year in Tennessee where I was "grand-fathered" into the Bar but didn't practice.
Return to LA in 93 and really since then, up till the beginning of this year, I did not practice law.
I had a catering company for 5 years, and then in 97 moved to Evanston to be "The Dean's Wife" at Northwestern University. The years in Chicago were not my happiest. Aside from my Dean's wife duties, I worked hard for the Alumni Club of UCLA- Chicago Chapter, and did a lot of traveling- see below.
I (we) have three grown daughters who have so far given us 4 grandchildren. Three boys and one recent girl. Our children live in Phoenix (our daughter teaches at ASC), Omaha (my son-in-law is a grain scientist and works for Con Agra so that's why Omaha) and finally, our youngest daughter lives in Paris, has two small sons and has a wonderful job with Microsoft in Paris.
In June 05 we became involved in a legal matter, and through the attorney that we hired- and his wife who had been opposing counsel in one of my family law cases here in LA- the possibility of practicing law again- and in exactly the area that I wanted arose. (She is the mother of Allison Margolin, see below)
The result is that I am back on Active Status- Went to the State Bar in Monterey, etc. I'm doing Civil and Criminal Appellate Writs with an emphasis on medical marijuana cases. We are starting to work on a campaign to reform the 3 strikes law and put it on the 08 ballot. Anybody who is interested please contact me. I work principally for Allison Margolin who was recently featured on the front page of the LA Times as an up and coming Criminal Attorney. Her father is the well known Drug Defense attorney Bruce Margolin.
I've now moved down to Marina del Rey, and continue to travel to see my children, and grandchildren.
LARRY MILES was elected President of the San Juan Unified Board of Education. The District is the 12th largest in California, with 75 schools and 45,000 students. Marsha Bedwell continues service as General Counsel for the Dept. of Education.
DOUGLAS E. MIRELL - "My oldest child (my son Solly) enrolled as a freshman this year at Stanford University. Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa recently appointed (and the City Council confirmed) me as a Commissioner of the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority -- an independent city-county agency formed to address the problems of homelessness on a regional basis. I was also recently elected President of the ACLU Foundation of Southern California and voted to membership in the Chancery Club and the Los Angeles Copyright Society."
JOHN P. NAHRA - "I am with Baker, Keener & Nahra in Los Angeles doing civil litigation and trials; am a member of ABOTA; have a wife, Audrey, and sons, JC and Ryley. Thanks."
TOM ROSS - "I have been caring for my wife Pat for almost 15 years. She had a major stroke in 1992. I have found greater satisfaction in caring for her than I found either in the navy or in the law. We have found that we really are each other's best friend."
DONALD SEGERSTROM - "In terms of professional milestones, I was elected to my second term as District Attorney (unopposed) in June. I enjoyed seeing everyone at the Class of 1980 reunion this summer. I think because of my position, they actually entrusted me with the money. In terms of personal life, Sharon and I have survived to see our son's 18th birthday and our daughter's 16th birthday. If we survive getting both of them through high school, it will truly be an accomplishment!"
DIANE WASZNICKY continues to Chair the Sacramento County Bar Association (SCBA) Judiciary Committee and the SCBA Children's Counsel Section. Is an Advisor for the Family Law Section Committee of the state bar. Currently Vice-President of Association of family and Conciliation Courts(AFCC), an International association of Judges, attorneys and mental health professionals who work in Family law(VP of Ca. chapter) as well as Chair of planning Committee for AFCC-CA annual 3-day conference in Feb. '07 in San Francisco; serve as advisor/historian for SCBA Family Law Section Custody sub-committee; Vice-Chair of SCBA Delegation to conference of delegates(and Chair of Family Law sub-com.), Conference of Delegates of California Bar Associations (used to be part of St. Bar but Independent now). She is still at Bartholomew and Wasznicky and supervises 4 associates.
JANE WESTBROOK states "I don't have anything new to add. I'm still in the same place, same job, etc. I am another year older, but that's about it."
MARK ZUCKMAN: After 22 years as a public defender in L.A. County, in 2002 I was appointed as a Superior Court Commissioner. I preside in a master calendar courtroom at the Airport Courthouse. Earlier this month, I received an award as Commissioner of the Year (2006), which is an annual event hosted by the Century City Bar Association. Thanks, Mark
The Class of 1980 is currently without an agent. Anyone interested in serving as the Class Agent, please contact Sally Schwettmann, Associate Director of Alumni Relations at sschwett@ucdavis.edu.
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