January 2021 MCLE Luncheon via Zoom — Irean Zhang and Steven K. Berenson

Our next MCLE lunchtime program will be on Thursday, January 14, 2021, at 12:00 pm,
via Zoom Meeting.

We are very pleased to have Klinedinst, P.C. attorneys, Irean Zhang and Steven K. Berenson, as our speakers for this lunchtime event.  

Ms. Zhang and Mr. Berenson will present “Hot Topics in Legal Ethics – Looking Back at 2020 and Forward to 2021” including such topics as: 

• Digital Competence and California Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.1, and the ethical implications of being or not being informed about developments relating to legal technology; 
• Reciprocal referral arrangements vis-à-vis the California Court of Appeal opinion in Jackson v. Legalmatch.com (2020) 42 Cal.App.5th 760, and its significant impediments on the ability of reciprocal referral organizations to include lawyers in their arrangements, the ensuing legal drama which followed the decision, and its implications for the future;
• Impaired Lawyers and the California Bar’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct (COPRAC) Proposed Formal Opinion 14-0001, relative to attorneys’ ethical obligations when confronted with an impaired colleague; and 
• “Moonlighting” as lawyers move into the “gig economy,”  and the significant ethical implications attaching to lawyers who perform work for multiple employers.

Our association’s members have benefited from several past ethics presentations given by lawyers from the Klinedinst, P.C. firm, and we anticipate that this January ethics presentation will be both excellent and topical.

The program will provide attendees 1.0 hr MCLE credit for “ETHICS”.   

Information about our Speakers,  Irean L. Zhang and Steven K. Berenson:

Irean Zhang is an attorney in the San Diego office of Klinedinst PC. Ms. Zhang’s practice focuses on professional liability defense, especially in the area of legal malpractice. Prior to joining Klinedinst, Ms. Zhang practiced business litigation, with an emphasis in real estate litigation.

Ms. Zhang earned her Juris Doctor degree from the University of San Diego School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of California, San Diego. In law school, Ms. Zhang was the Managing Editor of the San Diego Journal of Climate and Energy Law and represented the University of San Diego in international moot court competitions in Hong Kong and Vienna. Ms. Zhang also externed for the Honorable Barbara L. Major and the Honorable Jill L. Burkhardt of the Southern District of California.

Ms. Zhang is a first generation Chinese-American and is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. She is a member of the State Bar of California, San Diego County Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association – San Diego Chapter, the Lawyers Club of San Diego, and the American Inns of Court, Louis M. Welsh Chapter. During her free time, Ms. Zhang enjoys snowboarding, Pilates, and hiking the beautiful Pacific coast with her dogs.

Steven K. Berenson is a Professional Liability attorney with Klinedinst PC. He has represented individuals and government entities in state and federal courts in a wide range of matters such as legal ethics, civil litigation, and family law.

In addition to his work in private practice, Mr. Berenson spent two decades as a full-time law professor, where he focused on family law, legal ethics, and veterans’ legal issues. He founded the Thomas Jefferson Veterans Legal Assistance Clinic, which today provides pro bono legal representation to homeless veterans struggling with substance abuse issues. A prolific writer, Mr. Berenson has published a textbook on judicial ethics, as well as two textbooks on family law. He has also written over 25 law review articles on a wide range of subjects. He regularly speaks on a variety of cutting-edge legal topics within the legal and business communities.

Mr. Berenson previously worked as an Assistant Attorney General in the office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. There, he focused on civil governmental litigation and consumer protection enforcement. He argued cases at every level of both the state and federal court systems and was a counsel of record in numerous reported decisions including those from the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, and the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit.

Mr. Berenson serves as a Pro Tem Judge in the Small Claims and Traffic Divisions of the San Diego Superior Court. He also serves as a volunteer fee dispute arbitrator for both the San Diego County and California Bar Associations’ voluntary fee dispute arbitration programs.  He is a member of the San Diego County Bar Association’s Legal Ethics Committee.

He has received both J.D. (magna cum laude) and LL.M. degrees from Harvard Law School, and a B.A. degree from Franklin and Marshall College. As someone who loves a challenge, he enjoys hiking, biking and running. He has completed more than 20 marathons and half-marathons over the past decade. He is also a drummer in a local band, The Innocent Bystanders.