BERNARD E. WITKIN AWARD RECIPIENTS - 2003
The Honorable Judith L. Haller
Associate Justice Judith L. Haller has been in the Southern California area all her life, and her professional life has been spent in the service of the San Diego legal community. Justice Haller was born in Los Angeles in 1946. She began her education as a summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa graduate of UCLA. She went on to earn her law degree from California Western School of Law.
Then she began her practice of law as a deputy district attorney with the San Diego District Attorney's Office. She stayed there for three years before entering private practice with Higgs, Fletcher & Mack. She practiced with them in the firm's litigation department from 1979 until 1989, and was a partner in the firm's litigation department when she was appointed to the Superior Court bench on Nov. 22nd 1989 by Governor Deukmejian.
During her four and one-half years as a trial court judge, she spent two and one-half years as an independent calendar judge. Governor Wilson elevated her to the Fourth District Court of Appeal, Division One, San Diego, in August 1994.
Justice Haller has also served the legal community through her committee work. She is a former member of the Board of Directors and former director of the San Diego Inn of Court, the San Diego chapter of the Association of Business Trial Lawyers. She is also a former Board of Trustees member of her alma mater, California Western School of Law. Prior to her judicial appointments, she also served as a vice-president of the San Diego County Bar Association and a secretary/treasurer of the San Diego Defense Lawyers. Justice Haller's current legal community involvement is as a Master in the Enright Chapter of the American Inns of Court and Chair of the California Judges Association's Ethics Committee. In addition to her legal contributions, Justice Haller is married and has two grown children.
Janice P. Brown, Esq.
Janice P. Brown is known throughout the legal community for her professional distinctions as well as her commitment to the legal community. A founder of the Vantage Law Group, Ms. Brown is a trial lawyer and has recently litigated cases involving wrongful termination, age discrimination, sexual harassment, fraud, contract breach and business and professional code violations.
Her professional career started on a stellar note as she received a full scholarship to Gonzaga Law School, completed her degree in two years, graduating in 1983, joining the Justice Department's Honors Program in 1984. She then received the Department of Justice "Outstanding Trial Attorney" Award in 1987. In 1995 she was honored as the "Lawyer of the Year" by the California Association of Black Lawyers and received the 1998 "Women Who Mean Business" Award in Law from the San Diego Business Journal. In 2003, the San Diego County Bar Association recognized Ms. Brown for her commitment to diversity in the legal profession. She has also been honored as the Witkin Legal Professional of the Year.
Her service to the legal community has also been outstanding. Ms. Brown has served on the Steering Committee of the California Minority Council Program; is a member, Past President and Treasurer, of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association; and is a member of the Board of Directors of the NAACP.
From 1995-1997, Ms. Brown served on the Board of Directors of the San Diego County Bar Association. Currently, Ms. Brown is a San Diego County delegate to the House of Delegates for the American Bar Association. Ms. Brown is a Master in the American Inns of Court and on the Board of Directors of the Girl Scouts for San Diego - Imperial County.
Professor Lester B. Snyder
Professor of Law Lester B. Snyder began his education on the East Coast, obtaining a bachelor's from Syracuse University in 1951, his law degree from Boston University in 1956, and his LL.M. in tax law from Columbia University in 1961.
A specialist in tax law, Professor Snyder came from the University of Connecticut to San Diego where he served as director of the USD Graduate Tax Program from 1983 to 1989. He has also been a visiting professor at New York University and Boston University. For nearly 20 years, he was editor in chief of the Journal of Real Estate Taxation. He was the first professor-in-residence in the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.
He was the architect and chair of USD's national tax conference, "Emerging Changes in the Tax Law," held in March 1999. He is an author of many articles on tax policy and tax reform. His recent publications include "Does the Bush tax plan open unexpected doors?" (Tax Notes), "Taxation with an Attitude: Can We Rationalize the Distinction Between 'Earned' and 'Unearned' Income?" (Virginia Tax Review), and (with M. Gallegos) "Redefining the Role of the Federal Income Tax: Taking the Tax Law 'Private' Through the Flat Tax and Other Consumption Taxes" (The American Journal of Tax Policy).