Stutz Artiano Announces 30th Year Anniversary
Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz is pleased to announce its 30th year in business. The law firm, headquartered in Liberty Station since 2006, first opened in downtown San Diego on January 15, 1982. The firm has grown from a three-lawyer operation to forty-one lawyers, and has become one of San Diego’s largest “home grown” law firms. Stutz Artiano has expanded to represent clients throughout Southern California with additional offices in Orange County and the Inland Empire, as well as Las Vegas, Nevada.
The firm was founded to provide a wide range of legal services to private and public companies as well as public entities. Stutz Artiano has expanded on that successful foundation to offer full service lawyer teams advising in Litigation, Public Schools and Community College Education, Employment, General Counsel/Municipal Law, Public Entity, Land Use and Regulation, Construction and Bonding, as well as Campaign, Election, and Ethics. By 2001, Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz was named in the national magazine, Corporate Board Member, as one of the top five law firms in San Diego. Lawyers in the firm have won numerous awards of distinction including “Dan Broderick Award,” “Super Lawyer,” “Most Influential Business Women,” “Best Young Lawyers,” and “Inland Empire Best Attorneys.” For link to full story see: http://www.marketwire.com/press-release/stutz-artiano-shinoff-holtz-announces-30th-year-anniversary-1608955.htm
Stutz Artiano Adds Business & Estate Planning Attorney
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Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz is pleased to announce that Brian Malloy has joined the law firm’s San Diego office as an Associate Attorney. Mr. Malloy’s practice focuses on estate planning, probate, trust administration, trust & estate litigation, business and real estate transactions. He is a 2003 graduate of California Western School of Law and holds a B.S. in Accounting and Finance from the University of Arizona. Prior to joining Stutz Artiano, Mr. Malloy maintained a private business law and estate planning practice in San Diego.
Stutz Education Attorneys Present Student Records Seminar
Education Attorneys Jack Sleeth, Jeffrey Wade and Lee Patajo will present Lawfully Managing Student Records Without Violating Privacy Rights on June 5th in San Diego. The one-day National Business Institute seminar is a basic-intermediate level seminar designed for teachers and administrators serving grades K-12, principals, vice-principals, superintendents, counselors, school psychologists, guidance counselors, social workers, school nurses and school support staff.  School law and civil rights attorneys will also find this program beneficial. Meets MCLE approval for 5.0 credits. To be held at the San Diego Downtown Doubletree Hotel, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.  on June 5th. For brochure with Seminar Outline and registration, see LINK
U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Johnson Case
The U.S. Supreme Court declined without comment on Monday, March 26th, to take up the appeal in Johnson vs. Poway Unified School District (No.11-910).Â
 Congratulations to the legal team at Stutz that prevailed before the U.S. District Court of Appeals 9th Circuit in the Johnson case on behalf of the school district. The team included partners Daniel Shinoff,  Certified Appellate Specialist Paul Carelli and Jack M. Sleeth, Jr. who presented oral arguments before the 9th Circuit on May 5, 2011.
 The 9th Circuit Court ruled in favor of Poway Unified School District in its 3-0 unanimous decision filed on September 13th and reversed and vacated the lower court’s decision in the 2007 case brought by Brad Johnson, a district high school math teacher, against Poway Unified. The case was brought by the teacher who claimed his constitutional rights were violated when he was instructed by the District to remove large banners displaying “God” and “Creator” on the walls of his math class.
See LINK to full story, 9th Circuit Court Opinion and C-SPAN video of oral argument
San Diego Education Attorneys Launch ENewsletter
Stutz Artiano launches its School Law Journal. This monthly legal update informs education administrators and officials with an emphasis on hot topics and practical solutions. See Link for inaugural issue featuring articles on “Soft Money” Temps, Layoff Timelines, and Fair Political Practices with an introduction by partner Daniel Shinoff, head of the Education Practice Group for Stutz Artiano. To receive a monthly newsletter by email, please submit your request to newsletter Editor, Partner Paul Carelli at pcarelli@stutzartiano.com.
Stutz Artiano Acknowledges Firm Attorneys Receiving Preeminent Ratings by Martindale-Hubbell
Stutz Artiano is proud to acknowledge that nine of the firm’s attorneys have received Preeminent Ratings by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating possible based on a stringent peer review process. The rating of 5.0 Preeminent is developed by Martindale Hubbell from confidential opinions of bar members and judiciary that attest to the highest level legal ability and professional ethics for the attorney reviewed. Select Martindale Peer Review for a  full explanation of Martindale Hubbell’s Peer Review process.
Attorneys selected to the 5.0 Preeminent Rating are:
Ray J. Artiano, Managing Partner
Daniel R. Shinoff, Â Partner
James F. Holtz, Â Partner
Lesa Wilson, Â Partner
Robert R. Templeton, Partner
Jack M. Sleeth, Jr., Â Partner
Jeffery A. Morris, Partner
Leslie Devaney, Partner
Sidney A. Stutz, Â Retired Partner
Stutz Partner Gil Abed Reviews Recent 4th District Court of Appeals Decision
San Diego Education Attorney Gil Abed, Partner at Stutz Artiano Shinoff & Holtz, reviews a recent 4th District Court of Appeals decision regarding a teacher’s posting of sexually explicit photos on the internet and the teacher’s subsequent 
termination. See link to Small School District Association Newsletter Small Schools Article for full article authored by Mr. Abed. San Diego Unified School District vs. Fourth District Court of Appeals upheld the district’s right to terminate and in its decision, cited the 7-part test developed by the California Supreme Court concerning fitness to teach. For more information on this article or the San Diego education attorneys at Stutz Artiano, please contact gabed@stutzartiano.com
Education Attorneys at Stutz Artiano Return to CASBO Annual Conference & Expo
Stutz Artiano will again participate as an Exhibiting Sponsor at the California Association of School Business Officials (CASBO) Statewide Annual Conference and School Business Expo April 11 -13 at the San Diego Convention Center. This is the premier event for K-12 school board officials and offers professional development workshops and training sessions, as well as more  than 200 exhibitors. If you plan on attending the conference, stop by Stutz Artiano’s booth #216 and meet our
attorneys. To contact the San Diego Education Attorneys Team at Stutz Artiano, email partner Daniel Shinoff at dshinoff@stutzartiano.com
“Squeeze Play” Fictional Theories of Recovery in Public Works
The economic downturn has led to claims that pose new risks for owners and claimants in public works projects. Authors and attorneys William Pate and Brent Douglas, discuss several controversial legal trends in public works, as well as provide practical advice to handling delays and cost overruns that can otherwise lead to post-construction litigation. See link to full article, first published in Summer 2011 issue of the Public Law Journal, the official publication of the State Bar of California Public Law Section.
Stutz Artiano Supports Human Dignity Honorees
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Stutz Partner, Leslie Devaney, and Shelly Zimmerman, Assistant Chief of Police, San Diego Police Department, celebrate at the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Human Dignity Award Breakfast held January 13 in San Diego. Partners Lesa Wilson and Prescilla Dugard also attended, as Stutz Artiano returned as a table sponsor for this year’s event, organized by the Jackie Robinson YMCA.
