Newly-elected San Benito County Bar Association President Paul
Breen hopes to expand the organization and continue with the work
of his predecessor in building positive relationships between local
attorneys and judges.
Hollister – Newly-elected San Benito County Bar Association President Paul Breen hopes to expand the organization and continue with the work of his predecessor in building positive relationships between local attorneys and judges.
Breen, a personal injury lawyer and senior partner with local law firm Hoge, Fenton, Jones and Appel, was elected president Tuesday to the 41-member association. Breen will take over where former President Chenoa Summers left off, he said.
“We’re trying to increase our membership, expand our outreach efforts with schools and resurrect the mock trials team at the high school,” he said. “It would also be nice to foster a better relationship with the district attorney.”
The local bar made headlines this summer when members voted that they had “no confidence” in District Attorney John Sarsfield – taking a more aggressive political stance than in years past. The bar stated it believed Sarsfield was abusing his power and his actions constituted a direct threat to the public’s constitutional rights. Breen and Summers were part of a committee that drafted a letter outlining the local bar’s opinion and sent it to the California State Bar, informing it of the situation. No action was taken by the state.
Breen hopes to better communicate with the District Attorney’s Office and have more contact with prosecutors.
Breen will serve alongside elected vice president and criminal defense attorney Arthur Cantu. Cantu recently announced he will run for district attorney in 2006. In October, Breen told the Free Lance that a number of people have approached him in the hopes he’ll add his name to the list of candidates, but on Wednesday he said he still had not made up his mind one way or another.
While Cantu was disappointed to see Summers leave, he said Breen will be a good replacement.
“I think he is a good choice,” Cantu said Wednesday. “(Summers) did a really good job putting youth and youth violence at the top of our agenda. Hopefully (Breen) will stay the course.”
Breen and Cantu are joined by Secretary Paula Grace, a real estate, employment and estate planning attorney, and Treasurer William Tiffany, a general practice attorney.
Brett Rowland covers education for the Free Lance. He can be reached at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
