More than 120 members of the Orange County legal community attended the annual Civil Practice Seminar on May 11, 2017 at the Ronald Reagan Federal Building and United States Courthouse. The program, A Case Study from the Wa- tergate Prosecutions: The Perils of Ex Parte Communication,” featured Geoff Shepard, who served as counsel to Presi- dent Richard Nixon during the Wa- tergate trials; U.S. District Judge An- drew J. Guilford; and newly appointed U.S. Magistrate Judge John D. Early. Judge Early, who was sworn in on Feb- ruary 22, 2017, is the newest Magistrate Judge in the Southern Division of the Central District of California. The program focused on the ethical con- siderations attendant to interactions between judges and counsel. The panel began with a presentation by Geoff Page 8 FBA/OC FBA/OC Civil Practice Seminar