b'Fall/Winter 2020 Newsletter DateFBA/OCThe Newsletter of the Federal Bar Association/Orange County Chapter Fall/Winter 2020 Does Practicing Law Make You Smarter? By William Domnarski*UPCOMING EVENTS:Havewebeenoutfoxedbythepromise,offering systemweserve?Wevelongunfoldingchances beentoldthatweresmartandto get even smart-Bench & Bar Webinarevenflatterourselves bybeliev- er as we learn how with the Hon. Dougingwehaveaspecialwayofthingswork,or McCormicklooking at the world that distin- doesitgetinthe November 19, 2020guishesusfromeveryoneelse. wayandstrangle Is this a good thing, thinking ofsmartnessinits Civil/Criminal Prac- ourselvesthisway?Isitevencrib? tice Webinartrue?And more to the point, we December 4, 2020 dontaskif,givenwhateverItseasytosee Swearing In Eventsmartnesswemighthave,thatwhywethinkwearesmart.Oursis February 9, 2021smartnessiscompromisedbyone of the learned professions, after all.what we are asked to do, by theAt law school, because we had a pass-Supreme Court actoflawyeringitself?Smart- ing acquaintance with a fellow named Updatenessoffersthepromiseofintel- Socrates,we tooktobelieving wehad TBD 2021lectualsatisfactiononitsownthe intellectual tools to reshape if not conquertheworld.Thatisthemes-For more details and toterms if properly applied.Does register for events visitpracticinglawdeliveronthis(Continued on page 5) www.fbaoc.com Five Pitfalls to Avoid in Class Action Settlements IN THIS ISSUE:By Steven D. Allison, Samrah R. Mahmoud, & Mary Kate Kamka* Does Practicing Law1In recent years, courts have more closely scrutinized class action settlement Make You Smarter?agreements to ensure that the agreements are fairly and adequately bene-Five Pitfalls to Avoid in1fitting absent class members.Some of this increased scrutiny was brought Class Action Settlementson by changes to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 23 at the end of 2018, From the Editor2which included an explicit reference to electronic notice as a means of the best practicable notice and four factors that courts must consider in ap-Presidents Message3proving class action settlements under Rule 23(e)(2).While courts will of Remote Depositions in the6course scrutinize the direct benefit to class members, particularly in Rule Time of COVID-19(Continued on page 10)'