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have crippled the judiciary’s abilityto meet the needs of Californians.In 2012, members of the CCCBAAccess to Justice Committee alsomet with the state lawmakers whorepresent portions of Contra CostaCounty, including state Assemblymembers in their District Offices,and Senators Mark DeSaulnier andLoni Hancock at the State Capitol.The purpose of the meetings wassimple: to paint a picture of how thesevere judicial budget cuts were adverselyaffecting the administrationof justice for Contra Costa residents(who also represent the lawmakers’constituencies).This year, the Access to JusticeCommittee has renewed the struggleto reach the hearts and mindsof lawmakers. Committee membersElva Harding, Samantha Sepehr,Peggy Bristol-Wright and I are inthe process of organizing meetingswith Contra Costa legislators toonce again express the debilitatingeffects of the budget cuts, this timewith the county’s significant courtclosures and reorganizations of 2013in mind. The hope is that the CCC-BA’s legislative efforts will add tothe growing chorus across the stateto impress upon lawmakers that thecuts over the last five years havegone too deep, and that the courtsare on the brink of reaching a breakingpoint. Governor Brown’s revisedstate budget will be issued in mid-May; it is hoped that California legislatorsrestore critical funding tothe courts and convince GovernorBrown to leave these funds alonewith his “blue pencil.”Locally, the CCCBA is not actingalone in this fight to restore muchneeded court funding. PresidingJudge Barry Goode and other ContraCosta judges have taken a proactiverole in meeting with state lawmakersto articulate the difficulties facedby judicial officers, court staff andlitigants under the current budgetaryconstraints. Judge Goode servesas the Legislative Outreach Chairof the Trial Court Presiding JudgesSince 1949Rated AV byMartindale-Hubbell736 Ferry StreetMartinez, CA 94553925-228-2550925-370-8558 (fax)brayandbraylaw.comAdvisory Committee (which is comprisedof all the presiding judgesacross the state), and he recentlytestified before the Budget Subcommitteesof the state Assembly andSenate on the budget issues.The county’s Superior Court hasalso implemented creative strategiesto help address the docket logjamcreated by courtroom closures,including that of the civil discoverycommissioner. The court invitedlocal practitioners to volunteer toserve as temporary judges to handlesmall claims and unlawful detainermatters or to serve as civil discoveryfacilitators. The response by locallawyers has been encouraging, andboth of these pilot programs are infull flight.A silver lining of the court fundingcrisis is that it has fosteredgreater collaboration between thebench and bar, as well as by attorneyson opposite sides of the ”v.,” todiscover novel solutions to the formidablechallenges created by theunderfunded judiciary. It is hopedthat the court system currently inhabitsthat ”darkest hour just beforethe dawn.” The CCCBA, as well asthe Contra Costa County SuperiorCourt, are making a concerted effortto help ensure that the dawnof restored court funding is close athand. sNick Casper is the Treasurer of theContra Costa County Bar Association.As an associate with Casper,Meadows, Schwartz & Cook since2007, Nick has been actively involvedin litigating many of thefirm’s largest cases involving catastrophicinjury, wrongful death,medical malpractice, employmentdiscrimination/harassment, andcivil rights violations. Nick hasalso taken several of the firm’s casesto jury trial.Bray & BrayOliver W. Bray*Over 25 years in practice• Probate, Trust & Estate litigationand administration• Elder Abuse Litigation• Conservatorship establishmentand litigation• Fiduciary court accountings• Estate PlanningFree case evaluations for referring attorneys*Certified Specialist in Estate Planning, Trust and Probate Law – State Barof California Board of Legal Specialization*Selected to Northern California Super Lawyers each year since 2006CONTRA COSTA COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION CONTRA COSTA LAWYER 11