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President's Column
President: Benjamin C. Bunn
"WE MUST USE THE CIVIL JUSTICE SYSTEM TO FIGHT FOR OUR RIGHTS!"
by Benjamin C. Bunn
Benjamin Bunn is President of Consumer Attorneys of San Diego for 2002. He received his Bachelor of
Arts degree from California State University, Stanislaus, and his Juris Doctor degree from University of San
Diego in 1989. He is a partner in Hulburt & Bunn, LLP, practicing in civil litigation with an emphasis on
plaintiff's personal injury. Mr. Bunn was named Consumer Advocate of the Year (2000) by CASD. He is a
graduate of the Gerry Spence Trial Lawyer College and serves on its faculty. He may be reached by e-mail at:
ben@hulburt-bunn.com.
CASD member Tom Penfield told our List Serve members a story about his daughter almost exactly one
year ago. Tom’s daughter, Christina, then a senior at Scripps Ranch High, came home one day telling her dad
about her "civics" assignment. She was to write an essay discussing how frivolous lawsuits and abuse have
corrupted our legal system. In true trial lawyer fashion, Christina took positive action. She returned to school
the next day and engaged the class and her teacher in a discussion about the unfair presumption implicit in the
essay's title. In a short time, the teacher -– now educated with true facts -- agreed.
Following his daughter's lead, Tom also took positive action. He proposed that the CASD Foundation
sponsor an essay contest for high school seniors that would spark an honest discussion about how the civil
justice system benefits consumers. We could grant scholarships for the winning essay which would motivate
our high school seniors to learn about our legal system as they begin their entry into the "real world". Tom
offered to make the first donation toward creating a fund to make this happen. As usual, our members also
enthusiastically responded. Donations from our members now exceed $13,000. CASD Staff SJ Kalian and
Chris Van Orshovan set up the essay/scholarship con