President’s Message

October 2026

REMARKS FROM THE PRESIDENT’S DESK

By: Dean McVay, Esq.

It is difficult to believe that a full year has passed since I had the extraordinary privilege of beginning my second term as President of the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association. When I began my term last October, I hoped we could strengthen our Association in several important ways: by growing our membership, renewing our commitment to mentorship and scholarships, providing meaningful educational opportunities, improving our long-term financial stability, and strengthening our relationships throughout the legal community. As my term draws to a close, I am tremendously proud of what we have accomplished together.

Throughout the year, we worked to make our Association a place where attorneys at every stage of their careers feel welcome and connected. I am especially grateful for the work of our Young Lawyers Division and Board Members Christina Bernheim and Linda Guzman, who have helped us engage the next generation of attorneys. Those relationships are essential to the continued strength of our organization. Our Bar Association office move to the University of La Verne College of Law & Public Service has created another important connection, bringing our Association and staff into direct contact with law students (our future colleagues) while providing those students with an opportunity to become involved with the Bar Association from the very beginning of their legal careers.

We also renewed our emphasis on mentorship. Every lawyer can remember someone who took an interest in us early in our careers and taught us lessons that could never be learned from a casebook. Through our programs and events, we have worked to create opportunities for newer attorneys to learn from the extraordinary experience within our legal community and to develop relationships that will continue throughout their careers.

Another priority close to my heart has been our scholarship program. Not only have we reinvigorated the Roberta Shouse Scholarship, but we have also established a new scholarship program with the University of La Verne College of Law & Public Service, through which our Bar Association will award scholarships to the top two graduating law students each year. This new program has been made possible through the University’s very generous commitment to allow the Association’s rent to be directed toward scholarships rather than paid to the University. It is a remarkable partnership that allows our new home to serve an even greater purpose: investing directly in the next generation of lawyers. I am proud that we have renewed our commitment to scholarships and created new opportunities to support the lawyers of tomorrow.

We have also continued to offer substantive and practical MCLE programming throughout the year. And we are not finished yet. I hope you will join us on Thursday, October 15, 2026, for “What Judges Say In The Shadows,” featuring Judges Hill, Sinfield, and Tanada. I will have the privilege of moderating what promises to be a candid and informative discussion with the bench.

This year, we also began looking more closely at the Association’s long-term financial future, including the development of an endowment that can provide greater stability and support scholarships, education, and the Association’s mission for years to come. At the same time, we have been extraordinarily fortunate to see record-breaking sponsorships for our two annual gala events, the Judicial Officers’ Dinner and our upcoming Installation of Officers and Awards Gala. The generosity of our legal community has been nothing short of breathtaking, and I am deeply grateful for your support.

Our endowment program remains a work in progress, and I intend to continue that work as your Immediate Past President. Although the details are still being finalized, I am grateful to the members, law firms, sponsors, and community partners who have already generously committed to supporting this effort. I look forward to sharing much more with you about this important program in the near future.

One of the greatest pleasures of this year has been strengthening our relationships with sister bar associations and organizations throughout the Inland Empire. Our legal community is at its best when we work together. Through joint MCLE programs with Pride Bar of the IE, joint celebrations with the San Bernardino County Bar Association, fundraising events, and community service, we have continued to develop relationships that benefit both our profession and the communities we serve. Our new partnership with the University of La Verne College of Law & Public Service is an important part of that effort and will help ensure that today’s law students and tomorrow’s lawyers feel connected to, welcomed by, and part of our wonderful Western San Bernardino County Bar Association.

Although my term is drawing to a close, we still have several wonderful opportunities to come together before the end of the year. I look forward to seeing everyone at our October 8 Installation of Officers and Awards Gala, where we will install our new Board of Directors and officers and celebrate the remarkable achievements of attorneys Justin King and Michael Bidart, as well as Jasmin Casillas of the San Bernardino Superior Court’s Family Law Division. Please also join us for the Holiday Bar Association “Toys for Tots” Party on Friday, December 11, 2026, graciously hosted by Michael and Darlene Scafiddi at the Scafiddi Highland residence. I hope everyone will join us to celebrate the holiday season, enjoy the fellowship of our legal community, and support a worthy cause.

As I write my final President’s message, what I feel most of all is gratitude. Serving as President of the Western San Bernardino County Bar Association has been an incredible honor. I am profoundly grateful to our Board of Directors, officers, committee and program leaders, sponsors, and especially our extraordinary Executive Director, Lindsay Partridge, for the countless hours of work behind the scenes that make everything this Association does possible.

Most importantly, thank you to our members. Thank you for attending our events, sponsoring our programs, volunteering your time, mentoring younger lawyers, sharing your knowledge, supporting our scholarship efforts, and supporting one another. Whatever progress we have made this year has been possible because so many people care deeply about this Association and generously contribute their time, talent, experience, and resources.

As one chapter closes, I am equally excited about the one that is about to begin. I am delighted to welcome our incoming President, Lauren Vogt, an accomplished attorney and dedicated member of our legal community who also happens to be a former student of mine, making this transition particularly meaningful to me. There are few things more gratifying for a professor than seeing a former student become a respected colleague and leader. I know Lauren will bring tremendous energy and commitment to the role, and I look forward to supporting her and our Board in the year ahead.

A presidency lasts only a year, but the work and relationships of an Association like ours span generations. Having now had the privilege of serving twice as President, I leave this office with an even greater appreciation for this Association, the people who sustain it, and the legal community we are fortunate to call our own.

It has been one of the great honors of my professional life to have been entrusted with its leadership. Thank you for your trust, your friendship, your generosity, and, most of all, the opportunity to serve.