Just a reminder that consistent with tradition, we will not meet in November or December 2009. The focus for the remainder of the year will be complying a dinner report, organizing and holding a retreat/planning session with the new board, hosting a holiday party (plans are already underway); and exploring the possibility of participating in the annual Martin Luther King Day Parade held in January. The next general board meeting will be on Wednesday January 20, 2010 at 6:00 PM at the San Diego County Bar Center. I look forward to seeing you all soon, and to a fantastic year. Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. Meanwhile, if you're interested in being on a committee or have ideas to discuss, please let me know. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
Antoinette Middleton, Esq.
President

The Practice of Law was a second career for Antoinette Mike Middleton

Prior to law school she was employed for nine years with New York State Division for Youth where she provided rehabilitation services to juvenile offenders and their families. Middleton received her Bachelors of Science degree, cum laude from Syracuse University in 1996 and her Juris Doctor from California Western School of Law in 2000. At California Western she received the Pro Bono Honor Society award in 1999 and the Law School Service Award in 2000. Middleton also served as Vice President of the Black Law Student Association and was a member of the Family Law Society.

Middleton interned at Legal Aid Society of San Diego from August 1999 through December 1999. After finishing law school, Middleton clerked for Demarie & Schoenoborn, a law firm in Buffalo,
NY from August 2000 through April 2002. In spring of 2002, Middleton opened her own law practice, the Law Offices of Antoinette Middleton. She is currently a private practitioner in the areas of business litigation, family law, trust and estates and probate.

Middleton is a current member of the San Diego County Bar Association
and Consumer Attorneys of San Diego. She is a past board member and Southern District Representative for California Association of Black Attorneys. Prior to her current position as President- Elect of the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, Middleton served in
the positions of Treasurer and Member At Large.

In 2006, Middleton received the Distinguished Service Award from the Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association in recognition of outstanding service and dedication. In 2007 she was a recipient of the State Bar of California’s Wiley M. Manuel Award for volunteering more that 50 hours of service to Legal Aid Society of San Diego.

Middleton is committed to community service and has served as both a Board Member and President of Our Place Center of Self Esteem, a non profit community organization. The primary mission of the Our Place is to increase self esteem in children, especially girls and to reduce domestic violence.

As the 2009 – 2010 President of Earl B. Gilliam Bar Association, Middleton plans to collaborate with other bar associations, community organizations and corporations as the organization climbs
toward excellence in the delivery of services aligned with EBGBA’s primary mission.

PAST PRESIDENTS

Hon. Elizabeth Riggs
Hon. Napoleon Jones Jr.
Delroy Richardson *
Hon. Joseph K. Davis
Otis Jones
Dennis Dawson
Keith Burt
Hon. Daniel Weber*
Robert Bennett
Patricia Robinson
Mary Franklin
Hon. H. Wesley Pratt
Barbara Davis
Thomas Gayton
Hon. Randa M. Trapp
Randy K. Jones
Douglas A. Oden
Daniel E. Eaton
Janice P. Brown
Vickie E. Turner
Harold G. Murray
Ben E. Johnson
Lei-Chala I. Wilson
Doc Anthony Anderson III
H. J. Sims
Sherry M. Thompson
Marvin E. Mizell
Hon. Roderick W. Shelton
S. Maria Hannah
Petrina Burnham-Branch
Lei-Chala I. Wilson

* Deceased