In 2000, 2007, and 2022, Earl Warren Inn members Hon. D. Lowell Jensen, James Brosnahan, Esq., and Justice Martin J. Jenkins were selected by the American Inns of Court and awarded the Lewis F. Powell, Jr. Award for outstanding professionalism and ethics. This award is bestowed upon a person who has rendered exemplary service in the areas of legal excellence, professionalism and ethics. Attorneys, judges, government officials, journalists, philanthropists or other community leaders may be recipients of the award. The award gives the American Inns of Court an opportunity to reach out to persons who share the organization's vision of legal service as a distinguished profession. It is not restricted to persons who have been directly involved with the American Inns of Court.

In 2011, Earl Warren Inn member Catherine Ongiri, Esq. was selected as a Pegasus Scholar. The Pegasus Scholarship is an exchange program, wherein young English barristers travel to the United States for six weeks to learn about the United States legal system and young American Inn of Court members travel to London for six weeks to learn about the English legal system.

1998 SIXTH PLACE High Profile Cases

1999 BEST RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION AWARD The Constitution—Casualty of War (The Japanese-American Internment)

2002 THIRD PLACE People v. Big Bad Wolf - This program focused on the difficulties in representing an unpopular defendant by using the story of the three little pigs and turning it into a trial of the Big Bad Wolf. B.B. Wolf was accused of blowing down the houses of Cyril and Clive Pig and attempted to blow down the house of their brother, Nigel. Pretrial publicity about Mr. Wolf’s history, and that of his family, created difficulties for the defense. The jury was potentially tainted and the continued press cover-age influenced the residents of Pigsylvania County. These issues, and that of the use of peremptory challenges, were covered in pretrial motions. The judge seemed to favor the prosecution and the prosecutor viewed the publicity of the trial as a way to challenge the current district attorney in the next election. This program was also awarded "Most Creative Program" honors in 2002. Order this program!

2005 FIRST PLACE The Cat Lies, the Lawyer Cries—What's the Ethical Rule When the Perjury Flies? - This was an original program written entirely in Dr. Seuss-style rhyme by an Associate member of the team. The mischievous Cat in the Hat was the prevaricating client who in Act I lied to get a job. In Act II, the Cat proceeded to pile on more lies to cover his tracks in a civil suit brought by the mother. In Act III, the Cat perjured himself on the stand. The program dealt with how the Cat's lawyers attempted to meet their ethical obligations in the face of a client who never tells the truth. In between the skits, the narrator probed the audience for their solutions to the lawyers' dilemmas. The success of the program was augmented by wonderful costumes and creative sets. Order this program!

2005 THIRD PLACE Greed, Gold Diggers, & The Golden Years - The focus of this program was on the implications of taking advantage of a senior citizen. The program also raised issues such as when conservatorships are appropriate; which individuals are appropriate to be appointed conservators, and what factors the court should consider when confronted with competing conservatorship petitions. The program addressed these issues using the familiar tale of Little Orphan Annie and Daddy Warbucks, but added Anna Nicole Smith flair to make it more interesting. Order this program!

2006 SECOND PLACE Deep Clue: The Law of Confidential News - The California shield law and the lack of Federal shield laws were the focus of this program. The program showed how the law in California lends protection to investigative reporters while the Federal government provides none. The topic was introduced in the manner of the game "Clue" and a song adapted from "A Chorus Line". A Ring Master kept the audience involved by asking them to guess the informant at various stages of the presentation. Order this Program

2006 SECOND PLACE Deep Clue: The Law of Confidential News - The California shield law and the lack of Federal shield laws were the focus of this program. The program showed how the law in California lends protection to investigative reporters while the Federal government provides none. The topic was introduced in the manner of the game "Clue" and a song adapted from "A Chorus Line". A Ring Master kept the audience involved by asking them to guess the informant at various stages of the presentation. Order this Program

2008 OUTSTANDING Scamalot-Lawyers Gone Wild, The Musical - Adapted from the Broadway musical "Spamalot", this program addressed various ethical questions concerning attorneys and information that they may distribute prior to a court appearance. Specific court cases referenced in the program included the case of the Duke lacrosse players, the tobacco litigation, and the scandal of corporate stock options. The three-act skit was followed by a discussion with the audience.

2006 OUTSTANDING Twelve Labors Before Three Witches: Estoppel and Equipose in the Crucible of Oral Argument - Using two fictional cases, this program illustrated things to do and things not to do during oral arguments. The first fictional case was based upon the fifth labor of Hercules in which Hercules was ordered to clean out King Augeas' stables in one day. Hercules sustained injuries in the course of his labor and he sued Eurystheus, who had ordered him to clean King Augeas’ stables. The second fictional case was based on the character of Lady Macbeth who was tried and convicted on the charges of murder, attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder. A PowerPoint presentation outlined the specific points that the program tried to make such as don't raise new points for the first time at oral argument, don't misstate the record, answer the court's questions directly, don't overstate the strength of your case, don't interrupt the judge, and confine your arguments to the record. Order this Program

2006 OUTSTANDING The Evolution of Parentage Law in California as Affected by Scientific, Social and Other Developments--Or Who's Your Daddy? - This program sought to tell the legal story of recent methods of conception and cases that have resulted in an entertaining manner. The program adapted songs from "Oliver!" to illustrate the evolution of parentage law in California. Each song in the program was preceded by a summary of a case or cases explaining an issue important to parentage law. such as what is the best for the child, what should be the rights of a surrogate mother, or what should the law require before a name can be put on a birth certificate? After the adapted song, a moderator led a discussion about the possible outcome of the case. Order this Program

2007 OUTSTANDING Inside the Lawyer’s Studio: Learning from Each Other - A tribute to the method used by "Inside the Actor's Studio," select members of the Alameda County legal community were interviewed tete-a-tete about pivotal experiences in their lives or law practice at the bar or from the bench, to give a peek into key events that motivated or shaped their careers. Other Inn members submitted written narratives of their experiences, which were shared with program attendees as a handout.

2009 OUTSTANDING Prejudice: The Musical! (P11771) - The intent of this program was to show the pervasive nature of prejudice and the cases which have dealt with various types of prejudice. The timing of the program was in part motivated by the very recent California Supreme Court decision on same sex marriage which made the entire topic very timely.

2011 OUTSTANDING Lies and Falls (P11993) - Using the musical play "Guys and Dolls" as a vehicle, this program explored issues of professional ethics through vignettes involving conflicts of interest, competence, drug/alcohol abuse, and attorney's fees.

2014 OUTSTANDING Romeo and Juliet Present: Two Gentlemen of Verona Meet the Merry Wives of Windsor (P12579) - This Shakespearean styled script and program presented the topical issue of same-sex marriage rights, demonstrating how developments in the law can both expand and contract an individual’s civil rights. The program also focused on the how current changes to federal law (DOMA) interplay with state law and how this impacts the rights of same-sex couples.

2016 OUTSTANDING Twelve Days of Inn of Court A program featuring a variety of vignettes illustrating uncivil behavior, which are relived by the protagonist so the attorney's behavior can be corrected.

2017 2nd PLACE - The Book of Warren (P13633) - This musical, inspired by the Book of Mormon musical, focused on three separate competency issues: substance abuse, age-related cognitive problems, and substance abuse.

2019 2nd PLACE WICKED: A Musical About Objections INN Trial (P14143) A deep dive into the land of objections centered around the trial we’ve all been waiting for: The People of Oz v. Dorothy Gale. Dorothy was charged with murder for the killing of the Wicked Witch of the East with her house. For each objection lodged during her murder trial, Judge Oz taught the observing Inn members of the legal principles relevant to the objection. Not only was this program selected as one of the top programs in the nation, it was also converted into an online CLE course available to any Inn member in the country, which can be found on the American Inns of Court website - Inn Program Reprise: Wicked: Relevance, Foundation & Hearsay...Oh My!

2019 OUTSTANDING - Very Poppins, Ethically Perfect in Every Way (P14254) Incorporating song and dance numbers inspired by the Mary Poppins movies, this program discussed updated ethics rules about commingling funds, supervising subordinates appropriately, limiting the scope of representation, conducting due diligence, not delaying litigation, and sexual relations with clients.

2019 1st PLACE - Game of Thrones: Liar, Liar, Daenarys on Fire (P14634) The nation became enveloped in the show Game of Thrones, which in the land of Earl Warren IOC was understood to be a documentary of the life of famed Queen Daenarys. In this episode, Queen Daenarys, upset about being depicted as a ruthless mass murderer, was resurrected by her attorney and together they sued the creators of the show/documentary for California Torts (1) Defamation and (2) Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress. Inn members witnessed the arbitration proceeding that ensued, learning about relevant claims and defenses for each tort.

2020 3rd PLACE - The Masked Litigant – Parents Just Don’t Understand (P14732) Modeled after the popular TV show "The Masked Singer", "The Masked Litigant" presented three parent/child sets of litigants facing various civil issues, including privacy rights, domestic violence restraining orders, conservatorships, and contractual issues. Fabulous costumes, singing and dancing, and even a panel of judges ruling on the civil issues - this program had it all.

2021 2nd PLACE - Bling Empire Files for Bankruptcy (P14803)

2021 OUTSTANDING - When the Cobra Strikes: Civility, Balance, and INNer Peace in Remote Litigation (P14839)

2021 OUTSTANDING - Choose Your Own Adventure: The Governor and the Pandemic (P14834)

2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 PLATINUM LEVEL - ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE - The Platinum Level Distinction is the highest level of distinction an Inn may reach with the others being Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Achieving Excellence program is designed to encourage effective practices in the five core competencies of Inn management. It is a tiered achievement-based program that recognizes activities in which Inns are already involved and builds on an Inn's successes. Each level recognizes an Inn's progress toward mastering these core competencies of Administration, Communications, Programs, Mentoring, and Outreach Activities. The Inn will be recognized in the Bencher, the American Inn of Court website, the Celebration of Excellence event program and a Certificate of Achievement will be presented by our chapter relations director at an Inn meeting. Congratulations and Thank You to Past Presidents Hon. Charles A. Smiley (2013), Camelia Baray (2014), Hon. Victoria Kolakowski (2015), Pelayo A. Llamas, Jr. (2016), Hon. Kandis A. Westmore (2017), Corrine Bielejeski (2018), Hon. Tamiza Hockenhull (2019), Shumsha Hanif-Cruz (2020), and Hon. Dorothy Chou Proudfoot (2021) for leading us to achieve Platinum Level Distinction for the Earl Warren American Inn of Court!

2012 BRONZE - ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE - The Achieving Excellence program is is a tiered achievement-based program that recognizes activities in which Inns are already involved and builds on an Inn's successes. Each level recognizes an Inn's progress toward mastering effective practices in each of the five core competencies of Inn management: Administration, Communications, Programs, Mentoring and Outreach.