Giving Back in Retirement: Betsy Jennings

Capital Pro Bono Needs You!

Capital Pro Bono needs volunteers. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the CPB staff and volunteers are not meeting clients in person to protect the safety of staff, volunteers, and clients. CPB needs volunteers – especially experienced volunteers – in the areas of law for which it provides pro bono services, including employment law, Chapter 7 bankruptcy, family law, estate planning and probate, guardianships, and conservatorships. To discuss – or better yet – to volunteer, please contact Heather Tiffee at htiffee@ capitalprobono.org.

Heather Tiffee is the Managing Attorney of Capital Pro Bono. She can be reached at htiffee@capitalprobono.org.

Giving Back in Retirement: Betsy Jennings

By Heather Tiffee

It was the very good fortune of Capital Pro Bono (then the Voluntary Legal Services Program) a decade ago when attorney Betsy Jennings offered to help indigent members of our community with their legal problems. Since then, she has helped CPB’s clients with their employment law issues, averaging 42 hours per year, for a total of over 420 hours of pro bono volunteer time.

Each year, CPB gives a volunteer-of-the-year award to one

of our dedicated volunteers. The award, the June Black Pro Bono Award, is named in memory of June Black, CPB’s first program manager. For her generosity in sharing her time and expertise in helping CPB’s clients and mentoring less experienced attorneys and law students, CPB awarded Betsy Jennings its 2020 June Black Pro Bono Award.

Betsy Jennings has had a distinguished legal career. She obtained her B.A. from UC Berkeley and a J.D. from UC Berkeley School of Law. She practiced labor law at the Agricultural Labor Relations Board and was, before her retirement from the full-time practice of law in 2010, a senior attorney with the California Water Resources Control Board for many years. Later in her career at the Water Resources Control Board, Betsy rose to become lead attorney for appeals of all regional water board actions to the Board. She has also published several articles on water quality issues and has spoken on various water quality subjects at numerous conferences.

After her retirement from the Water Resources Control Board, Betsy worked part-time as an administrative law judge for the Office of Administrative Hearings, mostly hearing licensing cases. It was at that time that Betsy also began her pro bono work at CPB – Voluntary Legal Services as it was known then.

Betsy says that she “wanted to give back to the community after I had gained so much personally from my legal education and career.” She also wanted a change from environmental law, which she had practiced for 30 years. She decided to return to her first career in employment law. She knew that things had changed, and her original area had been labor law, rather than unemployment and wage and hour law. But, with her background in administrative law and hearings, and with “so much support from VLSP/CPB,” she “felt able to provide needed assistance to the clients.”

Betsy says that she “particularly liked the gratitude that clients showed, often commenting that finally someone was listening to them and helping them. I also enjoyed the camaraderie with the staff and other attorney volunteers. Finally, I enjoyed meeting with the law students and helping them learn to interview clients, present their cases, and provide representation at hearings.”

Betsy has volunteered with CPB through the California Bar’s Pro Bono Practice Program, formerly the Emeritus Attorney Program. Legal aid organizations throughout California benefit from the experience of retired attorneys, or those who are otherwise taking a break in their careers, who donate their time through IOLTA-funded programs like CPB. Over the years, CPB has had dozens of attorneys participate in this program.

Recently, Betsy has notified CPB that she is truly retiring from the practice of law in 2021 to spend more time with her family, including her grandchildren. We at CPB wish her all of the best and thank her for her years of service to our community. Congratulations, Betsy, on your well-deserved award and retirement.

The Pro Bono Practice Program

The Pro Bono Practice Program is for California licensed attorneys who are not currently engaged in the practice of law, but who are interested in providing pro bono assistance to the indigent. Participants in the program have their California Bar dues waived, although they do need to comply with MCLE requirements while in the program. Numerous free MCLE programs are offered to these attorneys through CEB and PLI. Capital Pro Bono provides malpractice insurance to cover all of its volunteers, including those in the Pro Bono Practice Program. If you would like to find out more about this worthwhile program, please go to www.calbar.ca.gov/Accessto-Justice/Pro-Bono/ProBono-Practice-Program. The staff at Capital Pro Bono would also enjoy speaking with you about your possible participation in this program.

Gabrielle O’Neil, J.D. is a health and wellness coach with Beachbody. In the past, she has worked in the legal industry in the areas of litigation, as well as corporate and law firm training and sales.

Health & Stress Management in the Age

of COVID & Beyond By Gabrielle O’Neil, J.D.

While I was in law school, I didn’t think much about taking care of myself (who has time for that?). This caught up to me as I crept further into adulthood and, at the age of 41, I finally realized: If I wanted to be around for a long time, I’d better start making some changes. I researched and implemented building good nutrition habits and began exercising five days a week. Within six months, I had lost 20 pounds, but more importantly I felt really alive! In 2019, I began publicly sharing my journey with others as a way to help them begin theirs. Last year, I gave a talk to the SCBA on how minor changes in daily habits can lead to long-term positive results.

A full year of restrictions including working from home and limited travel can wreak havoc not only on our brains, but on our bodies as well. As a health and wellness coach, I have had countless conversations with people about the weight gain and heightened level of stress that being stuck in the house for an extended period of time has caused.

Stress has a number of effects on our bodies. It can cloud our judgement, make us feel tired, and cause us to gain weight due to increased levels of cortisol. As a result, our physical health is put at risk. We experience lower levels of immunity from viruses and disease, joint pains and even tension headaches and migraines. Left untreated, these can lead to more serious illnesses down the road.

Combatting stress can be easy, once a plan is created and implemented. Four suggestions that I share with my clients are very simple and can be started immediately:

1. Drink Water: The general recommendation is to drink at least half of your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if

you weigh 180 pounds, the recommended amount of water you should drink daily is 90 ounces.

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In order to achieve long-term success, allow yourself to start small, and give yourself some grace. Every day may not be perfect, but putting effort into improving every day will begin to yield positive results. Some people are self-motivated, while others find that investing in a program or coach will force them to get the most for their money. Whatever your motivating factor is, set a date and start. Celebrate small victories, and continue to strive towards improving your overall health and wellness.

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