Ima Jean Harvey |
Warren Paboojian |
San Joaquin College of Law proudly announces Ima Jean Harvey and Warren Paboojian have been inducted into the Law School’s Hall of Fame. Both were chosen based on their high standards of ethics, professional competency, and achievements. Two veterans of the Hall of Fame took to the podium at the Robert E. Coyle United States Courthouse on October 20th to introduce the two newest members.
Mick Marderosian took the opportunity acknowledge his many sources of inspiration, from Perry Mason to the novel To Kill a Mocking Bird. Turning to the inductees, he said “You are an example now. You have set a standard. What child will be inspired by you?”
Ima Jean Harvey
Fresno County District Attorney Elizabeth Egan, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame two years ago, had the honor of introducing Ima Jean Harvey. She recounted Mrs. Harvey’s years at Roosevelt High when she was on the debate team, but not allowed to travel to the major competitions because of her sex. But travel was in her immediate future; in her 20s, Mrs. Harvey went to work for an oil company in Saudi Arabia, where she was named a beauty queen. It was the beginning of a long succession of breaking barriers and paving the way for other women to follow.
Mrs. Harvey always wanted to be a corporate attorney, and decided to become one at the newly-opened San Joaquin College of Law, believing it would be “new, innovative, and creative, which it was.” She adds she was the only girl in her class at the Law School and “got teased a lot, but I would have expected that.”
As for her status as a pioneer and role model for women, she admits the road could be rocky, with only “isolated incidences of acceptance” but “You can’t sit back and say ‘I’ll wait until everything is smooth.’”
Mrs. Harvey worked as a paralegal and law clerk for Parichan, Renberg & Crossman both before and during law school, transitioning to the position of attorney when she passed the Bar in 1975. Two years later, she became one of the first women, if not the first, to become a partner in a major Fresno law firm, which was renamed Parichan, Renberg, Crossman & Harvey. In 2010, she became Of Counsel to Caswell, Bell & Hillison, continuing her representation of agricultural clients, ranging from farmers and packers to commission merchants and other businesses. Her interest in agriculture went beyond the legal sphere; she and her husband owned a small vineyard in Madera.
Mrs. Harvey’s involvement with the State Bar and the ABA includes serving two terms on the Agribusiness Committee of the State Business Law Section and chairing the Agribusiness Committee of the Real Property, Probate, and Trust Section of the ABA. In addition, she served for nine years on the Board of the Kings View Mental Health Association and also as both legal counsel and President of the Fresno Women’s Network.
Mrs. Harvey moved to San Diego in 2007 to be near her daughter, but it seems she was never far from her work, handling cases which sometimes required a Fresno appearance. After contemplating retirement for some time, she now says she’ll retire at the end of this year, adding “This time, it’s for real,” although she concedes “six months from now, I’m going to be very bored.”
Warren Paboojian
Mick Marderosian introduced his former partner, Warren Paboojian, as a friend with whom he had been to the top of the mountain and the lowest valleys.
“Those are the ties that bind two people.”
When it was his turn at the podium, Mr. Paboojian turned the spotlight the other way, giving credit to Marderosian who he says gave him a chance to learn. He also pointed to another Hall of Fame member in attendance, the Hon. Don Penner, who “was one of the people who helped me.” He thanked his wife, Lesa, for her patience when he was “moody, irritable, anxious and stress-ridden.” As for SJCL, he says “If it wasn’t for my law school, I wouldn’t have gone to law school.”
Mr. Paboojian (class of 1985) practices in the areas of plaintiff’s personal injury, wrongful death, medical malpractice, products liability, and wrongful termination. He has litigated over 60 civil and criminal trials to verdict. In the last ten years, Mr. Paboojian has had six jury verdicts in excess of One Million Dollars.
In 2007, Mr. Paboojian obtained the largest employment verdict (19.1 million) in the country against a public entity as former Fresno State Women’s Basketball Coach Stacy Johnson-Klein sued the University of Fresno for wrongful termination, gender discrimination and violation of Title IX.
In 2008, Mr. Paboojian received the Trial Lawyer of the Year Award by the Consumer Attorneys of California, the largest association of plaintiff attorneys in California. He remains the only Central Valley attorney to have won this award, which is considered the highest possible honor from the 50-year-old association. In addition, Mr. Paboojian has been named Top 100 Attorneys in Northern California by Super Lawyers for the years 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011.
Mr. Paboojian is a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA). In 2008, he was the past president of ABOTA for the Central Valley Chapter. He is also being inducted into the American College of Trial Lawyers. Mr. Paboojian is also the recipient of the Central California Trial Lawyers Association President’s Award in recognition for his outstanding advocacy in protecting the rights of consumers in civil litigation in 2004. In 2004, he was again awarded the Central California Trial Lawyers Association President’s Award for an outstanding plaintiff’s verdict.
In addition, Mr. Paboojian has a published opinion with the Fifth District Court of Appeals involving the case of Kevin Helmer v. Bingham Toyota Isuzu (2005) 129 Cal.App.4th 1121.
His service to the community includes creation of a nonprofit organization to provide low-income families with financial help to pay for burial services for children who have passed. SJCL honors Mr. Paboojian for his exemplary representation of those who otherwise might have been voiceless in their pursuit of justice.
Along with Egan and Marderosian, Hall of Fame members the Hon. Gary Austin and Kathy Hart were also in attendance, along with SJCL Board members Ross Borba, Tony Mendes and Deborah Coe. Other previous Hall of Fame winners include the Honorable Nancy A. Cisneros, Tulare County District Attorney Phil Cline, Theodore Forrest Jr., Ernest S. Kinney, and the Honorable Alan Simpson.