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Aiming to build a network of legal professionals and be more involved in community events, the San Benito County Bar Association hosted a networking session at the Garden Shoppe in Hollister on April 8.
In addition to drinks and snacks, the Bench and Bar Networking event featured a Q&A with retired San Benito County Superior Court Judge Tom Breen, who induced constant laughter from attendees in his conversation with the hosts.
Breen told of joining the Army, going to law school and practicing in San Jose for six years before taking a job on the East Coast.
The Hollister native then returned to San Benito County, where he was offered a judge position in 1980. He held the job for 20 years.
“I got better every year,” he said jokingly. Breen also served on the Youth Alliance board and as a trustee for the Gavilan Joint Community College.
He said the most gratifying part of being a judge in San Benito County was the people.
“It’s fun to work with smart people, and mostly smart people,” he said. “And nice people, which it was mostly nice people.”
Breen said there were two skills that made him successful as a judge: “Knowing how to listen and being kind to people. You’re going to get people in front of you in this business that are angry. Let them vent a little bit and acknowledge that you hear them.”
He said the biggest change he has experienced is technology.
“Zoom, computers,” he said. “No library. We don’t need that anymore, I guess. Although I was working in Madera last week and the judge there had all new law books. I can’t imagine who would ever read those books anymore.”
Before Breen took the stage, San Benito County Superior Court Judge Omar Rodriguez gave a plug for the court’s inaugural summer internship program.
“I want to open the doors to the court,” he said. “This has been something that I’ve been trying to do since I took the bench, just to increase access, and this is another way that we can increase access to allow for high school students, even college students, who are interested in the legal field.”
Lizett Rodriguez Pena, chair of the bar association, said the networking session came about because the organization wants to be more active and increase membership, which has grown from four to 17 members since last year.
“Every month we try to bring a speaker from the community, or outside, that provides any insight for professional growth, or community leaders that inform us about what is needed in San Benito County,” she said.
She said the goal is to bring more internship opportunities for students who are interested in becoming attorneys.
“There is a pathway for them to learn from local attorneys, as well as getting more local attorneys involved in the nonprofits and just in general in the community,” she said.
She said another goal is to have attorneys from Monterey, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties to get to know each other. She said it would not only serve as an emotional and professional support system, but lead to a more accessible network of local lawyers for the community.
Judge Omar Rodriguez said he has sought to create an internship program since he was elected in 2018. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Lizett Rodriguez Pena said the SBC Bar Association is working toward enhancing a directory of local attorneys and their services. Photo by Noe Magaña. 
Retired Judge Tom Breen made several comments and jokes that made attendees burst out in laughter. Photo by Noe Magaña.
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