The Recorder (San Francisco Bay Area legal daily), Monday January 8, 1990 by Monica Bay

New Bar President; Fresh Outlook on Life

So much for stereotypes: The president of the Marin County Bar is a self-described Goldwater Republican and New York Yankees fanatic.

Novato solo practitioner Victor Obninsky has a framed picture of Mickey Mantle on his wall. There's a Yankees license-plate holder on his 1979 Mercedes diesel, an oversized Yankees ring on his desk and a huge Yankees wastebasket by his feet.

And while Obninsky, 47, worries about lawyer image, don't expect platitudes from the robust lawyer. He's far too pragmatic. "Everybody thinks lawyers are jerks," he says. "Lawyers are pretty decent folks, but sometimes they do jerky things. Probably nine times out of ten, they haven't communicated with their clients right."

He offers his own version of individualized détente - for cold wars or chilly clients: Work with people, one to one, rather than just sending off checks to cure the latest disaster or crisis and not get your own hands dirty. "My strong point is individuals. Republicans are lousy with the masses. I care a lot." Part of his pro bono work is helping elderly Russian immigrants with some of the essential if tedious details of every day life, writing wills, contracts, and trusts. Or, as Obninsky says, "I like doing things for old Russian people."

Lawyers get in trouble when they forget to treat clients as equals, solving problems as a team rather than as the mystic lawyer from on high,? he says. ?They must remember that their clients are usually under tremendous stress when they walk in the door. They've been sued, they are worried about dying, or they want a divorce."

Obninsky is a 1969 graduate of Hastings College of the Law. His general practice focuses on the needs of small business owners. He will be sworn in Februay 3 at the annual installation dinner, to be held at Rancho Nicasio restaurant in Nicasio.

As for his upcoming term, he's modest but enthusiastic. "One of my goals is not to screw up," he says with a laugh. "My grandmother always taught me, if you are going to do something, do it right."

"I've got some ideas," he says, before launching into a laundry list of refreshing plans. They include inviting a few non-lawyers, such as a "mouthy liberal" editorial writer at a Marin County newspaper, to speak at the bar's monthly lunch meeting. Or a lawyer like Oakland A's manager Tony LaRussa, "but I'd just as soon have him talk about baseball."

On a more serious note, Obninsky plans to hold a symposium on legal problems of the elderly. He would like to videotape the program and air it on the county's community access cable channel. Several experiences prompted his interest in the elderly. One was a two-day Continuing Education for the Bar program last summer at Golden Gate University. Obninsky had planned to attend only the first day of the seminar; he had bought baseball tickets for the second. But the program was so compelling he gave away his tickets.

A second factor of his concern: A client suffering from Alzheimer?s disease came for advice on the legal ramifications for his wife if he committed suicide. "Old people are getting hammered," he says passionately. "Everyone gets older - whether communist or fascist - and they all need care and respect."