The
2008 Southern California VIP Mentors
Compassion Award Official Rules
1. DEFINITIONS: "Nominee" means person being nominated for the award. "Applicant" means person filling out the application and nominating the Nominee. "Contest" means the competition to win the Compassion Award.
2. PRELIMINARY INFORMATION: No purchase necessary. Void outside of Los Angeles County and where prohibited. Nomination process ends on August 27, 2008 at 11:59 PM. At all times these Rules refer to Pacific Standard Time.
3. ELIGIBILITY: Nominee must be an Attorney, licensed and in good standing with the State Bar of California with no prior or pending disciplinary actions by the State Bar of California or any government agency. Nominee must work in a legal practice (private or public) and reside or work or represent clients in Los Angeles County. Nominee's legal practice must include criminal defense work and Nominee must personally perform such criminal defense work. Nominee may not be on the VIP Los Angeles County Advisory Board,, a VIP mentor, or VIP member.
4. CATEGORIES: The Compassion Award will be given in two categories:
a. One to a criminal defense attorney in private practice, and
b. One to a criminal defense attorney who works in public service (public defender).
5. TO ENTER: To enter, either mail in entry form to ATTN: COMPASSION AWARD, VIP Mentors Los Angeles County Advisory Board, 333 East Walnut Street, Pasadena, CA 91101 or access the VIP Mentors Web Site at www.vipmentors.org, and click on the Compassion Award link, then complete and thereafter transmit the registration form, which includes name, address, telephone number, email address, and other questions and inquiries for information regarding Nominee. Each answer to each question must be written in 500 words or less. All Entries with more than 500 words in any one answer to a question will be disqualified. All entries received become the property of VIP Mentors and will not be acknowledged or returned. All entries must be "electronically signed" if via Web Site or manually signed if via mail by the Nominee whereby Nominee, by consenting to be entered into this Contest, grants VIP Mentors the non-exclusive royalty-free irrevocable rights to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify and otherwise exploit Nominees' photographs and to incorporate them in other works in any and all markets and media. Nominee warrants that they have the sole and exclusive right to grant such rights to VIP Mentors, and that the VIP Mentors' reproduction, publishing, displaying and/or other use of the Nominees' photographs will not infringe on any rights of third parties.
Entries must be received before 11:59 PM on August 27, 2008 to be eligible to win the Compassion Award. An Applicant may also be a Nominee and a Nominee may be an Applicant as long as while in the position of Nominee, Nominee meets eligibility requirements An Attorney who meets eligibility requirements may enter himself or herself as both Applicant and Nominee. Applicant does not have to be an attorney. Nominee may only be entered once during the Nomination period. Multiple entries received from any Applicant or Nominee nominating the same Nominee will not be reviewed; however, one Applicant may nominate more than one Nominee. Applicants and Nominees may not update, change or in any way alter or add to Entry once submitted. Entries that are incomplete, garbled, corrupted or unintelligible for any reason including, but not limited to, computer or network malfunction or congestion (including at VIP Mentors and other entity), or post office malfunctions are void and will not be accepted. Applicants using electronic entry must be the registered subscriber of the email account from which the entry is made. Entries will be declared made by the authorized account holder of the email address submitted at time of entry. Entry and electronic signature or manual signature by Nominee constitutes permission to use winner's name, city, state, likeness, image and/or voice for purposes of advertising, promotion and publicity without additional compensation.
6. WINNER SELECTION AND NOTIFICATION: The top three Nominees ("Finalists") will be selected in each Category as defined in Section 4, through a subjective process of evaluating all Entries by no less than two and no more than five VIP Los Angeles County Advisory Board members ("Advisory Board"). The Advisory Board Chair must be one of the members evaluating the nominations. Such process will include Advisory Board members and Chair reading all information in the Entries and discussing amongst themselves to determine which Finalist best represents the criteria as posted or sent with nomination packet to win the Compassion Award. The top three Finalists in each category will be required to electronically provide a one-paragraph biography and picture within ten (10) business days upon verbal or written notification of being a Finalist. The top three Finalists in each Category will receive two free tickets to the Awards Dinner. Transportation to and from the Awards Dinner and hotel accommodations are the responsibility of the Finalists. Finalists and/or friends, family, colleagues, acquaintances can purchase more individual tickets or tables of tickets for the Awards Dinner at the regular price for all attendees.
The Winner in each Category will be announced at the Annual VIP Mentor's Awards Dinner on October, 23, 2008. For the Name of the Winner, available after October 25, 2008, visit www.vipmentors.org.
VIP Mentors reserve the right, in their sole discretion, to select fewer than three Finalists or no Finalists in each Category and/or to extend the contest period, if an insufficient number of eligible, complete, tasteful, appropriate or generally qualified entries are received.
7. PRIZE: A Compassion Award (for example: plaque, trophy, certificate) will be presented to only one Finalist in each Category who will be deemed the Winner of the Compassion Award.
8. CONDITIONS: By entering this Contest each Applicant and Nominee agrees for Applicant's and Nominee's heirs, executors and administrators (a) to release and hold harmless VIP Mentors, and its respective parent, subsidiaries, affiliates, joint venture companies, administrative agencies, advertising and promotion agencies and their respective officers, directors, and employees (collectively, "Released Parties"), from any liability, illness, injury, death, loss, litigation or damage that may occur, directly or indirectly, whether caused by negligence or not, from such Nominee's and Applicant's participation in this Contest and/or his or her acceptance, possession, use or misuse of the prize, or any portion thereof; (b) to indemnify VIP Mentors from any and all liability resulting or arising from the Contest and to hereby acknowledge that VIP Mentors has neither made nor is in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guarantee, express or implied, in fact or in law, relative to prizes, including express warranties provided exclusively by the prize supplier that are sent along with the prize; (c) if selected as a finalist or winner, to the posting of such Nominee's name on www.vipmentors.org and the use by Released Parties of such name, voice, image and/or likeness for publicity, promotional and advertising purposes without additional compensation, and, upon request, to the giving of consent, in writing, to such use; and (d) to be bound by these Official Rules and to waive any right to claim any ambiguity or error in these Official rules or the Contest itself, and to be bound by all decisions of the judges and/or VIP Mentors and VIP Los Angeles County Advisory Board Executive Committee members, whose decisions are binding and final. Failure to comply with these rules may result in disqualification from consideration in the Contest.
Nominees and Applicants grant VIP Mentors the non-exclusive royalty-free irrevocable rights, in its sole discretion, to use, reproduce, copy, publish, display, distribute, perform, translate, adapt, modify and otherwise exploit the essays and to incorporate them in other works in all any and all markets and media, whether now known or hereafter developed, throughout the universe in perpetuity. Applicants and Nominees warrant that they have the sole and exclusive right to grant such rights to VIP Mentors, and that the VIP Mentors' reproduction, publishing, displaying and/or other use of the text will not infringe on any rights of third parties, including, but not limited to, copyright, trademark, privacy or publicity rights anywhere in the world. Applicants and Nominees agree that VIP Mentors shall have no obligation to copy, publish, display or otherwise exploit the applications or any information therein.
9. ADDITIONAL TERMS: VIP Mentors reserves the right to terminate this Contest or permanently disqualify from any promotion any person it believes has intentionally violated these rules. Any attempt to deliberately damage the Contest or operation of the Contest is unlawful and subject to legal action by VIP Mentors who may seek damages to the fullest extent permitted by law. VIP Mentors reserves the right in its sole discretion to cancel or modify the Contest should any computer virus, malfunction or other cause beyond its control corrupt the administration, security or proper operation of the Contest. In the event of cancellation, prizes will be awarded from among all eligible, non-suspect entries received prior to the event requiring cancellation. Notice of cancellation will be posted at www.vipmentors.org.
The failure of VIP Mentors to comply with any provision of these Official Rules due to an act of God, hurricane, war, fire, riot, earthquake, terrorism, act of public enemies, actions of governmental authorities outside of the control of VIP Mentors (excepting compliance with applicable codes and regulations) or other force majeure event will not be considered a breach of these Official Rules.
Released Parties assume no responsibility for any injury or damage to participants or to any other person's computer relating to or resulting from entering or downloading materials or software in connection with this Contest. Released Parties are not responsible for telecommunications, mail, network, electronic, technical or computer failures of any kind for inaccurate transcription of entry information, errors in any promotional or marketing materials, errors in these rules, for any human or electronic error, or for entries that are stolen, misdirected, garbled, delayed by computer transmissions, lost, late, damaged or postage due.
10. DISPUTES: Under no circumstances will Nominee or Applicant be permitted to obtain awards for, and each hereby waives, all rights to claim punitive, incidental and/or consequential damages, and/or any other damages, including attorney's fees or other such related costs of pursuing a claim. The Contest is governed by, and will be construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, and the forum and venue for any dispute shall be in Los Angeles, California. If any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to the Official Rules, or the breach of any term hereof, cannot be otherwise resolved, it shall be resolved by binding arbitration conducted in Los Angeles County, and administered by JAMS in accordance with its Arbitration Rules and Procedures or subsequent versions thereof (the "JAMS Rules"). The JAMS Rules for selection of an arbitrator shall be followed, except that the arbitrator shall be an experienced arbitrator licensed to practice law in California.
11. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. Open only to legal residents of the state of California living, working or practicing law in Los Angeles County who are 18 or older. Contest runs from July 1, 2008 to August 15, 2008. Prize restrictions apply.
The Last Step: To complete a Nomination Form,
please CLICK HERE.