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BASF Launches Marriage Fairness Task Force


August 5, 2008 -- San Francisco -- Under the leadership of BASF President James Donato, a newly formed Marriage Fairness Task Force was created in May with a mission to educate the community about marriage fairness and to defeat Proposition 8.  If passed, the initiative on the November 4 ballot, would for the first time in the California Constitution, create an amendment that discriminates and denies a class of citizens a fundamental right.   

BASF President-Elect Russell Roeca, Roeca Haas Hager LLP, is the Chair of the Task Force which is made up of more than 50 members from the legal community.  

In addition to its core mission, the Task Force has two sub-committees. The Fundraising subcommittee is chaired by Kelly Dermody, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP and Cathleen Yonahara, Freeland Cooper & Foreman LLP. The Community/Legal Outreach subcommittee is chaired by Khurshid Khoja, Thelen Reid Brown Raysman & Steiner LLP; Joan Haratani, Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP; Kelly McCown, McCown & Evans and BASF Executive Director Daniel Burkhardt. 

The Marriage Fairness Task Force is working closely with many community organizations and the business community to coordinate efforts to defeat Proposition 8 in November.

A list of Task Force members, and more information, is on the BASF Web site at www.sfbar.org/marriage_fairness.

The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is a nonprofit voluntary membership organization of over 8,000 attorneys, law students and legal professionals in the Bay Area. Founded in 1872, BASF is one of the largest and most dynamic metropolitan bar associations in the U.S., with a long and distinguished record of community action, public service and service to the legal profession.

Questions about media relations, BASF issues currently in the news, San Francisco Attorney magazine, marketing and communications:

Contact:
Ann Murphy, Director of Communications & Public Relations
Email:
amurphy@sfbar.org
Phone:
(415) 782-9000 x8792

For general communications inquiries:

Contact:
Sayre Happich, Assistant Director of Communications & Public Relations
Email:
shappich@sfbar.org
Phone:
(415) 782-9000 x8104
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