As the first woman president of The Bar Association of San Francisco, Joanne Garvey was a trailblazer for women attorneys, including being the first woman to serve on the California State Bar’s Board of Governors and its first female vice president. She co-founded California Women Lawyers with Roberta Ralph in 1974, and was a mentor to countless women entering the profession over the course of her 52-year tax law practice.

Garvey continued to be involved in BASF throughout her life, most recently serving as its delegate to the American Bar Association.

During her tenure as BASF president in 1981, the Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP), now the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC), was a very new organization led by an equally trailblazing founding executive director, Tanya Neiman. Together, they grew the organization which made a difference in low income people’s and families’ lives in San Francisco.

While both Garvey and Neiman have passed on, they leave a legacy in more ways than one. Last fall, JDC was notified that Garvey provided a bequest of $25,000 from her estate, which was received this spring. She provided an example for the legal community in so many ways, and JDC is especially appreciative that she directed a portion of her assets to underwrite its continued work providing free legal assistance to low income people.

If you would like to follow Joanne Garvey’s example by leaving a legacy gift to the Justice & Diversity Center in your estate plan, please contact Yolanda Jackson at yjackson@sfbar.org for more information.