In April, the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) partnered with Yahoo! Inc. and Fenwick & West to hold a pro bono clinic for nonprofit organizations. After Fenwick attorneys gave an overview of typical legal issues for nonprofits, Yahoo lawyers and…
Barristers Club Annual Open House Draws More than 100
The Barristers Club held its annual Open House on April 23. Over 100 attorneys and law students came to BASF to learn about the various sections and committees of the Barristers Club and the JDC’s Diversity Pipeline Programs. There were lots…
Homeless Advocacy Project Makes a Difference in San Francisco
Thirty-five year old Jerry Buttner came to JDC’s Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) for help getting federal disability benefits (SSI). He had a long history of mental health and medical problems, and was living in a half-way house after serving time…
June Bulletin Board: Our Members and Leaders Circle Firms Making Headlines
Two Leaders Circle Firms Named Best Places to Work BASF Leaders Circle firms Farella Braun + Martel and Fenwick & West were both recently named to the San Francisco Business Times, “Best Places to Work in the Bay Area” list.…
Barristers and Senior Lawyers’ Cocktail Party
The Senior Lawyers Section and the Barristers Club enjoyed cocktails together at their Spring Reception on May 7th. Jeff Bleich, a past president of both BASF and the Barristers Club, gave a brief speech demonstrating commonalities between both groups at…
Volunteer Lori Rifkin Gives Litigants a True Chance for Justice
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to recognize Lori Rifkin as our volunteer of the month for her outstanding work with the Federal Pro Bono Project. The project arranges pro bono counsel for pro se litigants in federal…
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning: Where There is a Will, There’s a Way
Napoleon’s Will Tells the Story of His Final Days Napoleon Bonaparte was the first Emperor of France and an aggressive general before his defeat at Waterloo. In the Spring of 1821, shorn of power and imprisoned by the British on…
Legal Ethics Corner: The Duty to Supervise New and Experienced Attorneys
The duties of California attorneys are set forth in the State Bar Act (Bus. and Prof. Code § 6000, et seq.), the California Rules of Professional Conduct, and case law. The California Rules of Professional Conduct require us to perform…
BASF Interim ED Speaks to Black Law Students Association
On April 22, BASF/JDC Interim Executive Director Yolanda Jackson participated on a panel presentation, “Minorities Making a Major Difference.” The event was organized by Golden Gate University School of Law Black Law Student Association and moderated by Professor Eleanor Lumsden.…
Legal Writing Tip: Tackling Problematic Words
Here’s more on the ever-popular topic of easily confused words. Email me your own problematic pairs – they could end up in a future column. Preventative, Preventive Both mean devoted or concerned with prevention. Some linguistic purists prefer preventive. Imply,…
Justice & Diversity Center Celebrates Outstanding Volunteers
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) celebrated the top 15 percent of its volunteers, and specially recognized four individuals and a law firm, at its Annual Outstanding Volunteer Appreciation Celebration in April. With more than 200 people in attendance at…
Destination Law School: Making an Impact, One Student at a Time
The Justice & Diversity Center’s Diversity Pipeline Program Manager Nicole Britton-Snyder recently reported that her 13 Bay Area college and junior college campus visits reached 277 diverse students during the 2013-2014 school year as part of JDC’s Destination Law School…