July 2015

Attorney Support Needed as Immigration Court’s “Expedited Dockets” Turns One

July 30, 2015, marked the one-year anniversary of the expedited dockets in San Francisco Immigrant Court. For the last year, in accordance with a memorandum issued by the U.S. Department of Justice, immigration courts nationwide have accelerated the deportation proceedings…

BASF and JDC Welcome New Diversity & Pipeline Programs Manager

BASF and JDC are excited to welcome Elizabeth McGriff as our new Diversity & Pipeline Programs Manager. McGriff, a former trial attorney, comes to BASF/JDC from College Track where she served as the Academic Coaching & Enrichment Program Manager and…

Summer In the City: Diversity Receptions

Summer in the City… where the networking is easy. The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) recognizes the benefits that minority and LGBTQ law students and young lawyers receive when afforded opportunities to network with other lawyers and successful partners who look like them and/or have similar experiences. Established in…

Four Scholarships to be Awarded to Bay Area Minority Law Students

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of The Bar Association of San Francisco announced the recipients of its 2015 Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarships. Thanks to the generosity of donors, four scholarships will be awarded to minority students attending…

Summer In the City: Diversity Receptions

July 30: Women Connect Reception at Baker & McKenzie On July 30, BASF’s No Glass Ceiling Initiative held a Women Connect Reception. More than 85 people were in attendance at the reception, hosted by Baker & McKenzie. The reception served to provide networking opportunities for successful female…

Jurisdictional Jetlag for the Jetset

Kelly Rutherford is heading back to court as her ongoing custody battle, now in its sixth year, rages on. Her child custody case has given her more publicity than her roles in “Gossip Girl” or “Melrose Place.” For those who…

Former Volunteer Joins JDC as Supervising Attorney for Tax Clinic

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) welcomes Matthew Miller as the new Supervising Attorney for its Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Miller comes to JDC after seven years of private practice in tax controversy, from complex disputes with the Internal…

Volunteer Interpreter Helps Serve Culturally Diverse Community

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to recognize Maria Lanas as our Volunteer of the Month in August for her outstanding work with our Interpreter Project. JDC serves a linguistically diverse population, and volunteers such as Lanas help…

Summer Interns Help JDC Serve Low-Income and Homeless San Franciscans

This summer, the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) welcomed nine summer interns at its downtown office and at JDC’s Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP). Peter Stevens, JDC’s Consumer Project intern, is a rising 2L at UC Hastings with a legal…

Smart Dispute Resolution

Is there such a thing as “smart” dispute resolution? You betcha! And here is why. What is the goal in representing a client in a dispute: resolution, of course, but the path towards the agreed upon result is the issue.…

Legal Writing Tip: Omit Surplus Words

Good writing is lean writing. Unnecessary words impede clarity and impact. Lawyers trade in words. So you’d think we would know to use them carefully and sparingly. Instead, verbosity abounds. Excess words invade our sentences like so many extra pounds,…

The Court Reporter’s Dilemma: Interrupt or Drop

No one likes to be interrupted, least of all the litigator who is hot on the trail of a crucial answer from a witness. Words are flying like bullets. Suddenly, a voice asks him to repeat the question. He…

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