August 2015

The Importance of Mindfulness in Mediation

As the human brain evolves to include senses-engaging Apple Watch communication and avatar only mood emoticons, it is important for those of us who practice in conflict resolution to build spaces where time stands still. Mediation requires actively sitting with…

California’s Lawyer Referral Service Client Privilege and the ABA’s LRS-Client Privilege Resolution

The ABA’s Standing Committee on Lawyer Referral Services is co-sponsoring a resolution to urge legislatures to enact and courts to recognize a privilege to protect the confidentiality of the tens of thousands of conversations that occur every day between prospective…

Attorneys and Accounting Professionals Team Up with JDC to Help Nonprofit Organizations

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) thanks the two law firms and two accounting firms who joined JDC in holding a free clinic for nonprofit organizations: Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton; Deloitte Consulting; and PricewaterhouseCoopers. Deloitte…

11th Annual Career Fair Draws More than 300 Law Students and 65 Employers

More than fifty employers interviewed over 300 law students from across the nation at the 11th Annual Bay Area Diversity Career Fair in July, sponsored by BASF and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. The night before the interviews, participating students and…

Barristers Club Honors Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler

BASF’s Barristers Club presented its Tara L. Riedley Barristers Choice Award at the 31st Annual Judges Reception on July 16 to Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler, United States District Court, Northern District of California. More than 250 members of the legal…

Bank of the West and Kimberly Taylor Recognized at In-House Counsel Diversity Awards

More than 60 guests attended the In-House Counsel Diversity Awards Reception, hosted by Schiff Hardin on July 29. BASF/JDC Executive Director Yolanda Jackson presented the Individual Award to Kimberly L. Taylor of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. and the Company…

Have You Done an Ethics Check on Your Firm Website?

A California attorney’s website must comply with California Rule of Professional Conduct 1-400 and Business and Professions Code sections 6157 through 6159.2. In addition to ensuring your website contains no false or misleading content, check your website for: Must Haves “Advertisement”…

Legal Ethics Corner: Ethical Issues in Compensating Contract Attorneys

The use of contract attorneys is commonplace in the practice of law today. Large law firms and solo practitioners utilize contract attorneys to supplement their own staff resources for transactional and litigation tasks. Despite a general requirement that a client…

10 Rules for Great Marketing Writing

Thank you to Knox Design Strategy and Repechage Group for permission to repost the 10 Rules for Great Marketing Writing. Click on the image below to download a pdf version.

California Recognizes Evidence Extrinsic to Wills

For many years, California courts have prevented heirs from contesting a will based on extrinsic evidence such as letters, handwritten notes and other unofficial documents not included in the estate plan. But last month, the California Supreme Court overturned these…

Governor Brown Signs the Mitchell Bill Banning Grand Juries in Fatal Police Actions

The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Criminal Justice Task Force played a very critical role in getting the Mitchell bill passed. The board voted for BASF to get involved by writing a letter to legislators; by sending task force members to Sacramento…

Date of Separation

A couple cannot be considered separated if they live together in the same home, the California Supreme Court has decided. Sheryl Davis told Keith Davis that she was “through” with their marriage on June 1, 2006; filed for divorce on…

2015/08