March 2016

BASF Executive Director Honored Twice in March

The Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Executive Director Yolanda Jackson was recently honored as San Francisco Assembly District 17 Woman of the Year. Jackson was selected for this award by District 17 Supervisor David Chiu. According to Chiu, “Yolanda…

Lowell High School Emerges as San Francisco County Mock Trial Champs

A student at Central Coast University on a track and field scholarship was facing a felony charge of murder for the homicide of a campus security guard. The student raised the affirmative defense of defense of another in order to…

Your Ethics Are Implicated by Mediation Confidentiality

In 2014, this Legal Ethics Corner column provided readers with “Some Thoughts On Issues Raised, But Not Resolved, by Cassel v. Superior Court.” Those issues remain unresolved, but some are closer to resolution than before. You may recall that the…

Tenacious Attorney Fights for Six Low-Income Tenants in the Mission

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to recognize as our Volunteer of the Month David Tchack, who works with the Eviction Defense and Housing Negotiation Projects. Tchack consistently takes cases for monolingual Spanish-speaking clients facing eviction and the…

Judges Honor and Thank Attorneys Who Represent Federal Court Litigants Pro Bono

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) and the Northern District Court of California recently recognized volunteers of the Federal Pro Bono Project, who provided pro bono representation to pro se litigants in federal court. The project offers a wide range…

Navigating the 2016 Talent Market

In today’s talent market, finding and retaining qualified employees can be challenging. In a 2015 survey, nearly 30% of U.S. companies reported experiencing a candidate shortage. This shortage is expected to continue through 2016; a recent survey revealed that 61%…

Legal Writing Tip: Don’t Distract Readers or Ruin Your Writing with Citations

Despite the efforts of legal writing guru Bryan Garner to promote use of “citational” footnotes, placing citations in the main body of the brief or memo remains the dominant method. And so, for the most part, or at least when…

Deciding on the Decider: Tips on Arbitrator Selection

Arbitration can arise in a variety of legal matters facing solo and small firm lawyers, such as in real estate, employment, and construction, or in drafting a dispute resolution provision for client transactions. One of the most important steps in…

Volunteers Needed for San Francisco Civil Grand Jury

The San Francisco Superior Court is accepting applications for Civil Grand Jury service for the 2016-2017 term. The Civil Grand Jury usually meets once per week, with additional meetings and interviews scheduled as necessary. Applications and more details about the…

New Attorneys Welcomed at BASF Reception

More than 50 people attended the new attorney reception held on February 18 at BASF. The reception was held to welcome recent grads and new admittees to the profession. Board members and senior attorneys were on hand to welcome them…

V-HUB: Working Together to Serve Veterans Seeking Legal Help [Infographic]

Read more about the V-Hub: Download and print the V-Hub flyer to spread the word to members of the community. Lawyer Referral and Information Service to Play Central Role in Coordinating Veteran’s Legal Services Veterans Summit Brings Together Legal Advocates for…

A Week in the Life of the SF-Marin Lawyer Referral Service [Infographic]

2016/03