November 2016

Incubator Project Launches with Four Attorneys

Legal incubators have been increasing in recent years to address the negative consequences of two divergent realities: A widening legal justice gap for those of limited means and a shrinking network of full employment opportunities for newly minted lawyers…

Are You Applying the Right Strategy to Settle Your Case?

Whether you are an experienced or more junior lawyer, are you applying the right techniques for settling your client’s case? First and foremost, make sure you have a professional rapport with opposing counsel and parties that encourages communication. Without that,…

Sanford Heisler Commitment to Justice Goes Beyond the Courtroom

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of The Bar Association of San Francisco received a $10,000 cy pres award thanks to Sanford Heisler, and its San Francisco Managing Partner and JDC Board Member Felicia Medina. Sanford Heisler shares JDC’s commitment…

Are You Applying the Right Strategy to Settle Your Case?

Experienced lawyer or more junior, I ask the question: are you applying the right techniques for giving you the best chances for settling your client’s case? I am not saying that I have a magic formula, but after four…

Attorneys and Judges Volunteer at Local Juvenile Detention Center to Build Futures

On November 12, Jeff Bornstein of Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld and BASF’s Julie Traun organized the fourth BASF sponsored trip to Log Cabin Ranch High School (LCR), a unique court-ordered school located 45 miles south of San Francisco in…

Former Scholarship Recipient Gives Back Through Sanford Heisler Public Interest Fellowship

The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship Program was established in 1998 to reaffirm a commitment to diversity in legal education and the legal profession. Most scholarships involve a three-year commitment to qualified students at $10,000…

New Volunteer Finds Creative Solution for Senior Citizen Facing Eviction

John Roman negotiated an outcome for a 76-year-old woman facing eviction in his first pro bono case with our Homeless Advocacy Project. The tenant’s mentally ill grandson had nowhere else to go at night and slept on her floor. He…

Thank You Leadership Council

The Justice & Diversity Center thanks its Leadership Council for their time and insight. Every few months, council members gather to discuss emerging issues regarding volunteer recruitment and how JDC can be responsive to client needs. JDC values their thoughtful…

Is the Representation Over? Can I Accept A New Client Adverse to a Former Client?

A new client requests your services. You run your conflict check and discover that the requested matter is against a former client. What are your ethical obligations? Can you represent this new client? Is the former client a former…

Five Timeless Tips to Make Every Minute Count

“Organizing is what you do before you do something, so when you do it, it’s not all messed up.” – Christopher Robin, Winnie the Pooh 000000 1.The Rule of Five: Do It Now We often think, “I’ll get to…

Brangelina, Interrupted

The demise of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s marriage has captured headlines everywhere. Jolie and Pitt (collectively known as “Brangelina”) recently announced the end of their eleven-year relationship (though the marriage was only two years). The pair famously went public…

Legal Writing Tip: Draft the Main Issue First

Well-trained journalists learn a critical commandment early in their careers: never start writing until you know the story. Or, as novelist John Irving put it in Writers on Writing, “Never start writing until you know … as much of the…

2016/11