An attorney taking an extended leave of absence or sabbatical can be difficult for any law firm to manage, and particular challenges arise for small firms where there may only be a few—or even no—other attorneys to cover the caseload…
10 Red Flags of Potentially Difficult Clients
Paralegals and other non-attorney professionals are often tasked with the initial potential client intake interview. The first consideration is to determine if there is any conflict of interest in communicating with the potential client. All legal practices should have a…
Compensation From One Other Than Your Client, The Bank of Mom and Dad and Others, Beware
The California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC) generally prohibit representation of adverse interests without a conflict waiver. Subparagraph (F) of CRPC 3-310 imposes disclosure and consent requirements when attorneys are compensated by someone other than the attorney’s client. (For California…
BASF Honors Gap’s Marie Ma and Adobe at Annual In-House Counsel Diversity Awards
More than 60 people attended The Bar Association of San Francisco’s annual In-House Counsel Diversity Awards reception on July 12 at the law firm of Polsinelli. BASF Executive Director Yolanda Jackson presented the individual award to Marie J. Ma, Senior…
Annual Food From the Bar Campaign Sets Record by Raising $726,000 in Six Weeks
BASF and the SF-Marin Food Bank celebrated the results of the annual Food From the Bar (FFTB) campaign at an awards ceremony at the Merchants Exchange Club on June 20. FFTB is the legal community’s annual fundraising drive to benefit…
Summer Interns Assist Most Vulnerable
This summer JDC’s Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) was fortunate to have two full-time summer interns from local law schools. Brigette Latno-Mosunic is going into her third year of law school at the University of San Francisco and Ian Jacobster is…
Pro Bono Lawyer Jumps Into Advocacy With JDC Mentorship
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) applauds Lara Palanjian’s enthusiasm for her pro bono case. Palanjian is defending a low-income tenant against eviction. Her client’s landlord had been harassing him until Palanjian won a mini-trial for a civil harassment restraining…
Housing Cases: How Lawyers Change Lives Through Limited-Scope Representation
Pro bono lawyers represent tenants facing eviction on a limited-scope basis at pre-trial settlement conferences. For many vulnerable San Francisco residents, this assistance is the last defense against homelessness. The Justice & Diversity Center thanks these firms whose attorneys have…
Volunteer Interpreter Steps Up For Immigrants Seeking Justice
The Justice & Diversity Center’s (JDC) Volunteer of the Month is Jared Malakouti, who interprets for our Spanish-speaking clients and their pro bono lawyers. With dedicated volunteers like Malakouti, JDC can provide meaningful access to justice for monolingual people at…
Housing Cases: How Lawyers Make a Difference Through Full-Scope Representation
Landlords often use owner move-in (OMI) eviction notices to pressure tenants to give up their long-term tenancies. It is critical that a tenant moving out pursuant to an OMI notice have a lawyer both to do adequate discovery to determine…
Summer of IP Event Features Summer Associates Presenting on Unfolding Issues
In June, BASF’s Intellectual Property Section hosted the first Summer of IP, featuring summer associates speaking on unfolding intellectual property issues. Each summer associate developed their presentation with an experienced attorney and presented their findings to a packed house at…
BASF Bulletin Board: August 2017 Members in the News
Daily Journal Names Top Plaintiff Lawyers The following BASF members were included in the Daily Journal’s “Top Plaintiff Lawyers” List for 2017: Elizabeth J. Cabraser, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein Eric B. Fastiff, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein Craig M.…