National Asian Pacific American Bar Association Announces 2018 PresidentBASF member

Pankit Doshi, DLA Piper, was elected president of the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association (NAPABA). The announcement was made at the NAPABA’s annual convention in November.

NAPABA is comprised of Asian Pacific American lawyers, judges, law professors and law students from around the country, and the interests of almost 50,000 people and 80 bar associations are represented.

Fenwick Attorney Elected to TechLaw Executive Board

BASF Member Jennifer Kelly, Fenwick & West, was recently elected Secretary of the Board of Techlaw. She is the first woman to hold a leadership position in TechLaw’s 30-plus year history. TechLaw Group, Inc. was formed in 1986 and their mission was unique to the rapidly evolving practice of technology law: share best practices, provide a mechanism for referrals when it was mutually advantageous to do so, and build membership carefully so as to preserve a small group of non-competitive firms so that lasting and productive relationships can take root.

Consumer Attorneys Honored at Awards Ceremony

BASF member Christopher J. Keane of The Keane Law Firm in San Francisco was honored as a Consumer Attorneys of California (CAOC) Street Fighter of the Year for protecting victims of child abuse by requiring sheriff’s officials to cross-report evidence of such abuse to Child Protective Services.

The following BASF members were named as finalists in the CAOC Consumer Attorney of the Year Awards:

Lori Andrus and Jennie Lee Anderson of Andrus Anderson were named finalists for their involvement in Coates, et al. v. Farmers Group, Inc., et al and achieving equal treatment for women at an insurance giant.
Elizabeth J. Cabraser, Kevin R. Budner, Wilson M. Dunlavey and Phong-Chau G. Nguyen, of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein were named finalists for their involvement in In re Volkswagen “Clean Diesel” the case resulted in MDL taking polluting cars off the road after Volkswagen’s deceit.

Michael A. Kelly, Khaldoun A. Baghdadi, Matthew D. Davis, Valerie N. Rose, all of Walkup Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger and Brian Devine, Seeger Salvas were recognized for their involvement in Kransky, et al., v. DePuy, Inc., et al. and holding a medical device holding a manufacturer accountable for a dangerous design. The winners were announced in November.

At the same ceremony, the following BASF members were installed on the CAOC board: President Lee Harris, Goldstein, Gellman, Melbostad, Harris & McSparran; Third Vice President Craig Peters, The Veen Firm; Financial Secretary Kathryn Stebner, Stebner & Associates; Secretary Douglas Saeltzer, Walkup Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberge; and Diversity Chair Kimberly Wong, The Veen Firm.

Jewish Bar Association Honors BASF Members

Past BASF President Jeff Bleich, Dentons, and Cody Harris, Keker Van Nest & Peters, were both recently honored by the Jewish Bar Association of San Francisco. Bleich was given the Ruth Bader Ginsburg award for excellence by a Jewish member of the legal field. Harris was given the Simon Wiesenthal Award for outstanding work opposing forces that seek to destroy the Jewish people.

Charles Houston Bar Names 2018 Board Members

The following BASF members were named to the 2018 Charles Houston Bar Association (CHBA) Board of Directors: Budget Chair Nadim Hegazi, Gordon-Creed, Kelley, Holl & Sugerman; and General Counsel Terrance Evans, Duane Morris.

CHBA is comprised of lawyers, judges, and law students throughout northern California and is named in honor of the legendary civil rights practitioner Charles Hamilton Houston (1895 – 1950).

Legal Marketing Association Honors Attorney

The Bay Area Chapter of the Legal Marketing Association recently honored Jessica Nall, Farella Braun + Martel, with its Rella Lossy Award. The Rella Lossy Award, named in memory of poet, playwright, and legal marketer Rella Lossy, are awarded each year to an attorney and to a marketing professional. The award recognizes professionalism and outstanding contributions to the practice of law firm marketing and business development.

Human Rights Campaign Foundation Announces Best Places to Work
The following BASF Leader Circle firms were included on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation “Best Places to Work for LGBT Equality:”

Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld; Alston & Bird; Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer; Baker & McKenzie; Bryan Cave; Cooley; Crowell & Moring; Davis Wright Tremaine; DLA Piper; Fenwick & West; Foley & Lardner; Goodwin; Greenberg Traurig; Hinshaw & Culbertson; Latham & Watkins; Littler Mendelson; Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Morrison & Foerster; Nixon Peabody; Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart; O’Melveny & Myers; Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe; Paul Hastings; Perkins Coie; Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman; Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton; Shook, Hardy & Bacon; and Vinson & Elkins.

Members and Leader Circle Firms: Have you received an award, or been elected to serve on a board? Has your firm been honored for its achievements or pro bono efforts? We want to include the accomplishments of members and Leader Circle firms.

Please send details and a high resolution color headshot to bulletin@sfbar.org.