In the last three years, there has been rapid growth to the Immigrant Legal Defense Program which moved under the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) umbrella in February of this year. It was previously run by the Lawyer Referral…
Legal Writing Tip: Statement of Facts, Part Two
When writing the statement of facts, choose your material wisely, set it forth clearly, and end it with a kick. Many judges consider a brief’s statement of facts to be the most important section, or at least as important as…
Client Service Strategies for Paralegals
When working directly with clients, it is important to develop and maintain client service strategies to ensure their satisfaction with your firm. Achieving client satisfaction through client service does not require an expensive program or subscription. It’s free and can…
The Reality is You Can’t Always Get What You Want
Fans of The Real Housewives of Atlanta know that lawyer/mortician Phaedra Parks, whose show tagline is “you can’t always get what you want, but I can,” is used to winning her cases. Parks and her husband, Apollo Nida, have an…
The Ethics of Facebook Friending
Facebook can be a gold mine of information about litigants and witnesses. A personal injury plaintiff alleging debilitating leg injuries may post photos of her latest hiking trip. A defendant in a wrongful discharge case may make discriminatory remarks.…
Dolby Laboratories Legal Team Makes Pro Bono a Priority
If you are like most people, when someone mentions Dolby Laboratories, the first thing that comes to mind is surround sound. If there is a soundtrack to life, chances are Dolby is providing the audio. For the Justice &…
Five Tips for Running Your Solo or Small Firm
I’ve had my own small firm for about 15 years. I’ve learned the hard way about what works and what doesn’t. In conversations with other attorneys over the years, I’ve found they have similar conclusions about how to successfully run…
Polsinelli Continues California Expansion; Joins BASF Leaders Circle
The Bar Association of San Francisco welcomes its newest Leaders Circle firm – Polsinelli. Polsinelli is an Am Law 100 firm with approximately 800 attorneys in 20 offices, serving corporations, institutions, and entrepreneurs nationwide. Polsinelli attorneys provide practical legal counsel…
Top Pro Bono and Diversity Program Volunteers Honored at Annual Appreciation Event
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) celebrated its top volunteers at the annual Outstanding Volunteer Celebration on March 21. With over 225 people attending the event, held at The Green Room, Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye recognized awardees’…
Joint Statement of Bar Association of San Francisco and Justice & Diversity Center in Support of Chief Justice’s Letter to Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security
April 10, 2017 — San Francisco — The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) and the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of The Bar Association of San Francisco support Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye’s March 16, 2017 letter to…
Remembering Judge Edward Stern, Visionary for Indigent Criminal Defense
This article first appeared at www.beyondchron.org and is republished with permission. No one had an unkind word to say about Judge Edward Stern, who passed away last week at age 96. He was a gentleman who always sought…
Court Reporting Ethics Panel Takes On Controversial Topics
During the recent CLE program “Can You Say That? Legal Ethics of Working with Court Reporters,” put on by the Paralegal Section, these questions were addressed: • Do you know what Assembly Bill 1197 requires in Notices of Deposition? •…