Practice Area Corner Archives

What, Me Worry? The One Thing You Need for the Young Risk-Takers in Your Life

It’s not just older adults who need to think about putting their wishes in writing. Young people are known for their risk-taking, with motorcycle riding, reckless driving, outdoor adventures, and campus antics. So it’s never too early to think about…

Legal Ethics Corner: New Rule of Professional Conduct 1.4 Regarding Communication with Clients

On May 10, 2018, the California Supreme Court adopted sweeping changes to the California Rules of Professional Conduct (“CRPC” or “Rules”). These changes will go into effect on November 1, 2018. One Rule that will change significantly is CRPC 3-500…

In the Dog House: Pet Custody and Logic

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, otherwise known as Logic, is a rapper whose career took off with his hit “1-800-273-8255.” However, his marriage to Jessica Andrea did not fare as well as his career. Logic and Andrea married in 2015…

Grow Your Contact List While Keeping Robocallers and Spammers at Bay

We yoke the law to ethical standards because ethics serve both the cause of justice and the efficacy of the work. However, ethical standards—such as the ABA’s Model Rules of Professional Conduct—present a variety of challenges, especially when it comes…

BASF Welcomes Kevin Haroff to the Bay Area Mediation Services Panel

Kevin T. Haroff is the San Francisco managing partner of the national environmental and business litigation firm Marten Law. A litigator and mediator, he holds degrees from Cornell University’s Law School and Graduate School of Management. Haroff has helped resolve…

Housing Dispute? Handle it Quickly Online

Housing disputes emerge daily across San Francisco and the Bay Area. Escalating roommate disagreements, behavioral problems that disrupt a housing community, and unlawful detainer legal actions—blended with the most expensive rental prices in the United States—make for a perfect storm.…

Preparing for the Inevitable: BASF’s Mandatory Fee Arbitration Program

Fee disputes are inevitable. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a solo practitioner or a partner at an Am Law 100 firm—if you are charging a fee for your services, you are going to have a client who complains about the…

Conflict Resolution to Support Kids’ Learning: The San Francisco Unified School District Partners with the Bar Association of San Francisco

Shiela comes to the school one day and sees her son’s speech language pathologist with a baby. She discovers that the pathologist had been out on maternity leave. She is extremely upset that this was not communicated to her. The…

Celebrating 15 Years of Positive Outcomes: Bay Area Mediation Services

In the past fifteen years, the Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Bay Area Mediation Services matched hundreds of cases with experienced mediators who get results. Two-thirds of BASF mediations end in settlement, and parties report a stunning 99 percent…