Practice Area Corner Archives

Dictionary definition of the word Ethics.

Can You Confront Opposing Counsel if Opposing Counsel Is Violating the Rules of Professional Conduct?

Believing that opposing counsel violated the California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC or Rule) can present a clear ethical dilemma for attorneys. However, Rule 3.10, also known as the extortion prohibition rule, provides limitations on the attorney’s actions. Rule 3.10…

Man using laptop with a box popped out, "GDPR" is in the middle of the box

Virginia Adds to the Privacy Compliance Matrix

The European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) dominated privacy compliance efforts in 2018. Compliance efforts for the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) followed in 2019, and California voters then approved the California Privacy Rights Act in 2020—necessitating additional compliance…

What BASF’s Litigation Section Can Do For You

Whether it is taking advantage of the many Continuing Legal Education (CLE) events the Litigation Section offers, brushing up on your trial skills, getting updates on the state of the court, or networking at the annual Bench Bar Conference, most…

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Three Estate Planning Keys for Solo and Small Firm Attorneys

Do you know who would make decisions for you if you lost capacity? Have you designated guardians for your children to act if you’re not around? How confident are you that your assets will go to the right people, in…

Solo and Small Firm Practitioners Gathered Virtually for Fifth Annual Conference

This year marked the fifth year of the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s ever-popular annual conference, and despite being held virtually due to the current public health orders, the January 28 conference, Larger Than…

What Can Oral Argument Preparation Teach Us About Effective Briefing?

Tips for adapting your case to the judges’ and justices’ perspective While attorneys advocate, judges search for the right result. Here are three techniques for persuading judges by aiding them in their truth-seeking mission. First, channel your audience’s inner ‘scientist.’ Organizational…

green trees near mountain with sunlight coming through in Yosemite Valley

The Labor and Employment Law Section Annual Conference: February 25-26, 2021

When I started my career in labor over fourteen years ago at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), I frequently heard about the Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Labor and Employment Law Section’s Annual Conference at Yosemite from my…

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Are You Working on a Project That You Could Have Given to Your Paralegal?

The primary job of a paralegal is to lighten the workload of their attorney. Your paralegal can be an invaluable asset to your practice if you are using their skills correctly. You can have them review and organize client files,…

Lawyer workplace with laptop. notebook, and scale

Pandemic Arbitration

I try jury trials. I also try arbitrations. Unfortunately, anyone expecting to talk to a jury this year is likely out of luck. Although a small number of social-distanced jury trials were attempted in 2020, for the most part they were…

Data Breach: Breaking Down a Lawyer’s Ethical Duties to Inquire and Disclose

Your laptop or smartphone containing client confidences is lost or stolen. Or, you learn that the public Wi-Fi that you accessed yesterday without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) was a fake internet portal set up by hackers. Even worse,…

Female hands with burning candle in the dark

Give It Away Now: Billionaire Went Broke Intentionally

He’s the “ultimate example of giving while living,” says Bill Gates, himself no slouch when it comes to charitable donations. Chuck Feeney pioneered luxury on the cheap with his Duty-Free Shoppers stores in airports all around the world. Decades of…

TV’s Wyatt Earp Fought Off a Mob of Unclaimed Heirs

Hugh O’Brian channeled his straight-shooting Old West lawman elsewhere once he became famous as TV’s Wyatt Earp. Inspired by an encounter with the humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, the actor created a youth leadership organization that remains one of America’s most prominent.…

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