Blog - Page 113 of 174 - The Bar Association of San Francisco

Contract Paralegals are a Great Resource for Hire

What is a contract paralegal? Unlike any other state, California is the only state that requires paralegals and legal assistants, which are synonymous (Business and Professions Code §6454), to meet certain educational requirements in order to be considered a paralegal.…

Certified Public Accountant Contributes Valuable Skills to Low-Income Taxpayers

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to recognize Chuck Schreiber as the January Volunteer of the Month . Schreiber serves a crucial role as one of a few certified public accountants volunteering with JDC’s Low-Income Tax Clinic…

Make an Impact at the California Conference of Bar Associations in San Diego

Did you go to law school, become a lawyer, in hopes of making a difference? Do you want to improve matters not only for your clients, but also for society? One way to have a direct impact is to…

Paralegal Corner: Guidelines for Respectful Attorney-Reporter Relationships

A litigator schedules a two-hour deposition beginning at 4:00 p.m. The court reporter arrives at 3:30. Counsel agree at 6:00 to continue for another hour. At 7:00, the witness’ attorney asks, “How much longer?” The questioner answers, “Just one more…

One Day Left to Give!

Former Scholarship Recipient Now Helping Clients with Re-Entry

The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program demonstrates JDC’s commitment to advancing diversity in the legal profession. The program awards diverse first year Bay Area law students with a $30,000 scholarship, over three years, based…

Vinson Elkins Signs as Newest BASF Leader Circle Firm

The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) is very excited to announce its newest Leaders Circle firm in 2016 – Vinson & Elkins. Vinson & Elkins’ San Francisco office focuses on bet-the-company litigation disputes and investigations in the areas of…

Got Ethics? Join the Committee in 2016 to Stay Active in the Legal Community

In addition to holding its 4th Tuesday monthly meetings at BASF’s offices and staffing the BASF Legal Ethics Hotline, the active members of BASF’s Legal Ethics Committee have: regularly contributed to this Ethics Corner; jointly authored formal ethics opinions with…

Member Profile: Meet Shanti Ariker

BASF member Shanti Ariker is the Global General Counsel and Vice President of Salesforce.org. She is a graduate of The University of Virginia School of Law and was a BASF 2014 Award of Merit recipient for her significant contributions to BASF,…

Legal Writing Tip: Let us Lose the Legalese

Why are so many legal briefs overwrought with stuffy, archaic verbiage where simple, plain English would do? We can blame it in part on our legal education. Slogging through page after page of mind-numbing text—the sort comprising the typical, aged…

Lawyer Referral and Information Service to Play Central Role in Coordinating Veteran’s Legal Services

In February 2014, BASF held its first ever San Francisco Veteran’s Summit which asked participants two fundamental questions: What are the challenges for veterans in connecting with service providers about their civil legal needs, and what system can we create…

Cost-Effective Trial Tools

On March 24, 2015, I sat in the back of Judge Harold Kahn’s crowded courtroom in San Francisco Superior Court. The parties in the Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins sex discrimination case were delivering closing arguments. Both sides used modern…

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