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…
Clinic Brings Essential Legal Services to Veterans
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) held its second annual Veterans Legal Services Clinic in November 2015 with Swords to Plowshares, Salesforce.com and Morrison & Foerster. Together, 14 veterans with 23 legal issues ranging from housing to family law issues,…
Family Law Corner Surrogate on the Hook for Child Support? The View from Pennsylvania Says No
Sherri Shepherd’s (The View) three-year fight to invalidate her surrogacy contract has established the law in Pennsylvania (In Re: Baby S.) on surrogacy contracts. The decision could not have come sooner for the gestational carrier, Jessica Bartholomew, a Pennsylvania resident.…
BASF Bulletin Board: Our Members and Leaders Circle Firms Making Headlines
Minority Bar Coalition Honors Local Attorneys The following BASF members were recognized with Unity Awards on behalf of their Minority Bar Coalition bar association: Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area: Ted Ting, Bank of America; The Bar…
Bay Area Judges and Attorneys Plant a Future with Incarcerated Youth
Inspired by past BASF President Stephanie Skaff’s “It Starts with a Day,” and continued by 2015 BASF President Tim Moppin, Jeff Bornstein, Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld, and Cloey Hewlett, Nossaman, organized the third trip to Log Cabin Ranch School…
Morrison & Foerster Attorney Named Judge
BASF member Stephen Freccero, a partner at Morrison & Foerster, was recently appointed to a Marin County Superior Court judgeship by Governor Brown. He is scheduled to take office on January 4 and fills the position vacated in 2014 when…
Body-Worn Police Cameras Hot Topic in 2015
In January 2015, the BASF Board of Directors commissioned its Criminal Justice Task Force to examine current practices impacting racial bias and discrimination in the San Francisco criminal justice system. One of the task force’s subcommittees reviewed body camera protocols…
David Abella, Former Scholarship Recipient Pays it Forward with Second Chances
The Justice & Diversity Center’s Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship program demonstrates a 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 on…
Need Referrals? Join the San Francisco-Marin Lawyer Referral Service for Half the Price
With the start of a new year quickly approaching, why not try a new way to increase your revenue and grow your clientele? Join BASF’s SF-Marin Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS). January is the start of half-price membership time…
Lutheran Volunteer Corp Members Work to Bring Justice to Clients at HAP
Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) connects full-time stipended volunteers nationwide with nonprofit organizations to work for peace and justice. This month, the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to spotlight Keeya Singer and Hannah Flanery, who work at JDC’s Homeless…