In legal writing, as in any form of communication, tone is crucial. What you say is no more important than how you say it. When addressing the court, an attorney should strive to “be the voice of reason—with a tone…
Meet Barristers Litigation Section Leader Evangeline Burbidge
Evangeline (“Evan”) Burbidge is an attorney at Lewis & Llewellyn, a San Francisco litigation boutique firm focusing on high-stakes civil cases. An active BASF member, she currently serves as a co-vice chair on the Executive Committee for the Barristers Litigation…
$19,000+ Raised at 8th Annual Bike-a-Thon
Thank you to the 35 riders, runners and walkers who raised over $19,000 for JDC’s Legal Services Programs last month! Everyone had fun at Crissy Field while supporting JDC’s free legal services for low-income people. JDC congratulates the top individual…
O’Melveny & Myers Awards College Scholarships to High School Students
BASF Leader Circle Firm O’Melveny & Myers continued its longstanding tradition of awarding college scholarships and mentoring to students at San Francisco’s Balboa High School. Since 2006, O’Melveny’s San Francisco office has selected three high-achieving 10th grade students from Balboa…
Nossaman Hosts Women of Color Attorney Network Reception and Panel
BASF Leader Circle Firm Nossaman recently hosted the Women of Color Attorney Network – Bay Area Chapter reception and panel in the firm’s San Francisco office. During this reception, the firm hosted guests including Carin Fujisaki, Chief Counsel to the…
Post-Threat Analysis: SCOTUS reverses conviction in online threats case
On June 1, 2015, in Elonis v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 7-2 decision that a Pennsylvania man’s conviction for posting threatening Facebook posts regarding his estranged wife was a reversible error. The Supreme Court held…
Dealing with Workplace Bullying
Small and solo law firm attorneys should expect to hear more about workplace bullying. As of January 1, 2015, mandatory anti-harassment training by employers must contain an anti-bullying component. Covered employers must provide supervisory employees with training about prevention of…
DLA Piper Band Wins Fundraising Competition
Congratulations to Def Piper, BASF Leader Circle Firm DLA Piper’s, band that recently won band fundraising competition LawRocksSF. The legal professionals from DLA Piper, Gigya, and OPOWER rocked hard for Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic (CROC), raising over $22,000 between…
BASF LGBT Issues Committee Releases Statement on Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage
A statement from BASF’s LGBT Issues Committee Chairs Peter Catalanotti and Robert Gower: On June 26, the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges and related cases, providing a definitive and affirmative answer…
SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Marriage Equality Nation-Wide
11 years of dedication to marriage equality: The timeline below, culminating in today’s landmark SCOTUS opinion in Obergefell v. Hodges, starts in 2004 when San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom authorized the issuing of marriage licenses to same-sex couples.
Past President Bequests $25,000 to the Justice & Diversity Center
As the first woman president of The Bar Association of San Francisco, Joanne Garvey was a trailblazer for women attorneys, including being the first woman to serve on the California State Bar’s Board of Governors and its first female vice…
Battery Liability for Offending Unusually Sensitive Sense of Personal Dignity
Under new rules, promulgated by the powerful American Law Institute, offending ultra-sensitive people now carries battery liability. In the olden days, battery was considered an offensive “unwanted touching” based on the reasonable person standard, for example, grabbing a menu out…