Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the Bay Area Honors Pro Bono Service Several BASF members were recently honored by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights at its 28th annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Awards Luncheon. JDC Board Member Neil…
In 17 Years, 92 Diverse Students Have Benefited from Scholarships
The Minority Law Student Scholarship Application is now available online. Students can download the 2015 application at www.sfbar.org/scholarships. Deadline to apply is April 10, 2015. Thanks to the generosity of the legal community, the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) continues to…
Homeless Advocacy Project Has a New Home: 125 Hyde Street
Having lost its lease as a result of the rent squeeze a healthy San Francisco economy has created, the Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) moved February 1, 2015, into its new home at 125 Hyde Street. This Tenderloin location puts the project…
Ten Things You Don’t Know About Alyssa Snyder
Alyssa Snyder is thrilled to have recently joined Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass as a nonprofit and tax associate. Coblentz is a respected San Francisco Bay Area law firm with deep roots in and an unsurpassed commitment to the local…
Write for BASF’s Blog and Gain Exposure as a Practice Area Expert
Interested in writing about trending legal issues as they relate to your practice area? Consider writing an article for our blog, Legal by the Bay, or our other BASF channels. It could be monthly column, or a one-time topic you’re…
Five Must-Have Tips to Keep Your Internet Legal Research on a Budget
The below is adapted from Carole Levitt’s book Internet Legal Research on a Budget co-authored with Judy K. Davis, ABA LPD 2014 Legal research and the Internet clearly go hand in hand — 96 percent of lawyers in the 2013…
Bobbi Kristina Brown: How Her Tragedy Would Play Out In California
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, has been in a medically-induced coma since January 31, 2015, when she was found face down in a bathtub of her home in Roswell, Georgia. Since then,…
Footballer Ex-Wife’s Contempt Defense Calls in Divine Interception (of Jurisdiction)
Three years ago, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was litigating the validity of his premarital agreement with his ex-wife, Pilar Sanders. Despite having finally dissolved their marriage (Pilar lost on her premarital agreement claim), they are still battling it…
If You Are A Spendthrift (Trust), Go To Hawaii
A valid spendthrift trust is entitled to certain protections in bankruptcy, especially in Hawaii. In In re Zukerkorn, 500 B.R. 598 (9th Cir. BAP 2013), the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit…
Protect Your Estate by Properly Funding Sub-Trusts
In the complex world of estate law, even a seemingly small oversight can cost your beneficiaries big money. As the successor trustee of his parents’ estate, Elwood Ty Olsen learned this the hard way. Before her death, Elwood’s mother Grace…
Homeless Advocacy Project Keeps Client Out of the “Dog House” with Creative Thinking
The Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP) of the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) often has clients who are at serious risk of eviction, in part because the client’s service dog is considered aggressive by other tenants. It is not uncommon for…
New Civility Guidelines for Professional Conduct
In June 2014, the federal courts of the Northern District of California adopted “Guidelines for Professional Conduct,” also called “Civility Guidelines.” The Guidelines describe an attorney’s “duty of professionalism” as including “civility, professional integrity, personal dignity, candor, diligence, respect, courtesy,…