According to the American Bar Association, in 2012 there were 1,268,011 licensed lawyers in the United States. However, in 2010 only 4.8% of attorneys were Black, 3.7% Hispanic and 3.4% Asian Pacific American. In the 2011- 2012 academic year the…
BASF Mind the Gap Program Recognized by American Bar Association
Mind the Gap (MTG), a BASF program established under the direction of 2013 President Chris Kearney of Keker & Van Nest, recently won three awards at the American Bar Association’s Young Lawyer Conference in August. MTG was honored with the…
Volunteer Social Worker Creatively Solves Problems at JDC’s Free Legal Clinics
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) recognizes volunteer social worker Yana Lavrick as our Volunteer of the Month for October. Born and raised in St. Petersburg, Russia, Lavrick holds Masters Degrees in both Psychology and Social Work. After moving to…
Family Law Corner: No Cameras, Mouth Running or YouTube as Diva Carey Asks Husband for Divorce Confidentiality
In the wake of Nick Cannon going on Twitter to rant about how he would “never…make a statement regarding my marriage,” it appears that media reports are accurate and Mariah Carey did request that he sign a confidentiality agreement about…
State Bar of California Honors Members for Pro Bono Work
The State Bar of California recently recognized two BASF members with its President’s Pro Bono Service Awards, Ciarán O’Sullivan, The Law Office of Ciarán O’Sullivan and Charles Crompton, the Glide Economic Development Corporation; and one member with its Jack Berman…
Is Litigation More of a Science Than an Art?
BASF’s Litigation Section will be hosting its annual Bench Bar Conference on October 16 to bring together judges, academics, and attorneys to discuss research on the science of decision making and persuasion. The event, entitled “Is Litigation More of a…
Legal Writing Tip: Write Your Briefs with a Sense of Style and Drama
We continue this month with more from Melvin Mencher’s News Reporting and Writing, my journalism textbook that, in my opinion, should be required reading for lawyers too. In Chapter 7, the “Writer’s Art” (in my copy, the 7th edition), Mencher…
Ten Things You Don’t Know About Barristers’ Treasurer Manny Alvarez
Manny Alvarez is the general counsel and chief compliance officer of Affirm, Inc., a San Francisco-based startup offering innovative point-of-sale consumer credit alternatives. Learn more about Alvarez, who also serves as treasurer of the Barristers Board of Directors: Lawyer jokes…
Haywood Gilliam Nominated For U.S. District Court By President Obama
Former BASF board member Haywood S. Gilliam Jr., a partner and vice-chair of the White Collar Defense and Inestigations Practice Group at Covington & Burling was recently nominated by President Barack Obama to serve on the San Francisco-based U.S. District…
Annual Labor and Employment Conference in Yosemite set for January 29-31
Have you ever been to Yosemite in the winter? It is among the most gorgeous, serene locations on earth. For years, the Labor and Employment Law Section has taken advantage of this wonderful location to hold its annual employment law…
Marie Ma and Na’il Benjamin Honored for Diversity Efforts
The Barristers Club held its 6th Annual Diversity reception in August where Marie Ma and Na’il Benjamin were recognized for their efforts to increase awareness of diversity issues in the Bay Area legal community. Ma, Corporate Counsel and Director of…
Scholarship Donors and Recipients Honored at Reception
BASF held its 16th annual Bay Area Minority Law Student Scholarship Reception in late August at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass where it recognized the 2014 donors and the recipients. This year six $10,000 annual scholarships were awarded. Scholarship donors…