I try jury trials. I also try arbitrations. Unfortunately, anyone expecting to talk to a jury this year is likely out of luck. Although a small number of social-distanced jury trials were attempted in 2020, for the most part they were…
Data Breach: Breaking Down a Lawyer’s Ethical Duties to Inquire and Disclose
Your laptop or smartphone containing client confidences is lost or stolen. Or, you learn that the public Wi-Fi that you accessed yesterday without using a Virtual Private Network (VPN) was a fake internet portal set up by hackers. Even worse,…
Give It Away Now: Billionaire Went Broke Intentionally
He’s the “ultimate example of giving while living,” says Bill Gates, himself no slouch when it comes to charitable donations. Chuck Feeney pioneered luxury on the cheap with his Duty-Free Shoppers stores in airports all around the world. Decades of…
TV’s Wyatt Earp Fought Off a Mob of Unclaimed Heirs
Hugh O’Brian channeled his straight-shooting Old West lawman elsewhere once he became famous as TV’s Wyatt Earp. Inspired by an encounter with the humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, the actor created a youth leadership organization that remains one of America’s most prominent.…
February 2021 Members in the News
San Francisco Members Honored as Lawyer of the Year by Best Lawyers The following is a list of San Francisco-based BASF members who received recognition as Lawyer of the Year 2021 by Best Lawyers: Cecily Talbert Barclay, Perkins Coie; Thomas R.…
February 2021 CLE Bulletin and Webcast Replay
February 2021 CLE Bulletin Upcoming Conferences and Events from the Bar Association of San Francisco The Bar Association of San Francisco presents Streamlining Flat-Fee Projects: Increasing Profitability for Solo and Small Firms This is a Post-Conference Workshop for the Solo and…
January 2021 Members in the News
BASF Members Honored with Women, Influence & Power In Law Awards by Corporate Counsel The following BASF members were recognized by Corporate Counsel with Women, Influence & Power in Law awards. Terri M. Shieh-Newton, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, received…
Perseverance in the Face of Challenges: Paralegal Section Proves They Are a Force To be Reckoned With
The year 2020 has come and gone. We started the year declaring optimistically that 2020 would be the year of ‘perfect vision.’ But between a global pandemic and an exhausting presidential race, the optimism became an afterthought as we were…
Risk Management: Terminating Attorney-Client Relationships
During the first quarter of the new year, this column identifies strategies to minimize the risk of claims in 2021. The first strategy is to effectively terminate a representation once it concludes. In California, the statute of limitations for a…
Family Court Welcomes New Judges in 2021
The San Francisco Unified Family Court (UFC) is thrilled to welcome two new judges: Judge-elect Maria Evangelista Lopez Judge-elect Maria Evangelista Lopez will join UFC in January 2021 and replace Judge Sharon Reardon in Department 403. Since 2003, Evangelista Lopez…
Family Law Moving Forward
Let me wish you a Happy New Year 2021 and thank you for electing me Chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Family Law Section. Many are glad to see 2020 come to a close. The year proved…
Last Chance to Prevent Property Tax Reassessment for the Kids
Effective February 16, 2021, most parent-child gifts of real estate will be subject to reassessment thanks to Proposition 19. Subject to limitations, only the parent’s principal residence or farm will be excluded from reassessment if (and that’s a big if!)…