Barry Blackburn was fighting late-stage cancer when he asked his aide for a will to preserve his “family legacy”: hundreds of acres of farmland and lakefront properties in Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee that had been in the Blackburn family since…
Daughter Has Standing to Challenge Mom’s Last-Minute Disinheritance
Back in the 1980s, Joan Lee Maynord and her husband Bob set up a family trust for their six children. After Bob’s death in 1993, sole trustee Joan oversaw it for two decades, with all of their children designated as…
We Are Here For You While Our Offices Are Closed
We continue to serve your needs while doing our part to protect public health during the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. As we continue to adjust to the rapidly changing situation caused by the spread of COVID-19, the Bar Association of San…
Mock Trial, Real Skills: Lowell High School Takes the Win at San Francisco County Competition
February 4 kicked off our first day of competition for this year’s Mock Trial season. As one of the Justice & Diversity Center’s (JDC) diversity pipeline programs, the San Francisco County Mock Trial program provides public high school students an…
Simple Steps to Grow Your Paralegal Network
You don’t have to be looking for a new job to take advantage of networking. Whether you are a student breaking into the profession, looking to change jobs, and especially if you’re comfortable in your current position, having a network…
Untitled and Inspired: Art Section Hosts Private Tour of Art Fair
On January 17, the Art Law section—BASF’s newest section—hosted its inaugural event, a tour and reception at the UNTITLED, ART fair. The event was attended by over 70 registrants who enjoyed cocktails sponsored by Deutsche Bank and a privately guided…
We Have a Plan for That
Fiduciary duties are the last thing on your mind when you say, “I do.” Most people learn that spouses owe one another the highest duties of loyalty, care, and confidentiality when they first talk to a family law attorney at…
Legal Ethics Corner: Informed Consent
The concept of “informed consent,” including “informed written consent,” is one of the most important—and frequently referenced— terms in the California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC). It appears in twelve different rules, including: CRPC 1.2 (Scope of Representation and Allocation…
Son Loses His Family War Over Dad’s Advances on Inheritance
Many parents use the word “consequences” to try to make children think twice about the decisions they make. David Sachs followed through for real. Anything he gave to his kids was added to what he called his “Permanent Record.” When…
She Waited for Her Family to Make It Right—Big Mistake
It seemed ideal for family gatherings: a log-cabin near Yosemite. Richard Harley, in his role as trustee, bought it with funds from his parents’ family trust and put it in a separate trust—apparently without informing all of his siblings. He…
Referral Fees: Front and Center
The recent California Rules of Professional Conduct (“CRPC”), effective November 1, 2018, introduced some needed clarity regarding fee splitting amongst lawyers who are not in the same firm. Prior Rule 2-200(A) prohibited an attorney from splitting a fee with another…
Are you ready for the California Consumer Privacy Act?
California recently enacted what some have called the most comprehensive privacy legislation in the U.S., the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA). The CCPA becomes operative on January 1, 2020, but it requires businesses to disclose certain details about…