When selecting a jury, attorneys seek as much information as possible about the prospective jurors. With limited time for voir dire, it is often fruitful to turn to online sources of information: entering prospective jurors’ names into a search engine…
Lawyers Needed Now To Help San Franciscans Facing Homelessness
Settlement Conference Clinic Training May 15, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. The Justice & Diversity Center’s Housing Negotiation Project (HNP) provides pro bono limited-scope representation for individuals and families facing eviction. Volunteer attorneys staff unlawful detainer settlement conference shifts and provide…
BASF and JDC Mourn the Passing of Judge Stephen Reinhardt
Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a tireless beacon of the federal bench, passed away last week. Appointed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1980, Judge Reinhardt authored many influential opinions on LGBT rights, immigration, and racial and gender discrimination, among…
Blue Collar Comedian Ron White’s White Collar Problems
Comedian Ron White, famous as a founding member of “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” along with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy, has been trying to prove he was never married to his wife, singer-songwriter, Margo Rey, for…
Risk Management: Duties Of Partners In A Dissolving Firm
Nearly ten years after international law firm Heller Ehrman closed its doors, the California Supreme Court addressed whether the dissolved firm had any interest in the hourly-fee legal matters former partners continued to handle. In Heller Ehrman LLP v. Davis…
Attract Corporate Clients with Your Minority Certification
Is your firm minority-owned? Do you want more corporate clients? If so, you should consider the benefits of third-party certification. Corporations are placing a stronger emphasis on the diversity of their outside counsel and minority certification can play a key…
Wilson Sonsini and Dolby Join JDC to Support Bay Area Nonprofits
The Justice & Diversity Center’s (JDC) Community Organization Representation Project (CORP) recently partnered with attorneys from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati and Dolby Laboratories, Inc. to hold a free legal clinic for six Bay Area nonprofits. The clinic provided legal…
Legal Writing Tip: Don’t Misplace Your Modifiers or Let Them “Squint”
A misplaced modifier is one that is improperly separated from the word (or “element”) it is intended to describe, restrict, or alter. When the modifier within a sentence lacks a clear referent, the sentence often sounds ridiculous, or confusing. This…
The Kirk Kerkorian Estate Drama He ‘Tried’ to Prevent
Kirk Kerkorian, eighth-grade dropout, billionaire, casino and film dealmaker, died at age 98 in June 2015 with an estate plan that’s playing out like a movie script. Kerkorian married the young Una Davis a year before he died and, the…
Don’t be a “Blue Dot” Paralegal
Several years ago, I was visiting my friend who is a veterinarian. At the end of a patient visit, as the pet owner left the clinic, she told her receptionist in a low voice, “Blue dot.” “What’s a blue dot?”…
Legal Employers Open Doors of Opportunity to More Than 50 Law Students
Members of the legal community came together on March 7 to celebrate the success of the 2018 1L Open Doors Job Shadow Program. The reception marked the conclusion of yet another successful year of opening doors of opportunity for diverse…
Second Annual BASF Solo Small Firm Conference Inspires Growth
On Thursday, February 8, 2018, the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Solo and Small Firm Section hosted its second annual conference. This year’s event boasted an even bigger turnout than last year’s inaugural conference. The day began with two informative…