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About Us & Our MissionThe Bar Association of San Francisco champions equal access to justice and promotes humanity, excellence, and diversity in the legal profession. We champion projects - short and long term --that help to raise awareness and spur action in these areas. BASF Initiatives and Task Forces Include Marriage Fairness: The mission of this Marriage Fairness Task Force is to educate the community about marriage fairness and to defeat the effort to place, for the first time in our California Constitution, an amendment that discriminates and denies a class of citizens a fundamental right. Known for its longstanding efforts and commitment to promote equality for all , BASF is working alongside many community organizations to defeat Proposition 8 on the November 4, 2008 ballot. Town Hall Meetings: Teaming with local civic groups, these forums will feature discussions on topics such as the rule of law, judicial independence, the workings of the court system, and the death penalty. Fair and Impartial Courts Task Force: Building on the progress made by the Independence of the Judiciary Committee in 2007, the renamed task force will develop a rapid response program to provide appropriate and timely responses to unjust criticism of judges and courts. Providing Substantive Digital Information and Commentary: As a trusted source of reliable content to the public and the legal community, BASF will be preparing blogs, videos, podcasts and online training, among other things to the BASF Web site. Access to Justice: BASF will be helping guide the state as the topic of state-funded legal representation in civil cases involving basic human needs move to the forefront. Supporting Pakistani Attorneys: In November of 2007 Pakistan was wrenched into martial law -- its constitution suspended, its courts closed, its judges forced to sign loyalty oaths, and the right of the Pakistani people to petition their government lost. In the midst of this turmoil, one group immediately took to the streets to protest these actions: Pakistan's lawyers. In newspaper after newspaper, we have seen these lawyers -- wearing suit and tie -- risking their lives in confrontations with military police to demand the return of the rule of law. Read the December 2007 BASF Bulletin article (444KB Check out the You Tube videos of the rally.
Read the January 2008 BASF Bulletin article (293KB Listen to the audio of the teleconference at https://cc.readytalk.com/play?id=go985m4q Note: Recording playback requires Flash. If you do not have Flash installed, you will be prompted to install it before playback begins. Download materials (163KB Expanding the Diversity Agenda: BASF's diversity efforts were expanded during 2007 to include more focus on LGBT lawyers and lawyers with disabilities. A DVD version of the Disability Conference, which focused on the hiring and retention of attorneys with disabilities is available. A report on the hiring and retaining of LGBT attorneys was released in November 2007. Download the LGBT report. Please contact Yolanda Jackson at yjackson@sfbar.org to order the Disability Conference DVD or a hard copy of the LGBT report. BASF College of Trial Advocacy: With the help of some of the best trial lawyers in the country, BASF rolled out in December 2007, a full-fledged NITA (National Institute of Trial Advocacy)-styled College of Trial Advocacy for San Francisco juvenile defenders. Read the January 2008 BASF Bulletin article (308KB Independence of the Judiciary Committee: A committee to be a clear, consistent and powerful voice for a fair and impartial judiciary was formed in 2007 and acts as BASF's SWAT team: a first responder that will monitor attacks, speak out in the press, and fires back because courts are not in a position to do so. Read the March 2007 BASF Bulletin article (315KB Read the July 2007 BASF Bulletin article (296KB Goals and Timetables for Minority Hiring and Advancement: In an effort to advance racial and ethnic minorities in the San Francisco Bay Area legal community, BASF's Diversity Task Force adopted a set of goals and timetables and periodically conducts surveys measuring the success of the initiative. Read more about the goals and timetables. Charitable Giving Task Force: The Charitable Giving Task Force's Resolution for law firm giving was passed by the BASF Board of Directors in August 2006. Find out more about the work of this task force. No Glass Ceiling Initiative: The No Glass Ceiling Task Force was formed in 2001 to increase opportunities for women to serve in leadership positions within the legal profession in the San Francisco Bay Area. Read about the 2005 No Glass Ceiling survey findings and goals for 2010. Work/Life Balance Initiative: The Work/Life Balance Initiative, with its task force of more than 50 attorneys, legal professionals and representatives from local law schools, came together in 2006 to survey the legal community to find out about best practices for work/life balance. Find out more about this initiative. Sister City Initiative: BASF’s Sister City Bar Initiative was created to build relationships abroad, to foster goodwill and to offer practical assistance to BASF members in their practices. Read the BASF Bulletin article about this initiative. (218KB Putting a Face on the Homeless: In 2006, an effort to start putting a face to San Francisco's homeless was established through a series of articles highlighting clients of VLSP's Homeless Advocacy Project. |
PDF) from 2007 President Nanci Clarence.