Good People Helping Others

The Bar Association of San Francisco in 2005
by Jim Finberg, 2005 BASF President

In 2005, the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF), through the Volunteer Legal Services Program, provided millions of dollars of free legal services to thousands of persons who would not have been able to afford these services. Through the 2005 Diversity Task Force, BASF actively supported diversity, equity and inclusion in the legal profession. BASF honored voting rights heroes John Lewis and Thelton Henderson in 2005 and supported the re-authorization of the 1965 Voting Rights Act. BASF and its members also provided humanitarian aid to those in need.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion were a particular area of focus in 2005. Bill Lann Lee, the former Acting Attorney General for Civil Rights, headed up the 2005 Diversity Task Force, which interviewed law firms about their compliance with BASF’s 2000 and 2005 diversity goals. The Task Force published its findings in November 2005 (finding that San Francisco had made great progress, had met the 2000 BASF goals, and was ahead of national averages, but most firms had missed the 2005 goals). The Task Force set even more ambitious goals for 2010, and made recommendations about how to achieve these goals, including by making law firms more inclusive and by establishing a mentor program. The Task Force also set goals for subgroups.

On October 28, 2005, the Task Force and BASF hosted a Diversity Conference. Speakers included Professor Anthony Greenwald of the University of Washington, who developed the Implicit Association Test and administered that test to the conference attendees. Other speakers included Professors David Wilkins from Harvard, Susan Sturm from Columbia, and Marjorie Schultz from U.C. Berkeley, and Judges Edward Chen and Thelton Henderson, in addition to labor economists, sociologists, and many general counsel and business leaders.

In July 2005, then District Attorney Kamala Harris attended BASF’s Minority Summer Associates reception. BASF assisted District Attorney Harris with her “Back on Track” program. Voting rights were also a focus in 2005. In September, Abby Ginzberg premiered her film “Soul of Justice: Thelton Henderson’s American Journey” at a BASF event at the Herbst Theater. At the BASF Foundation Gala on October 25, 2005, Congressman John Lewis of Georgia was one of the keynote speakers. Congressman Lewis appeared at the Gala by video because he was in Washington, D.C. working on the re-authorization of the Civil Rights Act.

2005 also saw BASF members donate time and money to help those in need. In January, BASF raised over $100,000 for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. In the spring, BASF raised over $200,000 in cash and donated 16,000 pounds of food and hundreds of volunteer hours for the San Francisco Food Bank.

In many ways 2005 was a typical year for BASF—good people helping others and making the world a better place.