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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…

Tattoo Artists Fighting for their Rights

Recently, the legal rights of tattoo artists became the center of a copyright debate. In the past decade, tattoo artists have filed multiple lawsuits against prominent entertainment companies, such as Warner Brothers, for the use of Mike Tyson’s tattoo in…

JDC’s Taxpayer Workshops Help San Franciscans Prepare for Tax Season

With tax season approaching, JDC’s Low-Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC) recently provided a series of three taxpayer workshops for homeowners and gig-economy workers. The series partnered JDC with the San Francisco Public Library, the Homeownership SF coalition, San Francisco’s Office of…

Attorney’s Limited-Scope Help Offers Low-Income Residents a Real Chance in Eviction Proceedings

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) thanks Nicola Paterson of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for regularly volunteering with our eviction defense settlement clinic, the Housing Negotiation Project (HNP). In the past year, Nicky has represented 12 low-income San Francisco residents.…

Staff Attorney Represents Survivors of Domestic Violence

Meet Robyn Dunlap, who has joined the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) to work on the newly formed San Francisco Victim Advocacy Coalition (SFVAC). SFVAC is a grant-funded collaborative led by JDC, in partnership with the Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic,…

Risk Management Tip: Understanding Duties to Third Parties, Part 4

Missed parts 1,2 and 3? Catch up: Risk Management Tip: Understanding Duties to Third Parties, Part 1 Risk Management Tip: Understanding Duties to Third Parties, Part 2 Risk Management Tip: Understanding Duties to Third Parties, Part 3 The Litigation Privilege…