COVID-19 has turned 2020 on its head—and with no end in sight, all of us are settling into the “new normal” that many predict will change how lawyers work not just temporarily, but forever. As all of us adjust to…
Supreme Court Rules Discrimination Against LGBTQ People Is Sex Discrimination
On June 15, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court gave the LGBTQ community an unexpected gift for Pride Month, ruling 6-3 in Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity is prohibited under Title VII…
Increase Your Referral Network through Lawyer Referral and Information Service Membership
For over 70 years, the Bar Association of San Francisco’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) has provided high-quality service to the public, and there is no better time to become a member of the long-running, award-winning San Francisco-Marin Lawyer…
Increase Your Referral Network through Lawyer Referral and Information Service Membership
In its 70-plus year history, The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Lawyer Referral and Information Service (LRIS) has provided attorneys with opportunities to educate the public about its rights, represent clients in need of legal assistance, and grow professionally. As…
Rule 1.13 Likely Requires a Lawyer to “Report Up” an Instruction to “Bury the Evidence”
You are outside litigation counsel for a corporate client defending a personal injury case. The plaintiff issues a formal demand for security footage of her fall on your client’s premises. You have the footage in your possession – and it…
July 2020 Members in the News
Daily Journal Announces CLAY Awards The following BASF members were recognized by the Daily Journal with California Lawyer of the Year (CLAY) Awards in specific categories: David G. Peinsipp and Siana Lowrey, both of Cooley; Grant E. Strother, Latham &…
Co-Parenting During a Pandemic
The Bay Area issued its first Shelter-in-Place (SIP) orders effective March 16, 2020. San Francisco Superior Court, and other Bay Area courts, responded swiftly with its first orders regarding operations during the SIP. The Association of Family and Conciliation Courts…
Think Your Client Is Up To No Good? You May Have a Duty to Inquire
Practitioners should be aware of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) recent pronouncement that lawyers may have a “duty to inquire” in certain circumstances to avoid “advising or assisting a client in conduct the lawyer ‘knows’ is criminal or fraudulent.” Plaintiffs…
Legal Ethics and COVID-19
As we navigate the challenges of representing clients during the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to remain mindful of our obligations under the California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC). A recent Legal Ethics Corner (To Be Diligent, BASF Bulletin, May 2020)…
“Don’t Just Do Something—Sit There!”
Just as case law decided decades earlier still guides the outcome of cases today, our long history as peripatetic hunters and gatherers shapes our experiences today. The sympathetic nervous system, designed to trigger the “fight or flight” actions to help…
COVID-19 Frontline Workers Project Expands to Help More Essential Workers
The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) and the Justice & Diversity Center (JDC), leading a group of Bay Area lawyers and organizations that provide free life planning assistance to qualified individuals, are excited to announce the expansion of the…
Why Music Matters In Our Professional Space During COVID-19
As we enter the twelfth week of the shelter-in-place order, we are all looking for peace in chaos, camaraderie in isolation, and productivity in malaise. From unconventional work-from-home practices to the ever-increasing screen time, lack-of-childcare complications to communal workspaces, stress…