Carmen Li, Author at The Bar Association of San Francisco

January 2021 Members in the News

BASF Members Honored with Women, Influence & Power In Law Awards by Corporate Counsel The following BASF members were recognized by Corporate Counsel with Women, Influence & Power in Law awards. Terri M. Shieh-Newton, Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky, and Popeo, received…

gold star trophy against shiny sparks background

Perseverance in the Face of Challenges: Paralegal Section Proves They Are a Force To be Reckoned With

The year 2020 has come and gone. We started the year declaring optimistically that 2020 would be the year of ‘perfect vision.’ But between a global pandemic and an exhausting presidential race, the optimism became an afterthought as we were…

gavel in foreground of client and attorney shaking hands

Risk Management: Terminating Attorney-Client Relationships

During the first quarter of the new year, this column identifies strategies to minimize the risk of claims in 2021. The first strategy is to effectively terminate a representation once it concludes. In California, the statute of limitations for a…

Family Court Welcomes New Judges in 2021

The San Francisco Unified Family Court (UFC) is thrilled to welcome two new judges: Judge-elect Maria Evangelista Lopez Judge-elect Maria Evangelista Lopez will join UFC in January 2021 and replace Judge Sharon Reardon in Department 403. Since 2003, Evangelista Lopez…

Family Law Moving Forward

Let me wish you a Happy New Year 2021 and thank you for electing me Chair of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Family Law Section. Many are glad to see 2020 come to a close. The year proved…

Last Chance to Prevent Property Tax Reassessment for the Kids

Effective February 16, 2021, most parent-child gifts of real estate will be subject to reassessment thanks to Proposition 19. Subject to limitations, only the parent’s principal residence or farm will be excluded from reassessment if (and that’s a big if!)…

Can You Handle the Truth?

Attorneys must be honest for the justice system to work and for the system to have any credibility to the general public. To that end, attorneys had a duty of candor under the old California Rules of Professional Conduct (CRPC)…

Concepts of law and legal. Lawyer or judge work in the office.

Evolving ADR: Remote Mediations, Silver Linings and Adapting

As we approach a full year of pandemic-driven shutdown orders, it’s easy to focus on what we miss with online mediation – in-person get togethers. We don’t sit across the table, walk together down hallways, or share a cup of…

Trust Revocation Wordplay

There’s an old saying that remodeling a home is like pulling a loose string on a sweater—go too far, and it all unravels. Robert Cundall, John Martin, and Frances Diaz were neighbors and friends before things fell apart. In 2008,…

San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge in the background with its reflection inside a crystal ball in the center

Barristers 2020: Year in Review

As I look back on 2020, it makes me think of how bar associations have always held a very special space in my heart. When I was growing up in Hawaii, my mom spent thirteen years as executive director of…

A lawyer is working on document with an iPad and laptop.

Pandemic Forces Courts and Lawyers to Reimagine Proceedings

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Anne-Christine Massullo had pre-qualified over two hundred prospective jurors in anticipation of the court’s first in-person civil jury trial since the coronavirus pandemic. She used a tape measure to make sure all twelve jurors and…

Checking in with Nemo

This year, with all its challenges, has also given us an opportunity to pause and look back on the many people and stories from San Francisco Attorney magazine that have inspired and engaged. In 2017, Kathleen Guthrie Woods introduced us to Nemo,…