Judge Stephen Reinhardt, a tireless beacon of the federal bench, passed away last week. Appointed to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in 1980, Judge Reinhardt authored many influential opinions on LGBT rights, immigration, and racial and gender discrimination, among…
Blue Collar Comedian Ron White’s White Collar Problems
Comedian Ron White, famous as a founding member of “Blue Collar Comedy Tour” along with Jeff Foxworthy, Bill Engvall, and Larry the Cable Guy, has been trying to prove he was never married to his wife, singer-songwriter, Margo Rey, for…
Risk Management: Duties Of Partners In A Dissolving Firm
Nearly ten years after international law firm Heller Ehrman closed its doors, the California Supreme Court addressed whether the dissolved firm had any interest in the hourly-fee legal matters former partners continued to handle. In Heller Ehrman LLP v. Davis…
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…