This year's fun-filled Alumni Weekend offers a great schedule of events and an easy way to join the festivities. To whet your appetite, check out our dancetastic 40-second video invite below. Whether your time at Boalt evokes memories of big band, swing, rock, funk, disco, new wave, grunge, or even former Mouseketeers, Alumni Weekend has something for everyone. Watch now:

You can't fight City Hall, but you can come to San Francisco's City Hall September 27 for a rousing kickoff event to this year's Alumni Weekend. Join us for an enlightening evening as we explore the Internet's double-edged sword: its ability to spread knowledge and democracy, and its potential risk to civil liberties and personal freedoms. 

High-profile speakers will share their insight regarding the Internet's impact on business, entertainment, and society at large. Panelists include Larry Sonsini '66, chairman of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; Rick Finkelstein '78, vice chairman and COO of Universal Pictures; whurley, co-founder of Chaotic Moon; Jeremy Howard, president and chief scientist of Kaggle; and John Riccitiello, private investor, prior CEO of Electronic Arts. 

The event signals a growing partnership between Boalt Hall and the Haas School of Business, which are collaborating on joint research and faculty appointments, interdisciplinary courses, and co-sponsored programs. That effort is a high priority within Boalt's Berkeley Center for Law, Business and the Economy, which routinely taps the resources of Haas and the university's Economics Department.

U.S. District Court Judge Charles Breyer '66 will receive the Judge D. Lowell and Barbara Jensen Public Service Award at a special luncheon ceremony September 28 at 12:30 p.m. The award is given annually to a prominent Boalt graduate who has demonstrated outstanding dedication to public service in the legal profession. 

"As everyone who has known Judge Jensen can attest, he has devoted his entire career to public service," Breyer said. "As a District Attorney, Deputy Attorney General of the United States, and now senior District Court judge, no one has given more to the legal community than Lowell. He has done so without any expectation of reward or acknowledgment. All recipients of this award owe Judge Jensen a debt of gratitude for his example of selfless service." 

Despite his busy schedule on the Northern District of California bench, Breyer has taken on numerous public service roles during his distinguished career. He has long been a loyal Boalt supporter and volunteer, serving as president of its alumni association from July 1, 2011 through June 30, 2012. 

"The law school has changed a great deal and all for the better," Breyer said during his time as alumni association president. "When I was at Boalt, there were no clinics and very few courses oriented toward the everyday practice of law. I think the changes have been remarkable, and that Boalt is turning out more better-prepared law students than ever."

Steven Zieff '78 is a top employment lawyer and national leader in enforcing wage and hour laws. Holly Fujie '78 is a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge who has been president of the California State Bar and Boalt Hall Alumni Association. Sam Cole '63 is a real estate wiz with a longtime commitment to environmental justice. 

While their legal backgrounds may vary, the trio shares a strong affinity for Boalt Hall -- as evidenced by their service as this year's reunion co-chairs. 

A partner at Rudy, Exelrod, Zieff & Lowe in San Francisco, Zieff became a co-chair because he is "grateful to Boalt for the strong legal education I got, the lifelong friends and mentors I met there, and the doors it opened for me." He applauds the law school's commitment to providing clinical opportunities, loan forgiveness programs, and support for the East Bay Community Law Center and the Thelton Henderson Center for Social Justice. 

 "Coming to the reunion also gives us a great chance to reconnect with classmates and reminisce," Zieff said. "Like me, many alums may not have been studying 24/7. Those law school years were also full of pick-up hoops, intramural softball, enjoying the Bay Area's musical offerings -- most notably for me, Jerry Garcia at the Keystone Berkeley -- and a whole bunch of fun times." 

For Fujie, leadership positions are nothing new. She was the third woman elected president of the State Bar of California, serving from 2008-09. And after 33 years in private practice, she was appointed to the Los Angeles County Superior Court bench in December 2011. 

"I was delighted and honored to co-chair Boalt's reunion because I owe so much to my experience there," Fujie said. "Even without considering the outstanding legal education I received, at what was then an incredibly low cost, I gained lifelong friends and an unequaled network of wonderful professional colleagues." 

Cole came to Boalt at the beginning of the environmental justice movement, and admires the school's leadership on environmental law issues and its proactive approach to helping shape policy for California and the nation. "Boalt is a special place," he said recently, "and I'm happy to stay involved with the school." 

The reunion chairs have worked hard to ensure that Alumni Weekend is "full of fascinating and fun activities for returning alums," and they warmly invite you to come back to Boalt this year to "reconnect us all with this law school which played such an important role in shaping our careers and lives."

There are many reasons why Boalt's intellectual property law program has been ranked No. 1 among U.S. law schools for 15 of the past 16 years. Robert Barr, executive director of the Berkeley Center for Law & Technology (BCLT), is high on the list. 

He has organized an engaging Alumni Weekend panel event entitled "Hot Topics in Law and Technology" (September 28 at 10:30 a.m.). 

A prominent group of Boalt alums will discuss the latest developments and trends at the intersection of law and technology. The panel includes Evan Cox '87, partner at Covington & Burling; Mallum Yen '95, executive vice president of RPX Corp; Charlene Morrow '88, partner at Fenwick & West; Gabe Ramsey '00, partner at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe; and Janet Cullum '82, partner at Cooley. They will tackle topics such as information privacy, the impact of patent reform, the smartphone patent wars, and digital entertainment law. 

"When I was asked to assemble a panel on law and technology, I immediately thought of inviting a few of the many Boalt alums who are leaders in this field," Barr said. "BCLT has helped these people stay involved with Boalt, and they're always willing to share their knowledge and experience."

Q: I've been doing a lot of reading about the history of the Disability Rights Movement at Berkeley and the name Jacobus tenBroek keeps coming up. I think he has a Boalt Hall connection. What can you tell me about him?

--LJ, Berkeley

A. With the establishment of the Center for Independent Living in 1972, Berkeley became ground zero for an activist movement of people living with disabilities. CIL was pioneering and radical, because it was directed by people with disabilities who advocated (and agitated) on behalf of people like themselves. Their first non-negotiable demand - curb cuts and building ramps for people in wheelchairs - seemed outrageous and ridiculous, and is now the law of the land. But long before the CIL, a feisty blind Boalt Hall alumnus named Jacobus tenBroek elucidated what he termed "the right to live in the world," and showed that sometimes to secure justice you need to piss off the complacent.

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For Rebecca Golbert, staying calm during a "dream" job interview was easier than one might expect. "The position seemed a little too good to be true, so I never really let myself get too revved up," said the new executive director of the Berkeley Institute for Jewish Law and Israeli Law, Economy and Society. 

Golbert is now overseeing institute programming for the upcoming school year with Professor and Faculty Director Kenneth A. Bamberger. Her hire is supported by a generous grant from the Jim Joseph Foundation. Golbert arrives from Pepperdine University, having worked there as a visiting assistant professor and associate director of its Glazer Institute for Jewish Studies. 

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The East Bay Community Law Center (EBCLC) celebrated one of its proudest moments July 11, when California Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation creating new consumer protections against unfair debt collection practices. "In our 25 years, this is probably the most significant piece of legislation that we've had a direct hand in passing," EBCLC Faculty Director Jeff Selbin said of the Fair Debt Buying Practices Act. 

The Act, which takes effect January 1, mandates that debt buyers substantiate the validity of a debt before trying to collect -- and bars them from filing suit unless they can verify the debt and the amount. EBCLC initiated the push for legislation to combat an alarming rise in debt buyers' deceptive tactics, and remained heavily involved in its development, drafting, and promotion. 

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When Fastcase named Robert Berring '74 "the granddaddy of legal research," and one of the legal profession's top 50 innovators, visionaries, and leaders, the Berkeley Law professor beamed with pride. "I became an actual grandfather for the first time just a couple weeks ago," he said. "Anything granddaddy-related sounds pretty great to me." 

A respected legal research service, Fastcase noted that "most lawyers learned about legal research from law school professors, and most of those professors learned from Bob Berring." In 2006, the American Association of Law Libraries named his book Finding the Law the most significant contribution to law librarianship of the past 50 years. 

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Rebecca Sosa '09 received the 2013 Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Pro Bono Service Award at a presentation at the Supreme Court of Florida. A litigation association at Hughes Hubbard & Reed's Miami office, Sosa's practice focuses on complex product liability litigation in federal and state courts. In 2010, she contributed more than 1,000 pro bono hours, the highest number in her firm. Sosa was also featured in a Florida Trend magazine article as a "Pro Bono Star," and her award was featured in Florida Daily Business Review.

Online Alumni Networks

All law school graduates are invited to join AlumNetwork. Just email [email protected] for your security ID, then visit AlumNetwork here to activate your profile. The online community includes: a directory of alumni, Class Notes, your own personal profile, alumni/ae profiles, events and registration, and more.... 
And be sure to join our other groups: Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. LinkedIn is a great resource for referrals, job listings and career development advice from Robert White, Boalt's director of alumni career services.

Support for your career development doesn't end with graduation. The Career Development Office provides resources for alums, including access to the b-Line jobs database and individualized confidential career counseling: resume review, job search strategies, career exploration (including careers outside of law practice), and more. See the Alumni Resources page on the CDO website.

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