Thank you to everyone who voted in BALIF's recent elections! We had incredible participation and a great turnout at our annual meeting this past week! Congratulations to newly-elected Board members: Jennifer Orthwein, Jennifer Wilensky, Jessica Bogo, Leah Nutting, Midori Hirai, Edward Joy, Andrew Vu and Dustin Helmer. We also welcome back re-elected Board members: Jamie Dupree, Lilah Sutphen, John Unruh, and Mario Choi. They will join continuing Board members On Lu, Laurie Bertolacci, Elizabeth Prtizker, Nick Kacprowski, Peter Catalanotti, and Nicholas Clements. We will be introducing the BALIF Board to you in the coming weeks, so stay stuned!
We also want to thank our departing BALIF superstars: Laura Maechtlen, David Nathan-Allen Sims, Susan Bluer, Michael Wolchansky, and our law student representatives, Nathan Bewley, Aditi Fruitwala and Milo Beitman. Thank you for your years of dedication and commitment to the Board and to BALIF! I, too, will be leaving the Board after 5 years. I have truly enjoyed being a part of such a dynamic and creative Board. Thank you!
Now its time to laugh! Do not miss BALIF's 2nd Annual Lesbian Comedy Night on May 7th at the Punchline with the first-ever openly gay stand-up comic, Suzanne Westenhoefer! Tickets are on sale now by clicking here, but going fast! Bring a group and laugh with the ladies of BALIF and Queen's Bench.
A laugh-out-loud event just for the fabulous femme fatale of BALIF (and their male cohorts of course). We've got the Punchline Comedy Club all to ourselves for the second year running. We are excited to feature Suzanne Westenhoefer! She's brave, bold and comic gold. The real deal in a post-modern world seeking to pump out reproductions, Suzanne is the reigning shtick chick worth noting. Her individual style and unique sense of self set the stage for all walks of life - young, old, gay, straight, lesbian, bi, and every descriptor imaginable in between. The first openly gay stand-up comic, Suzanne's ground-breaking career includes appearances on Letterman, HBO, Bravo, Logo and GSN as well as live performances across the US. Suzanne works mostly unscripted and is fearless, bold, unapologetic, and freaking hilarious.
For more information about Suzanne, please visit her website.
ALRP Honoring
BALIF Board Member Laura Maechtlen
On Thursday, May 9th from 5:30-7:30pm, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) is honoring BALIF Board member Laura Maechtlen of Seyfarth Shaw LLP with the ALRP 2013 James C. Hormel Philanthropist Award at its 2013 Major Donor Party. During the evening, ALRP will also be presenting Gilead Sciences, Inc. with its ALRP 2013 Community Partner Award. ALRP will also be commemorating its 30th year of service through the ALRP | 30 Years of Justice From The Heart Campaign, an initiative aimed at raising $300,000 to support ALRP's free legal services for people with HIV/AIDS.
ALRP's 2013 Major Donor Party is being held at The Plant Caf�, Pier 3 on the Embarcadero in San Francisco, just north of the Ferry Building. Take in the fabulous views, savor delicious food and wine (cash bar available) and network with friends and colleagues.
Suggested minimum donation is $300. If you already made a $300+ gift to ALRP in 2013, please RSVP as their guest. If you haven't contributed yet, you can do so by May 7th at www.alrp.org or simply donate at the door. RSVP by May 7th to Jim McBride at [email protected] or (415) 701-1200 ext. 301.
BALIF has a few tickets to the FBANC Annual Dinner on May 31, 2013. If you are interested in a Ticket, please contact Peter Catalanotte at [email protected]
Join the San Francisco Leadership Council and supporters in celebrating Lambda Legal's 40th anniversary at the San Francisco Soiree! Since 1973 Lambda has fought to protect and advance the rights of LGBT people and people with HIV through impact litigation and public education. Lambda's five national offices handle the entire spectrum of issues from marriage equality, to employment and public accommodation discrimination, elder issues, school and other youth issues, free speech, insurance, immigration and on and on.
The San Francisco Soiree includes a swank cocktail party, club dinner and performance by Tony-nominated artist Mx. Justin Vivian Bond. Tickets and sponsorships are available for the entire evening starting at $325/person or only $75/person for the after-dinner performance only with open bar and dessert. April 26, 2013 starting at 6:00 p.m. at Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street, San Francisco. For more information and tickets, go to http://www.lambdalegal.org/events/san-francisco-soiree
Queens Bench Presents:
"The Invisible War" Screening
Monday, April 29, 2013 at 6:00pm
Delancey Street Theatre
600 Embarcadero Street at Brennan San Francisco, CA 94107
The Invisible War Screening featuring Congresswoman Jackie Speier & Professor Elizabeth L. Hillman In conversation with GGU Dean Emerita Drusilla Stender Ramey.
A Women's Tournament and Fundraiser for the LGBT Community
Friday, May 10, 2013 Chardonnay Golf Club 2555 Jameson Canyon Road American Canyon, CA | Directions
After three successful years, Horizons' LGBT Golf Fore Good tournament is back!
Whether you're one step away from the pro tour or can't quite remember the difference between a birdie and a bogey, please join us for a day of friend-making and fundraising for the LGBT community!
Tournament Details: 18 hole tournament, four-person scramble format Entrance fees include a box lunch, greens and cart fees, plus post-play dinner banquet, dancing, and awards ceremony Registration at noon; shotgun start at 1:00 p.m. $150 per person or $550 per team
Become a Hole Sponsor for $250 and use your sponsorship sign to advertise your business, honor or remember a friend, or mark a special occasion. For other sponsorship opportunities, please click here.
Marriage Equality USA Awards Reception
Marriage Equality USA is excited to announce its first annual fundraiser and awards reception in San Francisco! The event will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2013 from 6-8:30 p.m. at Chambers Eat + Drink, 601 Eddy Street. We will honor community and corporate leaders who have assisted our community in this historical fight forward. The reception will feature drinks, light food, a silent auction, and we're very pleased to announce that Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom will be one of the honorees in attendance! MEUSA is also seeking firms who would be interested in corporate sponsorship and individuals who would like to be Event Captains. Further details and information can be found here: http://www.marriageequality.org/SF-Awards
Please also feel free to email BALIF member and co-organizer for the event, Zack Lyons: [email protected]
AABA Law Student Summer Grant
The Asian American Bar Association of the Greater Bay Area ("AABA") is offering one or more grants to help fund qualified summer law clerk(s) to work on legal projects that provide free legal services to the Asian American community. Applicants must be sponsored by a non-profit legal organization that has agreed to supervise the applicant for summer 2013. The grant will be funded by the AABA Law Foundation through the Community Services Committee of AABA.
The National LGBT Bar Association is pleased to present Reed Smith's 2013 Diverse Scholars Program. Reed Smith has a strong commitment to diversity which has resulted in a firm in which diversity and inclusion permeate the culture. Rewarding young future leaders for their efforts in the area of diversity and introducing them to the Reed Smith culture are two important goals of this program.
This new exciting initiative called "Mind the Gap" (MTG) is to provide recent law school graduates and young attorneys who are unemployed or underemployed with training, work experience, mentorship connections and debt reduction information. BASF is looking for attorneys to serve as mentors to MTG participants. A mentorship Listserv consisting of MTG participants and interested mentors will be created where mentees can post questions and mentors can respond with answers and general advice.
If you are interested in becoming an MTG mentor, please email [email protected].
Have a job or need one? Civil procedure question? Need a
referral? Have something important to ask ... or news to tell? Want to get to our members quickly? Join our Listserv!
Over the next few weeks, we will be sending out requests ONLY to BALIF members to join our newly-created Listserv. You must proactively respond to the request in order to be added to our Listserv (we will try to send out reminders to those of you who did not have the chance to respond). If you don't get a request by the end of April, please let us know. And, if you want to be added sooner than we can send out requests, shoot an email to [email protected] or [email protected].
We Want Your BALIFBuzz
We all love that section in our alumni newsletters that talks about who's doing what.
Well, we're introducing the BALIFBuzz to show-off all the great things that our members are doing. BALIFBuzz will be appearing in the weekly BALIF newsletter.
BALIF membership is required to view the job postings. Simply log into the BALIF website with your membership ID and password, and select the JOBS from the menu on the left.