Message from the BALIF Board
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Greetings!
Since our Prop 8/DOMA victories, I haven't been able to stop humming the tune to "Winds of Change"...
Take me to the magic of the moment
On a glory night
Where the children of tomorrow dream away
in the wind of change
This Scorpions' classic is from 1991. I was a sophomore in college back then, and vividly recall how the lyrics of this song celebrated German reunification, the end of the Cold War, and the fall of communism in Eastern Europe .
The "Winds of Change" have been blowing in the Bay Area as well. Everywhere I turn, I see our BALIF brothers and sisters standing prouder, wiser, and more forcefully - because together, we survived (and won) a decade-long war for marriage equality in our state. Our attorneys are advancing up the law firm ladders, and getting promoted through the corporate and government ranks. Our in-house counsel members are becoming decision-makers. We're remembering the need for LGBT judges, and redoubling our efforts to recruit. We're helping our law students and young attorneys gets jobs and become more qualified candidates. We're finally standing-up for our long-neglected transgender family, and putting an exclamation mark behind our female members (!).
The BALIF Board has been busy laying plans for our 2013-14 year. We can't wait to unveil what's coming, and we're so, so glad you're along for the ride.
BTW: Here's a link to the music video if you're so inclined: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4RjJKxsamQ
Looking forward to greeting you soon,
On Lu
BALIF Board Co-Chair
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2013- 2014 BALIF
"Connections" Mentorship Program
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It's that time of year again! BALIF's "Connections" Mentorship Program is looking for mentees seeking to gain valuable insight into the profession, and mentors who want to provide guidance and experience to the "younger" crowd. Both mentors and mentees must be able to commit to constant communication, and must be able to meet at least a few times during the course of the mentorship year (September-May).
Mentors should be more senior, experienced attorneys or judges in their field(s) of practice. Mentees can be law students, attorneys just beginning their careers, or even more senior attorneys looking to expand their horizons or to move into a different legal focus.
Applications are available for the program. Please email younglawyers@balif.org, and in the subject line note either "Mentor" (if you are seeking to be a mentor) or "Mentee" (if you are looking to be mentored). If you have any questions, please email the Chair of the Young Lawyers and Law Students Programs Committee Chair at younglawyers@balif.org.
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ACCTLA / CAOC
Happy Hour Mixer
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The Alameda-Contra Costa Lawyers Association and Consumer Attorneys of California cordially invite attorney-members of bar associations affiliated with the Minority Bar Coalition to our Happy Hour Mixer. Please make sure you RSVP and see you there!
Event: ACCTLA / CAOC Happy Hour Mixer
Where: Ozumo, 2251 Broadway, Oakland
Free drinks and appetizers!
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After Windsor & Perry: What's Next for the Marriage Equality Movement
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Friday, July 12, 2013 - 12:00pm - 1:30pm
Morrison & Foerster LLP
425 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
The Bay Area Lawyer Chapter of the American Constitution Society and Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom present:
After Windsor and Perry: What's Next for the Marriage Equality Movement
Featuring:
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Therese Stewart, Chief Deputy City Attorney, San Francisco City Attorney's Office; Member, Board of Advisors, ACS Bay Area Chapter
And moderated by:
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Craig Konnoth, Deputy Solicitor General, Inaugural Earl Warren Fellow, California Solicitor General's Office
The Court has finally spoken on Proposition 8 and the Defense of Marriage Act. What does this mean for the future of marriage in California and across the nation? What are the next steps for the marriage equality movement? The ACS Bay Area Lawyer Chapter and BALIF are pleased to present a panel of speakers who have been deeply involved in the cases and in the movement to speak on these issues.
Lunch will be provided. Thank you to Morrison & Foerster LLP for generously hosting this event.
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Marriage in America:
Life After Windsor & Perry
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Join BASF's LGBT Equality Committee for an exciting panel discussion to discuss the impact of the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings in the same-sex marriage cases (Hollingsworth v. Perry, et al. and United States v. Windsor) and to explore the impact of these cases on the marriage equality movement nationwide. Speakers include:Matt Coles (Deputy Legal Director and Director of the ACLU Center for Equality, ACLU) Chris Stoll (Senior Staff Attorney, NCLR) Kristin Perry and Sandra Stier (Plaintiffs in Hollingsworth v. Perry, et al.) Moderated by Yolanda Jackson, Deputy Executive Director and Diversity Director, The Bar Association of San Francisco Hosted by The Bar Association of San Francisco 301 Battery Street, 3rd Floor Wednesday, July 17, 2013Panel discussion: 5:00 - 6:30 p.m.BASF LGBT Partners, Associates and Counsel Reception to follow: 6:30 - 7:30 p.m.Please RSVP online by July 15th at http://www.sfbar.org/calendarFor more information contact Nicole Britton-Snyder at 415-782-8914
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Shattering the Judicial LGBT Glass Ceiling
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As an active supporter of efforts to increase representation of Asian-American LGBT lawyers in the judiciary, AABA's LGBT Committee is proud to debut its Judges Seminar Series with an in-depth look at the careers of four trailblazing LGBT judges. Our honored guests include:
- Justice Rives Kistler of the Oregon Supreme Court, the first open LGBT justice in the country;
- Justice Sabrina S. McKenna of the Supreme Court of Hawai`i, the first open LGBT Asian-American female justice in the country;
- Justice Barbara Lenk, the first open LGBT justice of the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court; and
- Federal Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, the first LGBT Asian-American female judge in the Northern District.
This seminar will explore each judge's unique experiences, challenges, and lessons learned throughout their career. This is not an event to be missed! MCLE credit is available. Event Details Event Title: Shattering the Judicial LGBT Glass Ceiling Date: Thursday, July 18, 2013Time: 5:30-8:00 pmAgenda: 5:30-6:00...Opening reception 6:00-7:00...Presentation + Q & A 7:00-8:00...Closing reception Location: Orrick (8th Flr.) 405 Howard Street San Francisco, CA 94105 To RSVP: *Space is limited *No cost to AABA/BALIF members and law students; $25 for non-members *To RSVP, please email Maggie Owyang at aaba.bayarea@gmail.com or sign up on AABA's Calendar.
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Prenup is not a Dirty Word: Marrying and Registering with Heart and Smarts
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Marriage. It's in the air. And in the courts. And all over the press. Marriage is a civil right, marriage is romantic .... and marriage is a contract with your partner. Unless you specify otherwise, the terms of the contract are pre-written by the state. This contract is the only contract most people enter into without reading or knowing the terms. In fact - where can one even find those terms? If you are considering marrying and/or domestic partnering, we encourage you to think about what you want your marriage or registered partnership to look like. Do the rights and obligations set by the state fit your relationship - or do you want to customize them?
Join us July 25, 2013!
The LGBT Center
1800 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
In this workshop, we will address: - Why do a pre-nup? (Or not!)
- What can we address in a pre-nup? - How can we go about creating a pre-nup?
Presenters are: Charles Spiegel (charlesspiegellaw.com), Heba Nimr (hebanimr.com), and Dylan Miles (milesfamilylaw.com)
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Up Your Alley & Folsom Street Fair Volunteers Needed!
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The Transgender Law Center is proud to be one of the partners selected by the Folsom Street Fair to provide volunteers for the Folsom Street Fair and its baby brother, Up Your Alley.
To be a success, TLC needs BALIF members' help. TLC needs BALIF to step up and be a volunteer. It's easy, it's fun, and you'll still have plenty of time to enjoy the fair.
All you have to do is go to a brief orientation meeting, and then show up and work a shift. A variety of volunteer tasks are available. You'll meet terrific people and have fun while at the same time helping Transgender Law Center become a strong, solid partner of the Folsom Street Fair.
Up Your Alley is on July 28th and the Folsom Street Fair is September 29th. More information can be found here: http://folsomstreetfair.org/fair-faq.php
Please let Trans Law Center Board Member Shawn Demmons (shawn.demmons@gmail.com) know ASAP if you can volunteer for either event. TLC needs you, BALIF members!
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Iranian American Bar Association
Sixth Annual Dinner
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The Iranian American Bar Association invites BALIF Members to their Sixth Annual Dinner on Thursday, August 15, 2013, at 6:30pm. This year's keynote speaker will be Mr. Cyrus Amir-Mokri, the U.S. Treasury Department's Assistant Secretary of Financial Institutions! Tickets can be purchased tickets here .
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2 or 3 offices available in prime Victorian in Castro. Share flat with estate planner/generalist and building with other attorneys. We are congenial, collegial, experienced and respectful.
Rents: 1,100 for smallest office; 1200 for med office and $1,400 for front parlor office (fireplace, etc.). Included in rent: shared reception/paralegal office and conference room, and small kitchen space. Not included in rent: utilities, and cleaning. Floor is well-wired for internet for easy plug and play.
Contact: Michael @ 861-9900
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Announcing Reed Smith's
2013 Diverse Scholars Program
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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.
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BASF's Mind the Gap Program:
Mentors Needed!
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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 mindthegapmentor@sfbar.org.
For more information, please visit www.sfbar.org/mind-the-gap.
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Join the BALIF Listserv!
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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!
BALIF members should have received our invitation to join our newly-created Listserv. You must proactively respond to the request in order to be added to our Listserv. If you didn't get a request, please let us know by emailing technology@balif.org or balif@balif.org.
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We Want Your BALIFBuzz
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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.
New job?
New client?
Promotion?
Court victory?
Significant settlement?
Baby on the way?
Recently married or engaged?
Speaking engagement?
Award, recognition, certification, or degree?
Or anything else you're excited about...
Keep it to one or two lines. Please send to membership@balif.org.
Can't wait to hear your great news!
Lauri Bertolacci
BALIF Membership Chair
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Job Postings Now on BALIF Website
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All job postings can be found here!
BALIF membership must be current 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.
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July 12- After Windsor & Perry- What's Next for the Marriage Equality Movement
Life after Windsor & Perry
July 18- Shattering the Judicial LGBT Glass Ceiling
July 25- Workshop: Prenup is Not a Dirty Word
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On Lu & Jamie Dupree
Elizabeth Pritzker & Andrew Vu
Nick Kacprowski Amicus Chair
Dustin Helmer & Midori Hirai
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Partner Level








Advocate Level
A.L. Nella & Company, CPAs
Bingham McCutcheon LLP
Cooley LLP
Farella Braun + Martel LLP
Huron Legal
Jones Day
Kirkland & Ellis LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP
Nixon Peabody LLP
O'Melveny & Meyers LLP
Orrick
Perkins Cole LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Santa Clara University School of Law
Sheppard Mullin Shook, Hardy & Bacon LLP
Benefactor Level
AT&T Legal Department
Clarence, Dyer & Cohen LLP / Swanson & McNamara LLP
Futterman Dupree Dodd Croley Maier LLP
Gibson Dunn
Jackson Lewis LLP
JAMS
Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP
Littler Mendelson
Mount, Spelman & Fingerman
Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP
Neilson & MacRitchie Investigators
Office of the California Attorney General
Jennifer & Meredith Orthwein
Paul Hastings
Pritzker Law
Reed Smith LLP
Robert Half Legal
Roeca Hass Hager LLP
Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld
San Francisco City Attorney's Office
San Francisco District Attorney's Office
Schiff Hardin LLP
Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP
Special Counsel
Stein & Lubin LLP
Turner Boyd
University of San Francsico School of Law
Wald & Thorndal P.C.
Wells Fargo
Individual Sponsors
Peter C. Catalanotti, Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP
Michael Colantuono, Colantuono & Levin, P.C.
Todd Norris, Bullivant Houser Bailey
Debra R. Schoenberg, Schoenberg Family Law Group, P.C.
Cheryl Sena, Sena Family Law
Jonathan Shapiro, Wilmer Hale
Hon. James L. Warren (Ret.), JAMS
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