Weekly Newsletter        |        May 5, 2015
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 
Greetings!

 

 

With the BALIF elections for 2015 behind us, please take the time to reach out to a new or returning Board Member and tell them what you love about BALIF, what you think BALIF could do to improve, and what you would like to see during the upcoming year.  Now is when the Board brainstorms for the year and feedback from you, our fantastic members, is extremely important and appreciated.

It's also never too early to start planning for the summer.  June starts off quickly with the Give Em L! LGBT Ladies Salon Event.  It will be held from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM on June 4, 2015 at Farella Braun + Martel.  Panelists will include Kelly Dermody of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP; Elizabeth Deeley, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Amy Whelan, National Center for Lesbian Rights.  Stay tuned for more information.  And guys are of course welcome too!

Finally, please join us for our May Happy Hour this Thursday at the hip new Bar/Arcade/Hang-out joint in the Castro, Brewcade.  We'll be there from 5:30 to 7:30 and hope you'll join us.

Have a great week!
 

 

Sincerely, 

 

Nick Clements 

BALIF Board Gala Co- Chair


BALIF May Happy Hour
May Happy Hour this Thursday!!
May 7th, 2015 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Brewcade
2200 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

BALIF Recognized by
Marriage Equality USA

On Sunday, BALIF was recognized by Marriage Equality USA for its work in fighting for the rights of same sex individuals to marry. A big thank you to Jerome Roth, Munger Tolles & Olson LLP and Leah Nutting for all their hard work over the past many years in filing amicus briefs across the country on behalf of BALIF in support of marriage equality. Senator Mark Leno was in attendance and presented BALIF with a Proclamation from the California Senate honoring BALIF on the occasion.  
BALIF Partner Exchange Luncheon
Thursday, May 14, 2015 & Save the Date for Future Events

 

When: Thursday, May 14, 2015; Tuesday, June 17, 2015; Thursday, July 16, 2015; and Thursday, August 20, 2015

Time: 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm

Where: San Francisco City Club (155 Sansome, 10th Floor)

What: Gourmet buffet lunch with other partners and firm owners

Cost: $40 payable by cash or check only

 

BALIF has created the BALIF Partners Exchange to bring together our members that are looking to network and exchange business and ideas. This event is exclusively for BALIF members who are partners or owners of their firm with 7 years or more of experience.

 

Space is limited so only the first 11 to RSVP to jdupree@fddcm.com may attend.

 

RSVPs being accepted for Thursday, May 14, 2015 only. 

Give 'em L! LGBT Ladies Salon Event

Please join us for Give 'em L!

 

June 4, 2015

 

6-6:30: Welcome and Meet and Greet

6:30-7:30 Talk Show style discussion and Q&A

7:30-8: Reception

 

Farella Braun + Martel LLP, 235 Montgomery Street, 17th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94104

 

Light food and drinks will be provided.

 

Linda Scaparotti - Moderator

 

Panelists:

Kelly Dermody, Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP

Elizabeth (Beth) Deeley, Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Amy Whelan, National Center for Lesbian Rights

 

 Click here to view the flyer! 

National LGBT Bar Association 
Staff Position

The National LGBT Bar Association is looking for a new Director of Development and Communications. They are currently accepting candidate applications. Learn more here. 
ALRP's 2015 Major Donor Party
Come celebrate the ALRP You're the One Campaign at ALRP's 2015 Major Donor Party.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015 from 5:30-7:30pm at The Plant Café.

ALRP is honoring Kerne Matsubara of Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP with the ALRP 2015 James C. Hormel Philanthropist Award and Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) is being presented the ALRP 2015 Community Partner Award.

Suggested minimum donation $500. RSVP to Jim McBride at jim@alrp.org or (415) 701-1200 ext. 301. If you already made a $500+ gift to the ALRP You're the One Campaign this year, please RSVP as our guest. For more info: http://www.alrp.org/events/2015-major-donor-party
Woman Attorneys Joint Network Mixer
Women Attorneys Joint Networking Mixer
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
6:00PM - 8:30PM

Location:
Wilson Sonsini
650 Page Mill Road
Palo Alto, CA, 94304

Please join your fellow BALIF members and meet new friends at this first-ever joint event focusing on supporting the advancement and inclusion of women in the legal profession. All members are welcome, so please come and enjoy refreshments while you network with colleagues. Participating bar associations include: the South Asian Women Attorney Network (SAWAN), the Black Women Lawyers of Northern California (BWL-NC), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Silicon Valley (APABA-SV), the Women Lawyers of Alameda County (WLAC), Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF), and the Queen's Bench.
ALRP Free 2015 MCLE Trainings

ALRP  

 

Introduction to Landlord/Tenant Law

  • Thursday, May 7, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Presented by Ora Prochovnick, Esq. - John F. Kennedy University Housing Advocacy Clinic 
  • 1.5 General CLE Credits

Insurance Coverage & Bad Faith Litigation

  • Thursday, May 14, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Presented by Guy Kornblum, Esq. - Kornblum Cochran Erickson Harbison - kcehlaw.com
  • 1.5 General CLE Credits

Family Law

  • Wednesday, May 27, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Presented by Joann Babiak, Esq. - Babiak Law Offices
  • 1.5 General CLE Credits

Creating Workplaces Free from Gender Identity Bias

  • Tuesday, June 16, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Presented by Daniel Faessler, Esq. - Pride Law Fund Tom Steel Fellow at Transgender Law Center
  • 1.5 Elimination of Bias CLE Credits

All Classes take place at:

Bar Association of San Francisco

301 Battery Street, 3rd Floor, Board Room

San Francisco, CA 94111

 

To RSVP

Email:

mcle@alrp.org

Call: 415-701-1200 ext. 303 

American Association for Justice's 
LGBT Caucus & CLE Lineup

 

The newly formed LGBT Caucus with the American Association for Justice has planned its first-ever CLE lineup for the American Association for Justice Annual Convention this summer in Montreal being held on July 11-15. Started less than two years ago, the LGBT caucus has gained in size and momentum and aims to have its huge coming out this summer at the convention.

 

The lineup will consist of three events. On the afternoon of July 11, the caucus will host a 1.5 hour CLE presentation focused on marriage equality, which will have just been argued before the Supreme Court.

 

The panel of speakers will include:

  • Justice John Greaney (ret.) of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts, who authored the powerful concurring opinion in the Goodridge case.
  • Chuck Herring, Esq., of Texas, whose tireless efforts and creativity got a marriage license issued in Texas for the same-sex marriage of two of his clients.
  • Professor Michael Kavey, of NYU School of Law, who has worked for Lambda Legal, clerked for Justice Sotomayor (while on the Second Circuit) and been named by the national LGBT Bar Association as one of the "Best LGBT Attorneys Under 40."
  • Elizabeth Schwartz, Esq., of Miami, FL, who has worked tirelessly for marriage equality as counsel in a case challenging Florida's marriage ban.

 

The LGBT Caucus will also host a business meeting for its caucus members and a cocktail reception for its members to network and socialize.

 

For information on becoming a member of the American Association for Justice and the LGBT Caucus, or attending the convention, please contact the AAJ at membership@justice.org or (800) 424-2727, ext. 8611.

Follow BALIF on Twitter!

 

BALIF's twitter feed is up and running.  Follow us to see BALIF news, event info, #ThrowbackThursday posts, and more.  Just click the Twitter button in the right hand column of the newsletter or here.

 

Join the BALIF Listserv!

 

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.

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.   

 

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!

 

Meaghan Zore 

BALIF Membership Chair

 

Job Postings Now on BALIF Website

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 JOBS from the menu on the left.

May 7 - BALIF Happy Hour
May 14  - BALIF Partner Exchange Luncheon
June 4 - GIVE 'EM L! LGBT Ladies Salon Event
Our 2015 Sponsors
Partner Level
Seyfarth
 
Counsel Level

A&P

Fenwick
HB Logo
Kilpatrick

Mofo
Sedgwick2


Wilson

Advocate Level

 

A.L. Nella & Company, CPAs 

AT&T

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher  

Jones Day 

Latham & Watkins LLP 

Morgen Lewis & Bockius LLP 

MUFG Union Bank

O'Melveny & Meyers LLP 

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP 

Pacific Gas & Electric

Perkins Coie LLP 

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP 

Sanford Heisler Kimpel, LLP 

Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton 

Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP 

 

Benefactor Level

 

Callaway & Wolf

Carroll, Burdick & McDonough LLP

Clarence, Dyer & Cohen LLP / Swanson & McNamara LLP 

Cooley LLP 

Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy, LLP

Farella Braun + Martel LLP 

Futterman Dupree Dodd Croley Maier LLP 

Golden Gate University, School of Law 

Jackson Lewis LLP 

JAMS  

Lewis, Feinberg, Lee & Jackson, P.C. 

Littler Mendelson P.C. 

Lubin Olson & Niewiadomski LLP

Manning & Kass, Ellrod, Ramirez, Trester LLP 

Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP 

Novak Druce Connolly Bove + Quigg LLP

Paul Hastings LLP 

Pritzker Levine LLP

Reed Smith LLP 

Roeca Hass Hager LLP 

San Francisco City Attorney's Office 

San Francisco District Attorney's Office 

Schiff Hardin LLP 

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP  

 

Individual Sponsors

 

Dave Arellano, Altep, Inc.   

Michael Colantuono, Colantuono Highsmith & Whatley, PC 

David Fermino, Sideman & Bancroft LLP 

David Helbraun, Helbraun Law 

Frederick Hertz, Law and Mediation Office of Frederick Hertz

John Hill, Law Offices of John E. Hill, P.C.

Hon. Stuart Hing & Rhoda Hing, Alameda County Superior Court

James Kealohi, Pathways Personnel

David Monroe, Able & Monroe P.C.

Todd Norris, Bullivant Houser Bailey 

Debra R. Schoenberg, Schoenberg Family Law Group, P.C. 

Cheryl Sena, Sena Family Law 

Hon. James L. Warren (Ret.), JAMS  

BALIF Board of Directors
Jessica Bogo & John Robert Unruh
  
Peter Catalanotti
Secretary

Mario Choi
Treasurer

Denise Bergin 
Judiciary Chair

Nick Clements & 
David Sims
Gala Co-Chairs  

 

Meaghan Zore 

Julie Wilensky
Amicus Chair     

 
Jennifer Orthwein
Communications Chair 

Jamie Dupree
Programs Chair

Felicia Medina & Shauna Madison
Young Lawyers & Law Students Co-Chairs  

Brandon Lawrence & Daniel Faessler
Social Action Co-Chairs 


Dmitri Pikman
Lindsey Rosellini
Community Ambassador Chair  

Joseph Deignan, Alex Lemberg & Sam Potts
Katie Carlson
BALIF Administrator 
Follow BALIF

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BALIF | | info@balif.org | http://www.balif.org
P.O. Box 193383
San Francisco, CA 94119