Weekly Newsletter        |        November 10, 2015
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 
Greetings!
 
 
The Holidays are among us!!! Be sure to attend our Happy Hour this Thursday at Topsy's and the Resume Review and Mock Interview event at Seyfarth on November 19! Thanks to all our seasoned attorneys who are volunteering their time to assist the next bunch of aspiring attorneys with their career goals and our collective goal of achieving LGBT equality, both inside and outside of the profession. The recent events in Houston, Texas with the defeat of HERO is a painful reminder of the work that still needs to be done. Also, with Veteran's Day approaching, it's a good time to take stock of LGBT rights in the armed forces and our community's HEROES, many of whom up until four years ago served under Don't Ask, Don't Tell. That policy has been banned, however, transgender service men and women are still without adequate protection. The federal government is the largest employer of transgender people due to its approximately 15,500 active duty transgender service members, yet these individuals are forced to serve in silence. Additional protections may be implemented in May 2016. As the largest employer in the country and a historical resource for the economically marginalized, the US military could be instrumental in providing job security to the transgender community. Here is hoping!


Sincerely, 
 
Felicia Medina
BALIF Board Young Lawyers & Law Students Co-Chair

BALIF November Happy Hour
Join us for our November Happy Hour! We hope to see you there!

When: November 12, 2015
Where: Topsy's, 260 Kearny Street, San Francisco 
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm


BALIF Resume Review / Mock 
Interview Event
The law student committee is excited to be working on the speed interviewing and resume review event scheduled for
November 19, 2015 at Seyfarth Shaw.  So far 15 attorneys have generously donated their time to provide their experience and guidance to our law student members.  If any other attorneys would like to participate in this event, please email lawstudentrep@balif.org. 

The event will consist of 4 ten minute resume review rounds and 4 ten minute practice interview rounds, followed by a reception. BALIF previously held this event two years ago to wide acclaim, and we are looking forward to making it an annual event. If you are a law student who would like to participate, please email your name, class year, and resume to lawstudentrep@balif.org before November 5, 2015.
BALIF 2015 Holiday Party

Join us for our annual holiday party and ring in some holiday cheer!! 

When: 
December 9, 2015
6:00 - 9:00 pm

Where:
Beaux
2344 Market Street
San Francisco, CA 94114


Winning Marriage: The Inside Story of How Same-Sex Couples Took on the Politicians and the Pundits-- and Won

With Marc Solomon, National Campaign Director, Freedom to Marry

Tuesday, November 10, 2015
5:30- 7:30 pm

Covington & Burling LLP
1 Front Street, Floor 32
San Francisco, CA

From the gritty clashes in the state legislatures of Massachusetts and New York to the devastating loss at the ballot box in California in 2008 and subsequent ballot wins in 2012 to the joy of securing President Obama's support and ultimate victory in the Supreme Court, Marc Solomon has been at the center of one of the great civil and human rights movements of our time. Winning Marriage recounts the struggle with some of the world's most powerful forces-the Catholic hierarchy, the religious right, and cynical ultraconservative political operatives-and the movement's eventual triumph.
 
Join us on November 10 to hear from Marc Solomon, a veteran leader in the movement for marriage equality, as he gives attendees a seat at the strategy-setting and decision-making table in the campaign to win and protect the freedom to marry.
 

Registration is complimentary. Please register here:

 

Empire San Francisco: Battle By The Bay
You are invited to join us as a presiding judge or scoring juror at our second annual international west coast competition, Empire San Francisco: Battle By The Bay. Students will be arguing a complex and timely civil case involving the shooting of a young African-American male by an off-duty police officer near the site of an alleged armed robbery.
 
Trials will take place at U.S. District Court, N.D.CA., on November 21-23, 2015, when more than 250 students from five countries and eight states will be vying for the championship. Seven teams hail from California, including Lowell High School and Bishop O'Dowd from the Bay area.
 
By volunteering just a few hours to evaluate the students on their trial advocacy skills, you can make a meaningful impact on these young leaders' lives. We provide complimentary refreshments to show our appreciation. Upon request, colleagues can be placed in the same trial rounds.
 
Registering takes less than a minute -- simply visit our website at http://empiremocktrial.org/san-francisco/judge-at-empire-san-francisco/. Questions? Contact Sue Johnson at sjohnson@empiremocktrial.org  or 917-426-4574.

ALRP Free 2015 MCLE Trainings
ALRP

Ethics for All Attorneys: What You Need to Know
 
  • Thursday, November 19, 5:30-7:00pm
  • Presented by Charlie Cochran, Esq. - Kornblum, Cochran, Erickson & Harbison, LLP - www.kcehlaw.com
  • Bar Association of San Francisco, 301 Battery Street, 3rd Floor, Board Room, San Francisco, CA 94111
  • 1.5 Ethics CLE Credits

Wage & Hour Claims for People Living w/ HIV - Sponsored by the State Bar's Labor & Employment Law Section
All Classes take place at:
Bar Association of San Francisco
301 Battery Street, 3rd Floor, Board Room
San Francisco, CA 94111
To RSVP
Email:
Call: 415-701-1200 ext. 303 
BALIF Partner Exchange Luncheon

When: Tuesday, November 17, 2015; Tuesday, December 15, 2015; Thursday, January 21, 2016  

Time: 12:30pm to 2:00pm
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 Partner 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. 

Invitation to Judge International Mock Trial Program at NDCA (11/21 or 11/22)
Right now, more than 250 talented high school students from across the world are diligently preparing a case to litigate at San Francisco federal court. On the weekend of November 21, 2015, they need you to serve as their mock judges (and jurors)!  By volunteering just a few hours of your time, you can make a meaningful impact in these young people's lives.  
Sign up here today!   

More information
  • Features four preliminary rounds of competition, and you can judge as many or as few as you like-no litigation experience is required. 
  • Please feel free to invite a friend or colleague to judge with you at the program.  We'll pair you together!
  • Students hail from 5 countries (Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Korea, and the United States) and 8 states.
  • We'll serve complimentary food and beverages as a token of our appreciation.
  • Registering takes less than a minute -- you can do so here.

BALIF's Connections
 Mentorship Program
It's that time of the year again! BALIF's Connections mentorship program is seeking mentors and mentees for 2015-2016. For more information, see the program guidelines and description on the BALIF website. If you are a law student, recent law school graduate, or newer attorney seeking a mentor, or if you are an experienced attorney interested in serving as a mentor, please contact the Young Lawyers and Students Programs Committee, younglawyers@balif.org. Mentor/mentee pairs will be assigned on a rolling basis from July-September.
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.

November 12 - BALIF November Happy Hour
November 19 - BALIF Resume Review/ Mock Interview Event
December 9 - BALIF Holiday Party
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 M. Helbraun, Helbraun Law Firm 

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