Weekly Newsletter        |        April 5, 2016
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 
Greetings!
 
 
Many thanks to all who attended the Recruiting on the Rocks networking event on March 31!  Don't forget to follow up with the folks you met, and be sure to contact the Young Lawyers & Law Students Co-Chairs ([email protected]) if you are not yet signed up to be a mentor/mentee through BALIF.  For additional opportunities, check out the BALIF job board at http://www.balif.org/Sys/Login?ReturnUrl=%2fjobs (login required).
 
Our next event is the Annual Meeting/Election Night Happy Hour on April 14 at the Sausage Factory.  Please watch for your election email, which provides your voting username/password and a link for the candidate statements and your chance to vote.  You are also able to vote in person at the Annual Meeting/Election Night Happy Hour. 
 
Event Details:
 
When: Thursday, April 14, 2016 6:00 pm to 8:30pm (voting closes at 7:00pm)

Where: Sausage Factory  517 Castro Street  SF, CA
 
If you do not receive an online ballot and would like to vote online, please contact [email protected].  
 
See you on April 14!
 

Sincerely,

Jessica Bogo
BALIF Board Co-Chairs
BALIF Endorses Paul Henderson
for San Francisco Superior Court
BALIF is proud to announce the endorsement of Paul Henderson in the election for Seat 7 of the San Francisco Superior Court.  The election will be held on June 7, 2016.

Paul currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff & Public Safety Director for Mayor Edwin Lee of San Francisco.  The decision was made by the BALIF Board of Directors after the unanimous recommendation of the BALIF Judiciary Committee.

"Paul Henderson has been committed to BALIF's mission for many years.  He will make an excellent judge and we are honored to deliver BALIF's endorsement," said Denise Bergin, BALIF Judiciary Committee Co-Chair. "Paul will bring a commitment to civic duty, extensive experience inside and outside to the courtroom, and a great judicial temperament to the bench."

Paul is an experienced courtroom litigator and has led a distinguished career. Prior to joining the Mayor's Office, Paul served as the Chief of Administration for the San Francisco District Attorney's Office for then District Attorney Kamala Harris, and as a trial prosecutor for the City of San Francisco.

Check out Paul's It Gets Better video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xImHdPkjyu4

BALIF / FBANC LGBT 
Spring Diversity Mixer May 12, 2016

BALIF Amicus Brief Archive Now Online

For more than thirty years, BALIF has been participating as amicus - a friend of the court - in major cases raising issues of concern to the LGBT community and our allies. Check out the new archive on BALIF's website, where you can learn more about BALIF's amicus participation and read BALIF's briefs on a wide range of issues, including: the rights of same-sex parents and partners; the unconstitutionality of state sodomy statutes; the interpretation of disability civil rights laws to people with HIV/AIDS; Don't Ask, Don't Tell; the scope of Title VII and other workplace protections for LGBTs under federal and California law; the asserted First Amendment rights of organizations that explicitly exclude LGBTs; marriage equality; medical care for transgender prisoners; and more.
 
Please contact BALIF's Amicus Committee Chair, Julie Wilensky, [email protected], with any questions about or additions to the archive.
BALIF Board 2016 Elections
Thank you to everyone who submitted statements and nominations.  Let the campaign season begin!  Good luck to all of the candidates!    
 
Elections will be online starting on April 6, 2016 and there will be an opportunity to vote in person at BALIF's annual general membership meeting on Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 6 - 8:30pm. The results will be announced at the end of the meeting.
 
Questions about the Board? Thinking about seeking a position? Feel free to contact Peter Catalanotti at [email protected]
BALIF Partner Exchange Luncheon
When: Friday, April 22, 2016; and Thursday, May 19, 2016

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 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. 

I am always looking for topics so let me know if there is something you'd like to discuss at an upcoming luncheon.
 
Space is limited so only the first 11 to RSVP to [email protected]  may attend. 

Congratulations to Sean SeLegue on his Election to the Board of Trustees for the State Bar of California

BALIF is pleased to congratulate Sean SeLegue on his election to
the Board of Trustees for the State Bar of California. Sean has been a member of BALIF since 1988, served on the BALIF Board of Directors from 1993 to 1998 (including as Co-Chair from 1996 - 1997), and is currently a partner at Arnold & Porter, specializing in appeals and in attorney liability and ethics.  Congratulations, Sean!
BALIFBuzz
Barbara Bryant

Barbara Bryant is beginning an open-ended sabbatical June 1 of this year and is no longer taking on any new mediations or workplace investigations. During sabbatical, she will selectively continue to teach at Berkeley Law, and write/make presentations on various topics relating to bias and discrimination.  Her contact information will remain the same.
BALIF 2016 Gala Photos Online

The BALIF gala photos are finally here! Please find them on the BALIF website at, http://www.balif.org/photos and click on "BALIF Gala 2016".

Share the pictures and feel free to tag your friends! Just make sure to tag BALIF on Facebook and twitter! 

BALIF Joins Bar Associations Around California to Call on President Obama and Senate to Fill Supreme Court Vacancy
Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF) joined bar associations from across the state of California to send a letter to President Barack Obama and Senate leaders urging them to heed their constitutional duty to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court. The bar associations, representing over 30,000 lawyers throughout the state, called on the president to quickly nominate a qualified candidate to the Supreme Court, and for the Senate to consider that nominee without delay. In addition to BALIF, the signatories to the letter include the Los Angeles County Bar Association, the Alameda Country Bar Association, the Lake County Bar Association, the Yolo County Bar Association, and over a dozen other statewide and local bar associations. 

Commenting on the decision to join forces with other bar associations in this effort, BALIF Co-Chair Jessica Bogo said, "BALIF stands with tens of thousands of California lawyers in calling on our nation's elected officials to fulfill their constitutionally required duties to fill the vacancy on the Supreme Court." You can view BALIF's press release regarding the letter here.

BALIF Joins Supreme Court Amicus Brief Supporting Immigrants' Rights
On March 4, 2016, BALIF joined the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) and a coalition of other organizations in an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Texas. The case concerns Texas's challenge to President Obama's Executive Actions on immigration, which expanded the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and created a new Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA) program.
 
NQAPIA's brief informs the U.S. Supreme Court of the special concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Asian Americans, South Asians, Southeast Asians, and Pacific Islanders (API). An estimated 267,000 undocumented immigrants are LGBT, of which a disproportionate share are API.
 
According to Glenn D. Magpantay, NQAPIA Executive Director, "The Supreme Court is extremely supportive of LGBT people, and we aim to show how immigration laws and policies have a direct impact on the lives of LGBT people." He continued, "We also lift up the voices of Asian Pacific Islanders to demonstrate the ethnic diversity of undocumented immigrants."
 
Julie Wilensky, chair of BALIF's Amicus Committee Chair, said, "Immigrants rights are LGBT rights, and BALIF is proud to stand with NQAPIA. The brief vividly illustrates how the expanded immigration programs protect LGBT immigrant families, especially APIs, from harassment, discrimination and hardship." 
 
Amici are represented by McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

2016- 2018 Public Interest Fellowship
Public Justice, a national public interest law firm dedicated to pursuing high impact lawsuits to combat social and economic injustice, protect the Earth's sustainability, and challenge predatory corporate conduct and government abuses, seeks to hire a law school graduate to serve as a Fellow for two years in either its Washington, D.C. headquarters or its Oakland, California office.  The Fellow will help develop and litigate Public Justice's cases.  The position will start in the fall of 2016. 

"Prenuptial Agreements A-Z: 
A Pre-nup Primer" an 
Educational Seminar
San Francisco Legal Professionals Association Presents:
"Prenuptial Agreements A - Z: A Pre-nup Primer" an Educational Seminar

By: Jane Aceituno, Esq.

When: Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Place: Pathways Personnel
455 Market Street, Suite 1170
San Francisco, CA 94105

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Cost: SFLPA Members, $15.00; Non-Members: $20.00
*Delicious Food and Beverages Provided*

RESERVATIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR A HEAD COUNT AND FOR SECURITY PURPOSES and must be received by 5:00 p.m. no later than Monday, April 11, 2016. Make a reservation by e-mailing SFLPA's EDU Chair, Michelle Vigil at [email protected]

 *MCLE Credits available. SFLPA, a local association of Legal Secretaries Incorporated, an approved provider, certifies that this activity has been approved for a minimum of 1 hour of continuing legal education credit by the State Bar of California.

ABA Section of Family Law
Fellowship Program
Applications Due May 15, 2016

The ABA Section of Family Law is seeking applications for its Fellowship Program from attorneys with a financial need. 
The Section is currently recruiting interested applicants for five (5) fellowship positions.  This is a two (2) year program and will begin in September 2016 and end in August 2018.  The attorneys selected to participate in the fellowship program must attend each FLS conference for the next two (2) years beginning with the Fall 2016 CLE Conference in Quebec City, QC, Canada October 19-22, 2016.
For more information, please click here.
Send your completed application to Cynthia Swan by email: [email protected] no later than May 15, 2016

Legal Assistance for Seniors'
11th Annual Conference on Elder Abuse
Join us on May 17 to learn from and network with a multidisciplinary group of experts and advocates working to protect and serve older adults.
 
May 17, 2016, 8:30 AM to 5 PM
UC Hastings College of the Law
198 McAllister St., San Francisco, CA
Registration & information:  
 
KEYNOTE: HOARDING BEHAVIOR IN OLDER ADULTS
Legal Assistance for Seniors is pleased to announce that Michael A. Tompkins, Ph.D., will give the keynote address on Hoarding Behavior in Older Adults.  Michael A. Tompkins is a licensed psychologist (PSY 13822) and co-director of the San Francisco Bay Area Center for Cognitive Therapy where he specializes in the treatment of anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorders in adults, adolescents, and children.
 
BREAKOUT SESSIONS INCLUDE:
-Elder Abuse Prevention and Professional Ethics for Attorneys, Fiduciaries, and Real Estate Professionals
-Legal Reform to Protect LGBT Seniors in Long-Term Care
-Undue Influence, Capacity & Over-medication:  Messy Tales from the Front Lines
-The Big Business of Trust: Standing up for Elders in a For Profit World
-Mediating an Elder Abuse Case
-And more!

CONTINUING EDUCATION:
Up to 6 hours continuing education credits available for California Attorneys and Professional Fiduciaries. Pending approval, credits may also be available for Behavioral Scientists (MFT, LCSW, LEP, LPCC), Public Administrators, Guardians and Conservators. Please inquire.
Register now for the 11th Annual Conference on Elder Abuse! Early Bird Discount ends May 3.
www.LASConference2016.eventbrite.com 
 
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: 
We appreciate the generosity of our sponsors without whose support we could not offer this conference. Sponsorship opportunities are still available. Contact [email protected]  or call 510-832-3040.
 
This conference is presented by Legal Assistance for Seniors in collaboration with UCSF/UC Hastings Consortium on Law, Science & Health Policy
 
QUESTIONS?
REGISTRATION AND CONFERENCE INFORMATION: www.LASConference2016.eventbrite.com
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 [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.   

 

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 [email protected].

 

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.

April 14 - BALIF Annual Meeting & Elections Night
May 12 - BALIF / FBANC LGBT Spring Diversity Mixer
Our 2016-2017 Sponsors
Partner Level

 
Counsel Level

A&P

Fenwick
HB Logo

 

Mofo
Sedgwick2
Seyfarth


Wilson

Advocate Level


Benefactor Level


Individual Sponsors

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 | | [email protected] | http://www.balif.org
P.O. Box 193383
San Francisco, CA 94119

BALIF | P.O. Box 193383 | San Francisco | CA | 94119