Weekly Newsletter        |        December 13, 2016
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 
 
Happy Holidays! It is that time of year again - time to reflect on the past year, celebrate with family, friends and colleagues and generously give to the people and causes closest to our hearts. Our Social Chair,  Lauren Pietsch, has been working very hard to ensure this year's annual holiday party is AMAZING! Be sure to  RSVP and come on  December 14, 2016, 6-9 pm to Devil's Acre. Not only will it be an opportunity to celebrate, it is also an opportunity to invest in BALIF's charitable work, programming, activism and our local community. 

BALIF's Foundation recently launched to complement the great work BALIF has achieved over 35 years. It is dedicated to increasing the number of LGBT judges on the bench through educational programming, supporting LGBT community organizations, and providing scholarships, summer stipends, and fellowships for LGBTQ law students and young attorneys seeking to help the LGBTQ community through legal work. Your donations to the Foundation are fully tax-deductible and you can make a gift  here or in person at the holiday party. We hope you will consider the BALIF Foundation for your year-end charitable giving. 

BALIF is also expanding its community activism efforts by providing opportunities for attorneys to engage in pro bono legal work with local organizations and increase our involvement and presence at the California Conference of Bar Associations (CCBA) next year. The CCBA committee is meeting with members and leaders of the community to identify potential resolutions to put forth at next year's CCBA conference. If you are interested in proposing a resolution, please contact our CCBA Chair, Shawna Madison, at  CCBA@balif.org. We are also attempting to increase our annual budget so we can send a large group of delegates to the CCBA conference in the fall of 2017 to help ensure the resolutions we put forth pass and gain the lobbying support they need to become law. You and your firm have the opportunity to support this important work, both through your input and your financial support of BALIF. Please help us represent next fall by sponsoring BALIF's annual gala  here or in person at the holiday party. 

Hope to see you  on Wednesday! Thank you for all your support!
  

Sincerely,
 
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Jennifer Orthwein
BALIF Board Community Activism Chair
BALIF Holiday Party 2016
Next Wednesday Please RSVP

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

When: 
December 14, 2016
6:00- 9:00 pm

Where:
Devil's Acre
256 Columbus Ave
San Francisco, CA 94133



BALIF 37th Annual Gala
Save the Date & Sponsor Today!!
March 3, 2017

DWT 1L Diversity Scholarship
DWT is offering total of 6 scholarships to 1L students with diverse background this year!   Our online application site will be open on December 1st through January 10th.  Please click here or see the attached flyer for more information.  
 
If you have any questions, please don't  hesitate to contact us!
 
For  Seattle and Washington D.C. offices:
 
Brook Dormaier
Law Student Recruiting Manager
1201 Third Avenue, Suite 2200
Seattle, WA 98101
 
 
For Los Angeles, New York, and Portland offices:
 
Hiroko Peraza 
Diversity Outreach Recruitment Manager
1300 SW Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400
Portland, OR 97201
Email:  hirokoperaza@dwt.com

National LGBT Bar Association
2017 2L Summer Law Clerk Program
The Liberty Mutual Insurance Group  -  A Fortune 100 Company!
The National LGBT Bar Association is pleased to partner with The Liberty Mutual Insurance Group Legal Department to provide an exciting opportunity for three enthusiastic 2L law students who are interested in making an immediate and valued contribution. As a Law Clerk you will provide technical support to staff attorneys, perform legal research and assist in drafting and filing legal trial documents. The National LGBT Bar Association and Liberty Mutual will select one Law Clerk for Liberty's Boston, MA litigation office, one for its San Francisco, CA litigation office, and one for its White Plains, NY litigation office for a 10-week clerkship offering competitive pay. Please note that students must be willing to relocate to Boston, San Francisco or White Plains for the duration of the clerkship.

Responsibilities
  • Performs legal research utilizing both written and electronic sources
  • Assists attorneys in brief and opinion writing. Prepares draft memos
  • Gathers and compiles facts and relevant case information. Drafts pleadings and motions
  • Assists attorneys in preparing for depositions and trials
Qualifications
  • Member of the National LGBT Bar Association
  • Completed two year at an ABA accredited law school; graduation scheduled for spring 2018
  • Excellent writing skills
  • 3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale or the equivalent
  • Ideally some exposure to civil litigation
How to Apply
  • To apply, you must submit a cover letter, resume, three references and a copy of your transcript to: libertymutual@lgbtbar.org
  • Please write "Liberty Mutual Law Clerk" in the subject line of the email, along with the office(s) you're interested in. 
  • All materials must be received by 5:00 p.m. EST on December 23, 2016.
  • Interviews will be conducted the week of January 9, 2017.
  • Finalists shall be selected and notified on or before January 16, 2017.

2017 Midwinter Meeting of the ABA Forum on Construction Law
2017 Midwinter Meeting of the ABA Forum on Construction Law  entitled "Earth, Wind, Fire and Water: Sustainable Construction in a Changing Environment" 

Where: Palm Desert, CA 
When: February 2 & 3, 2017

The Forum is pleased to announce the availability of six (6) Diversity Scholarships for the cost of registration for this program to women and minority construction lawyers, construction lawyers with disabilities, and construction lawyers from the LGBT community.  
 

Early-Bird Deadline for discounted rates is December 26, 2016 or until the block is full.

Please include the discount code  FCL17 ,  when you register for the event.

Come join us and enjoy networking, meeting new people in Palm Desert in February!

SABA-NC Upcoming Events

SABA-NC 24th Annual Gala
Friday, February 24, 2017, 6:00 - 11:00 p.m.
San Francisco Design Center (101 Henry Adams Street San Francisco, CA, 94103)
 
Save the date for SABA-NC's 24th Annual Gala! Additional details forthcoming. Please contact gala@southasianbar.org for sponsorship opportunities.

CRLA LGBT Program - 
2017 Summer Law Fellow

California Rural Legal Assistance, Inc. (CRLA) is seeking a law school fellow for a 10-week summer position with CRLA's LGBT Program.  The LGBT Program addresses the intersections of race, immigration status, and poverty within the framework of advancing rural LGBT rights. The program engages in direct legal representation and other innovative forms of legal advocacy that leverage collaborations with a range of rural stakeholders.  The LGBT Program Summer Law fellow will work under the supervision of the LGBT Program Director to provide direct legal services and support litigation and other systemic advocacy.  Priority types of legal cases include petitions for U, T, and VAWA non-immigrant status, employment discrimination cases, education rights cases, and legal name and gender petitions.  The law clerk may request to be placed in any one of CRLA's office locations, and the LGBT program will strive to accommodate the law clerk's preferred location.  
 
The fellow will receive a grant in the amount of $8,800 from the California Bar Foundation.
 
Applicants must have completed their second year of law school and must have strong writing skills. Candidates must possess a passion for social justice and poverty related
issues, as well as sensitivity to working with people from diverse backgrounds. Special consideration will be given to students who have a demonstrated commitment to serving low income or disadvantaged communities. Students who speak Spanish and are familiar with LGBTQ issues are encouraged to apply.
 
Applications will be accepted through  February 28, 2017. Please submit a cover letter and resume, a list of at least three references and writing sample to:  hr@crla.org and  lcisneros@crla.org. Please write "LGBT Summer Fellow" in the subject line. CRLA will contact applicants selected for an interview.

SABA-NC Public Interest 
Fellowship Application
Applicants can apply anytime for a fellowship because they are issued on a rolling basis. They may be used for summer internships, fall semester internships, spring semester internships, and post-bar fellowships for both spring and fall graduates. Please find the application here.  Please note that applicants do not have to be of South Asian descent to apply. All applicants are welcome, and we look forward to reviewing submissions from members of your organization.  
2016-2018 Tyron Garner Memorial Fellowship
Interested in a fellowship?  Please consider applying for the 2016-2018 Tyron Garner Memorial Fellowship for African-American LGBT Civil Rights:  http://www.lambdalegal.org/about-us/jobs/all_20160916_garner-fellow
Probate Referee Program Opportunities -
from the 
Office of the State Controller Betty Yee
State Controller Betty Yee is searching for attorneys, certified public accountants, and certified  appraisers from diverse backgrounds to serve as probate referees. Our search encompasses everyone  including people of all races, genders, and LGBT status.

Probate referees are officers of the court who are appointed by the State Controller. They provide  reliable appraisals of all estate assets including businesses, securities, real estate, and personal
properties. Probate referees are not state employees; their fees are paid by the estates (trusts)  involved. For any appraisal required by law, probate referee fees are 1/10 th of one percent of the total  assets. The minimum fee is $75 plus expenses such as mileage and photos.

Qualification criteria and application information are on the Controller's website at  www.sco.ca.gov/eo_probate.html. The next probate referee examination will be held in April 2017.
People who meet all the qualifications and pass the examination may be contacted for an interview  by a panel of judges and attorneys. Controller Yee will decide whom to appoint after considering the  panel's recommendation.

ALRP Free 2016 MCLE Trainings
   
More trainings coming soon!

This is a  free  training open to all attorneys, paralegals, law students, and those interested in the legal field.  We hope to see you there!

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

Future Trainings and ALRP Events:  Click Here

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.

December 14 - BALIF Holiday Party
March 3, 2017 - BALIF 37th Annual Gala
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 & Peter Catalanotti
  
Julie Wilensky
Secretary & Amicus Chair

Mario Choi
Treasurer

Nick Clements
Judiciary Chair

Sarah Nicole Davis & 
John Unruh
Gala Co-Chairs  

 

Alex Touma
Shauna Madison

CCBA Chair

 
Stan Sarkisov
Communications Chair 

Jamie Dupree
Programs Chair

Ashley Pellouchoud & David Sims
Young Lawyers & Law Students Co-Chairs  

Daniel Faessler
Social Action Chair

Jennifer Orthwein
 
Lauren Pietsch
Lindsey Rosellini
Community Ambassador Chair  

Sam Potts & Stephan Ferris
Katie Carlson
BALIF Administrator 
Follow BALIF

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BALIF Foundation


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