Weekly Newsletter        |        November 14, 2017
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 

Can anyone else believe it's already November? It's that time of year again. From the great deals on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, to the Christmas music and decorations already in the shopping centers, it's hard to not get caught up in the craziness that accompanies this time of season.  Our TVs, computers and phones are flooded advertisements to condition us to buy, buy, buy and Thanksgiving seems to continually get glossed over. Although this year has been one of devastation-in the White House as well as the natural disasters locally and around the world-it's still a time to give thanks. I know have a lot to be grateful for. I'm grateful to live in such a wonderful, accepting City, have the support of my friends and family, and to be a part of an attorney community of diversity and resistance. BALIF has had an incredible year thus far-so thank you to our Board and our members for standing strong when faced with adversity.
 
Enjoy your Thanksgiving holiday next week, and I hope to see you on December 14th at our annual holiday party.


Sincerely ,


Lauren Pietsch
BALIF Young Lawyers & Law Students

MBC Unity Awards Reception TODAY

The Unity Awards reception will be held at 198 McAllister Street at U.C. Hastings Law School, on November 14, 2017 from 6-9pm, in the Louis B. Mayer room on the ground floor.  The MBC will be honoring members who have shown dedication to working in a unified manner to advance the cause of diversity in the legal profession.  BALIF Board Member Jen Orthwein will be honored by BALIF and the MBC at large.

Last Week's Pups for Pups' 
Beer  Bust Fundraiser

The Pups for Pups' Beer Bust Fundraiser (11/05) at the SF Eagle raised over $1,500 benefiting Napa Community Animal Response Team. Napa CART has been assisting North Bay fire evacuees meet their animal needs. A big Thank You to Mr-S-Leather & Utah's Hogle Zoo for providing amazing raffle prizes, and Newfangled Foods for cooking up vegan pulled-pork sandwiches. And thank you to over 100 people for attending!
Reception to Honor First Openly LGBT State Bar President
The LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles; the Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom (BALIF); the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association of San Diego; and SacLEGAL have the pleasure of inviting you to: 

A reception in honor of openly LGBT State Bar President Michael Colantuono; openly LGBT State Bar Treasurer Todd Stevens; and openly LGBT State Bar Trustee Sean SeLegue 

Gold Sponsor
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman

Silver Sponsors
Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP 
Colantuono, Highsmith & Whatley, PC
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, LLP      
                  
Bronze Sponsors
Crowell & Moring LLP 
Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher
Keeney, Waite & Stevens
O'Melveny & Myers
(Additional sponsors pending)            
                                                      
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
 
Los Angeles County Law Library
 
Open bar.  Hors d'oeuvres will be served
RSVP at  www.lgbtbarla.org

November Name/Gender Change Workshop

Send your client referrals to the Berkeley School of Law Name and Gender Change Workshop, a free clinic directly serving the LGBTQ community, during their October 2017 workshop. The Workshop helps pro-bono legal service recipients in drafting, reviewing, and filing necessary documents for a court-ordered name and/or gender marker change to their government-issued identity documents.   
 
Workshop Focus: Legal name and gender changes (with future workshop in November).
 
About: Please send any client referrals to the workshop.  The Workshop has enough attorney support, but asks that you help spread the word about this helpful opportunity.  Please invite folks who pay be in need of free legal assistance in changing the name/gender on their ID documents. 
 
When: November 15, 2017 (Wed), 6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. 
 
Where: East bay Community Law Center (2921 Adeline Street, Berkeley, CA)
 
Contact: More information, or to sign up, email [email protected], or call 510-560-4213 (signing up encouraged).

BALIF Partner Exchange - 
Friday, November 17, 2017 and save the date for future months!
When:   Friday, November 17, 2017 Monday, December 11, 2017 , and  Wednesday, January 17, 2018

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: $55 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  [email protected]  may attend. 

BALIF December Happy Hour

Join BALIF for our December Happy Hour and a Mock Tail!!
When:  Wednesday, December 6, 2017
Time:  6 - 8pm
Where: Mock Tails at the Castro Country Club
4058 18th St, San Francisco, CA 94114  

BALIF Holiday Party! Save the date!

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

When:  December 14, 2017
6:00- 9:00 pm

Where:
The Stud Bar
399 9th St.
San Francisco, CA 94103


The AIDS Legal Referral Panel 
FREE Fall 2017 
MCLE Training Programs


To RSVP
Email: [email protected] or
Call: 415-701-1200 ext. 303

Navigating Work in the "Gig" Economy - Sponsored by the State Bar's Labor & Employment Law Section 
* Monday, November 20, 5:30-7:00pm - 1.5 General CLE Credits
* Presented by Lakeisha Poole, Esq. - LKP Legal Services (lkplegal.com)

Ethical Issues in Pro Bono and Modest Mean Practices
* Tuesday, November 21, 5:30-7:00pm - 1.5 Legal Ethics CLE Credits
* Presented by Tiela Chalmers, Esq. - Tiela Chalmers Consulting (tielachalmersconsulting.wordpress.com)

Experts in Bad Faith Insurance Cases - Selection, Use, Scope of Testimony and Strategies
* Thursday, November 30, 5:15-6:45pm - 1.5 General CLE Credits
* Presented by Guy Kornblum, Esq. - Kornblum Cochran Erickson & Harbison LLP (kcehlaw.com)

Representing LGBTQ Clients in Immigration Court
* Tuesday, December 5, 5:30-7:00pm - 1.5 Elimination of Bias CLE Credit
* Presented by Gam Galindo, Esq. - Galindo & Associates, P.C. (gamgalindolaw.com)

Mediation Strategies that Work for Your Client and YOU!
* Thursday, December 7, 5:15-6:45pm - 1.5 General CLE Credits
* Presented by Guy Kornblum, Esq. - Kornblum Cochran Erickson & Harbison LLP (kcehlaw.com)

Asylum Claims for LGBTQ and HIV+ Clients
* Tuesday, December 12, 5:30-7:00pm - 1.5 Elimination of Bias CLE Credit 
* Presented by Jose Z. Marin, Esq. - Jose Marin Law 

API Legal Outreach
Annual Dinner Committee Meeting and Reception
The Board of API Legal Outreach is hosting an Annual Dinner Committee Meeting and Reception in the Minami Tamaki office on Monday 11/27 starting at 6pm. The purpose is to recruit lawyers (particularly associates at firms), law students, and other interested folks to join our dinner committee for specific tasks such as sponsorship outreach, auction, or however they want to help out. It will also be a chance for them to meet & greet with the dinner committee and board members.
 
Please join us if you can, and invite friends/contacts who might be good for our dinner committee! We will be serving drinks and snacks.   
 

RSVP link: http://bit.ly/2hlsXt7

Giving to the BALIF Foundation
 

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to the BALIF Foundation.  The Foundation recently launched and is working to assist BALIF in bringing LGBT judges to the bench and supporting scholarships, stipends and fellowships for law students and attorneys working in the LGBTQ community.  You can donate here.  In the four years ahead, we believe the Foundation's work will be critical in helping to protect our community.

And the Foundation is looking for Founding Circle members through the end of 2017 - pledge and pay as little as $1,000 to always be listed as a Founding Circle member of the BALIF Foundation.

For more information about the BALIF Foundation or how to get involved, contact Jamie Dupree [email protected].  
BALIF & The BALIF Foundation

BALIF is the Bay Area's LGBT Bar Association, which is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit, which can engage in political activity.  Its Board members are elected by the BALIF membership and chair various committees of the BALIF bar association.
 
The BALIF Foundation is BALIF's charitable arm.  Donations to the BALIF Foundation are tax deductible because it is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.  The BALIF Foundation 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 LGBT  law students and young attorneys seeking to help the LGBT community through legal work.  It gave its inaugural summer fellowship for the summer of 2017.

Job Postings Now on BALIF Website
Looking for a job or a law school internship?  As a BALIF member you get access to all job postings.  Click here to see the opportunities, or log into the   BALIF website with your membership ID and password, and select JOBS on the menu on the left.
November 14 - MBC Unity Award Reception
November 15 - Reception to Honor First Openly LGBT State Bar President
December 6 - BALIF December Happy Hour
December 14 - BALIF Holiday Party - Save the date!!
Our 2017-2018 Sponsors
Partner Level


 
Counsel Level



Fenwick


  
Mofo



Sedgwick2
Seyfarth


Advocate Level

A.L. Nella & Co., CPA
Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP
Jones Day
Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP
Latham & Watkins LLP
Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP
O'Melveny & Myers LLP
Pacific Gas & Electric
Sanford Heisler, LLP
Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP
Sidley Austin LLP
Uber
Weaver, Austin, Villeneuve & Sampson LLP
Wells Fargo Legal Specialty Private Bank
White & Case LLP
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

Benefactor Level


Individual Sponsors


BALIF Board of Directors
Nyla Moujaes & Peter Catalanotti
  
Jennifer Orthwein
Secretary &

Felicia Medina
Mario Choi
Treasurer

Annick Persinger
Judiciary Chair

Sarah Nicole Davis 
Gala Co-Chair

Alex Touma
Meaghan Zore
 
Stan Sarkisov
Communications Chair 

Jamie Dupree
 
Stephan Ferris
Ashley Pellouchoud
Community Ambassador Chair  

Jaclyn Gross & Kevin Jones
Follow BALIF

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BALIF Foundation


BALIF Foundation
 Board of Directors
Jamie Dupree, Chair
  
Shay Gilmore

Chelsea HaleyNelson, Secretary

Laura Maechtlen

Nina Paul

Linda Scaparotti

David Tsai

John Unruh, Treasurer

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