Weekly Newsletter        |        January 2, 2018
In This Issue
Message from the BALIF Board 


Happy New Year BALIF!

It's hard to believe that another year is over so quickly - I hope that you all were able to enjoy this time with your family, friends and loved ones.
  
The holidays are, for me, a time to reflect on all that has happened in the past year. I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities afforded to me and for the great work BALIF has done in 2017. In 2017, BALIF expanded our membership, continued our incredibly strong mentorship program, endorsed two judicial candidates, signed onto and drafted numerous amicus briefs, advocated in Sacramento for transgender prisoner's rights and helped young lawyers and law students develop their professional careers. 

BALIF is continuing to bring our members quality events, such as our legacy event on  January 25th, "Remembering our History: A Conversation with BALIF Founders & Early Members" as well as our BALIF's 38th Gala on  March 2nd. Please be sure to check our BALIF's newly revamped website for all of our upcoming events at  www.balif.org.

2017 has been a crazy year. I've been so inspired to see the work that lawyers have been doing all over this country to advocate for the LGBT individuals. I feel incredibly privileged to be part of a community that is not afraid to stand up for what is right and to resist against the forces that would threaten to take away our liberties. BALIF is committed to be a force of change, inspiration and hope. It is important now more than ever before that we lawyers (and soon-to-be-lawyers) use our skills, access and privilege to do good in this city, state and country. 

Are you with me?


Sincerly,
 

Dustin Helmer
BALIF Development Co-Chair
BALIF Gala Co-Chair

BALIF Partner Exchange - Location Change
Wednesday, January 17, 2018 
LOCATION CHANGE!
BALIF Partner Exchange

When:  Wednesday, January 17, 2018
Time:  12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Where: Credo, 360 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94611 - reservation under Dupree
What: Lunch with other partners and firm owners
Cost: divided by guests present - cash appreciated

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 7 to RSVP to  jdupree@fddcm.com  may attend. 

Remembering Our History:  A Conversation with BAILF Founders and Early Members

Featuring:  Roberta Achtenberg, Mark Seneca, the Honorable Ronald Albers (Ret.), the Honorable Mary Morgan (Ret.), and Gene Stuart

January 25, 2018 
6:00-8:30 pm
Pillsbury Withrop Shaw Pittman LLP
Four Embarcadero Center, 22nd Floor
San Francisco, CA 94611
 
Join BALIF's Founders and early members for a discussion about the early years of BALIF and what's changed since then.
Refreshments provided
 

BALIF's 38th Annual Gala
Friday, March 2, 2018


38th Annual Gala:  Resilient Together
March 2, 2018 7-11pm
VIP Reception 6pm

Bently Reserve, 301 Battery Street
 
Purchase Tickets or Sponsor
 
Help us Celebrate our Awardees!

2018 Legal Service Award
Toby Adams
Intersex & Genderqueer Recognition Project (IGRP)

2018 Community Service Award
Justice Now

Pronoun Power: 
The Standard for Gender Neutrality

Is your communication conveying information, or bias? Check out "Pronoun Power: The Standard for Gender Neutrality," available in the upcoming issue of  The Bar Association of San Francisco 's magazine. Article co-written by BALIF Board Member  Stan Sarkisov , &  Stanford University  Disability Advisor  Carleigh Kude .

Transgender Law Center is now accepting applications for the third cohort of Legal Information Helpline response volunteers!

The Helpline is our largest legal services project, providing legal information and resources to over 2000 transgender community members and their families a year across many areas, including employment, health care, housing, civil rights, immigration, prisoners' rights, and identity document changes.
 
If you are looking for a way to empower trans community members to advocate for themselves by expanding access to critical legal information, I hope you'll consider joining us to keep this vital program going.
 
The program is designed with busy lawyers in mind: we will provide you with training, access to our extensive database of information and resources, and ongoing support from TLC staff and the community of fellow volunteers.
 
Simply answer at least 10 questions a month for three months (this generally comes to a few hours a week), working from your own computer and on your own schedule. You can select which questions to respond to, based on your interest, expertise, and capacity.
 
If you would like to get involved, please fill out this form: https://tlcenter.box.com/s/121morf4f8cg1erx6ni3plf3nad6m6ry and return it to me (Ian Anderson) at  ian@transgenderlawcenter.org whenever you have the chance. If you have any questions, feel free to email me at the same address.

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 jdupree@fddcm.com.  
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.
January 17 - BALIF Partner Exchange 
January 25 - BALIF Legacy Event
March 2 - BALIF 38th Annual Gala
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

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