Congratulations to all of you who took the California Bar Exam last October and recently received their results! Whether passing or not, we all honor the dedication, focus, and resilience needed to prepare for such an extremely difficult exam in the most challenging of circumstances given the current economic, health, and social crisis and election cycle. If you have a success story that you'd like to share, we'd love to hear from you! If you didn't pass the exam and would like some informal mentorship as you plan out your next steps, we'd love to hear from you too and see how we can help. Please email newlawyers@balif.org.

 

Best,

Christine Capuyan

BALIF New Lawyers Committee Co-Chair

Stephan Ferris

BALIF New Lawyers Committee Co-Chair

We encourage all of you, whether current or lapsed member or friend, to consider donating to BALIF, joining BALIF, and/or renewing your BALIF membership! Like most nonprofits, BALIF has been financially impacted by the pandemic. Nevertheless, we have been able to put together extensive, timely, and unique programming for nearly every facet of our LGBTQI+ legal community, as detailed in our BALIF Year-End Review below. We also did all of this while extending free 2020-21 memberships to all BALIF members existing as of June 2020 as well as all new law student, recently graduated, and/or currently unemployed members. We will not be able to continue this great work without the engagement and financial support from members and friends like you. So please do consider donating at https://www.balif.org/donate and/or becoming a new member or renewing your existing membership at https://www.balif.org/membership!

Wednesday, January 27, 2021 | 2:00pm

Virtual CLE

Staff Attorney at the Impact Fund

Legal Aid at Work

Laws prohibiting sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination in the workplace have shifted rapidly in recent years. This training will describe the current state of federal and California law prohibiting sexual orientation and gender identity discrimination, with a particular focus on protections for transgender people (including facilities access, name and pronoun use), privacy considerations, and accommodations for mental health disability.Participants will learn how to recognize these common legal issues and identify next steps when claims arise. Participants will gain an understanding of the resources and legal strategies available in providing free direct services to low-income LGBTQ workers and the avenues by which workers can assert their rights.

Cost:

Free for BALIF Members

$25 Non-Members

Questions? Email programs@balif.org

This is part one in BALIF's series on LGBTQ employment discrimination. Look out for more details on part two, to be held February 10, 2021.

Wednesday, February 10, 2021 | 2:00pm

Virtual CLE

Director of the Gender Equity & LGBT Rights Program & a senior staff attorney at Legal Aid at Work

Gibbs Law Group

Skadden Fellow in Legal Aid at Work’s Gender Equity & LGBTQ Rights Program

Recent advancements in LGBTQ+ anti-discrimination law have come at a time of significant change for the federal and state judiciaries and administrative agencies. This training will briefly review the current substantive law of LGBTQ+ workplace rights before turning to the procedural and practical considerations of representing LGBTQ+ clients. Participants will gain an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of filing with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) and of bringing suit in federal and state court. They will also learn how to issue spot other work-related legal claims that often accompany charges of LGBTQ+ discrimination.

Eligible for 1.5 hours Elimination of Bias CLE credit.

Cost:

Free for BALIF Members

$25 Non-Members

Questions? Email programs@balif.org

This is part two in BALIF's series on LGBTQ employment discrimination.

Friday, March 5, 2021 | 7:00pm

Virtual Event

BALIF's 41st Annual Gala is on March 5, 2021. If you haven't done so yet, now is the time to sponsor BALIF and purchase your tickets to the Gala. This year's format is a virtual party.

Your sponsorship of BALIF and ticket purchases will fund law student scholarships, mentor programs, CLE's, Amicus briefs on LGBTQI issues, LGBTQI recruiting, social events to LGBTQI lawyers, community outreach, and much more. If your business or firm would still like to sponsor the Gala, it is not too late to take advantage of some of the many benefits of sponsorship, such as recognition through the end of 2021 on the BALIF website and newsletter, and complimentary tickets to the gala.

Help Us Celebrate our Awardees!!

BALIF has been busy! In celebration of all we have accomplished under our new board, please enjoy this year-end review of our work from June to December 2020. You can view the virtual publication here, on Issu, or as a PDF available for download here. BALIF thanks you for your continued membership and support. In honor of our 40th anniversary, we hope you'll consider giving to our 40 for 40 campaign.

Senator Feinstein has established a Judicial Advisory Committee in each federal district to review candidates (on an ongoing basis) for the positions of U.S. District Court Judge, U.S. Attorney and U.S. Marshal positions in all four of California’s federal districts. Decisions are expected to be announced in the next 10 days.

In furtherance of ensuring a diverse applicant pool, we encourage all interested BALIF members to apply! You can find the complete application form and further instructions here. https://www.feinstein.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/applications-jud

The AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) is looking for new Board members. ALRP is the oldest legal services organization in the country dedicated to providing legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS, and was formed by a handful of BALIF members back in 1983. ALRP has a 30 person Board of Directors and is looking for new members who reflect the diversity of the community that ALRP serves. While Board members take on a number of critical roles for the agency, the focus of ALRP board work is around fundraising and ensuring that the agency has the resources it needs to sustain its essential legal services.

For additional information, please reach out to Bill Hirsh, ALRP Executive Director, at bill@alrp.org or 415-701-1200, ext. 308.

San Francisco Queer Nightlife Fund (www.sfqueernightlifefund.org). We are organizing a direct relief mutual-aid fund for LGBTQ nightlife workers-i.e. DJs, servers, artists, bartenders. Our goal is to raise 200K to provide enough relief to 200 LMI workers for lifeline expenses (e.g. food, shelter, basic telecom, medical necessities).