The Amicus Committee monitors cases that raise issues of concern to the LGBT community and our allies and joins in writing amicus briefs related to those issues. The Amicus Committee seeks members from a wide variety of legal fields who can assist in monitoring cases in their areas of practice, have contacts in organizations that champion issues of concern, or have contacts in firms that would be interested in writing briefs. If you are interested in joining the Amicus Committee or have questions, please contact Julia Adams at amicus@balif.org.
Like to throw a good party? Join us in planning the LBGT Lawyer party of the year. The dinner committee is responsible for BALIF’s annual event. We secure sponsors, plan the program, choose the entertainment, and do everything else involved with making sure our members and friends have a great time. Come help us build on the tremendous success of the Pearl Party by joining our committee. Get in touch by emailing Rob Depew at rdepew@wsgr.com or Laura Maechtlen at lmaechtlen@seyfarth.com.
We would love to have you be involved in the CLE and Conference of Delegates Committee. Help us plan CLE programs throughout the year and/or join us in Monterey on September 24-26 for the 2010 Conference of Delegates. Please contact committee chair Dan Dean if you would like to join this committee.
Whether it be through the BALIF website, emails, newsletters, or press releases, the Communications Committee has the important task of keeping BALIF members and the community informed about BALIF events and accomplishments.
Development Committee
Join BALIF’s “Connections” Mentoring Program!
Join BALIF’s “Connections” Mentoring Program!
In case you haven’t responded to recent e-mails inviting you to become part of BALIF’s exciting new mentoring program, “Connections,” the time to sign up is now! We are in the roll-out process and will be completing the initial pairings of mentors and mentees by mid-August. Law students and lawyers can participate. Young and established lawyers can be mentors to students, and students and newer lawyers can be mentees. If you’d like to be part of connections, please advise Dennis Raglin, the Young Lawyers & Students Committee Chair, at dennis.raglin@sdma.com as soon as you can with whether you’d like to be a mentor or a mentee and whether you have a specialty and gender preference for your pairing. You can also e-mail him with any questions about the program. AND SAVE THE DATE of September 23 at 6:30 p.m. for the first mentoring get together where we will discuss goals for the program and for making the most of LGBT mentoring!
Join the BALIF Amicus Committee!
Join the BALIF Amicus Committee!
The BALIF Amicus Committee monitors cases that raise issues of concern to the LGBT community and our allies and joins in writing amicus briefs related to those issues. The Amicus Committee seeks members from a wide variety of legal fields who can assist in monitoring cases in their areas of practice, have contacts in organizations that champion issues of concern, or have contacts in firms that would be interested in writing briefs. If you are interested in joining the Amicus Committee or have questions, please contact Julia Adams at amicus@balif.org.
The BALIF Judiciary Committee has the important responsibility of vetting judicial candidates for all the Courts in the Bay Area that seek BALIF’s endorsement for both elections and judicial appointments. If you are interested in becoming involved, please contact Co-Chair Susan Bluer at sgbluer@bluerlaw.com.
Law Student Representatives
BALIF’s law student representatives (Amanda Urquiza, Berkeley ‘12; Michael Charles Martin, Hastings ‘12) serve as the liaisons between the Bay Area’s law schools and the rest of the Bay Area LGBT legal community. The Law Student Committee works with the BALIF Board of Directors to organize social events for Bay Area law students, coordinate BALIF’s mentorship program, and raise funds to send local students to this year’s Lavender Law Career Fair and Conference, held August 26 to 28 in Miami , Florida . Join us! Being a part of the Law Student Committee is a great way to meet other Bay Area LGBT law students and lawyers, immerse yourself in the latest LGBT legal issues, and access some of the area’s myriad LGBT resources. Plus, it just may help land you an internship or your first job! If you’re interested in being a part of the committee, e-mail us at lawstudentrep@balif.org. We’d love to work with you!
Membership
Becoming Rainmakers…
How many times have you been asked, “do you know a lawyer that does [fill in the blank] law?” One of BALIF’s strongest assets is the diversity of legal environments in which our members practice — big firms, small firms, in-house counsel, public interests, government, sole practitioners, etc. With 1000+ members strong, we have potentially one of the most influential networks in the legal profession. This year, our vision is to harness that network to help BALIF members generate lawyer-to-lawyer referrals, word-of-mouth, and new business. We’ll do it through networking events, mixers, and an online BALIF referral directory. We’d love for you to join our Committee to make this vision a reality. Please email me at onlu@mac.com.
Outreach & Current Events Committee
The Outreach/Current Events Committee, in its second year, is aimed at keeping BALIF present and connected within the community. We are also BALIF’s “ear to the ground,” keeping the association informed about emerging legal issues affecting the LGBT community, advising BALIF on action when warranted, building bridges with ally groups, and coordinating BALIF’s activism. The Outreach/Current Events Committee works closely with other BALIF committees and facilitates collaboration with a diverse group of legal and non-legal entities.
This past year, the Committee coordinated BALIF’s activities and response on various issues including the CA Supreme Court decision to uphold Prop 8, discriminatory reporting on federal judicial nominees, and transparency in the Perry v. Schwarzenegger trial. We led BALIF’s protest of the California State Bar Annual Meeting at the Manchester Grand Hyatt, and also worked on expanding and strengthening BALIF’s relationship with other minority bar associations, labor unions, immigrant groups, and non-legal organizations.
We would love to have you join this exciting new BALIF committee. If you are interested in getting involved with the Outreach/Current Events committee, please email either Chelsea HaleyNelson or John Unruh at outreach@balif.org.
Social Events
Socializing is what BALIF members do best. The Social Committee throws BALIF’s fabulous happy hours, picnics, holiday party, and other events throughout the year. Help us pull together events that give us an excuse to network, socialize, and have a great time. To learn more, get in touch with David Sims.
BALIF’s Technology Committee was created to help keep BALIF technologically up to date and be more environmentally conscious at the same time. We began by creating a new website with a fresh look that will soon have an interactive web 2.0 feel. BALIF’s technology goals include enabling members to create online public or private profiles that they can update themselves whenever they choose, providing an automatic membership renewal option that will cut down on the number of paper mailings sent to members, and online voting that will greatly minimize the number of paper ballots and various mailings that BALIF regularly sends. BALIF also plans to offer videotaped MCLEs and MCLE webinars in the future.
If you have a technology idea that would benefit BALIF, please contact us at technology@balif.org.
Young Lawyers & Student Program
The BALIF Young Lawyers & Students (”YLS”) Committee addresses the unique needs of Bay Area LGBT lawyers who have been practicing for less than 10 years and also serves as a social resource for Bay Area LGBT law students. The YLS Committee seeks to achieve these year-round goals through the following:
· Mentorship Program and Related Events pairing young lawyers with more senior,
practicing LGBT attorneys with diverse employment backgrounds for one-on-one
mentorship and career guidance, as well as hosting semi-regular and social mentorship
opportunities, including “Speed Mentoring” receptions.
· Practically-Focused Panels and CLE Seminars, featuring prominent local attorneys and
professionals addressing issues of interest to the young LGBT lawyer in order to
success and build skills while navigating his or her way through the early
emphasizing resume writing and interviewing skills will also be useful to those young lawyers and law students looking to land, or change, jobs.
· Networking Receptions providing the young lawyer with the ability to meet in relaxed
social settings with more senior LGBT colleagues to learn more about what lies ahead
and how to get ahead, including the challenges and perceptions unique to the practicing
LGBT lawyer.
· Law Student Social Events, creating a social diversion for the future lawyer away from
class and study, with the input from BALIF’s Law Student Representatives.
The YLS Committee will regularly update its events and also report on its progress through the BALIF website. To achieve its goals, YLS needs help! We welcome new committee members to assist in making the above events a success and to reach the biggest audience. If you are interested in helping us organize and put on the above programs, or just have questions, please contact the YLS Chair, Dennis Raglin, at younglawyers@balif.org.
