Cara Sherman
Cara’s childhood chores involved collecting eggs from the henhouse and gathering firewood for the fire that warmed the house and made hot water for showers. She’s traded that country life for city livin’ and is BALIF’s new Secretary and will lead BALIF’s contingency to the California Conference of Bar Associations in Monterey—where she promises not to look for eggs. Actively.
Secretary; Pride Law Fund Committee Chair; and State Bar/Conference of Delegates Committee Chair
statebar@balif.org
secretary@balif.org
mcle@balif.org
Ms. Sherman is a litigation associate in San Francisco at Ongaro Burtt & Louderback. Her practice focuses on general commercial litigation and employment litigation. Ms. Sherman represents employers in wrongful termination, breach of contract, and discrimination cases in both federal and state court.
Before joining Ongaro Burtt & Louderback, Ms. Sherman was an associate in the litigation group at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLC and, prior to that, a public interest associate at the National Center for Lesbian Rights (NCLR), both in San Francisco . At Pillsbury, Ms. Sherman's practice focused on employment and commercial litigation, and at NCLR, her responsibilities included researching and drafting appellate briefs, demand letters, and complaints. She also wrote and updated public education publications. As a Law Clerk during the Summer of 2007, Ms. Sherman researched and analyzed legal issues in support of the NCLR’s role as lead counsel in the landmark California Supreme Court case, In re Marriage Cases (2008) 43 Cal.4th 757.
While in law school, Ms. Sherman was a member of the Hastings Women’s Law Journal, serving on the Symposium Committee and as a Notes Editor. She also worked as a research assistant for Professor Richard L. Marcus, editing the 2007 edition of Gilbert Law Summaries on Civil Procedure and the fourth edition of Professor Marcus’ textbook, Civil Procedure: A Modern Approach.
Honors & Awards Keta Taylor Colby Award from the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights for excellent client service through the LCCR Second Chance Clinic. Moot Court Team Best Brief and Best Overall, Asylum and Refugee Law Competition (University of California, Davis, 2008)
Affiliations
American Bar Association, Bay Area Lawyers for Individual Freedom, National LGBT Bar Association, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA), Kappa Alpha Theta Alumni Association