Committees
Amicus
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 email amicus@balif.org.
Annual Dinner
Like to throw a good party? Join us in planning the LBGT Lawyer party of the year. The gala committee is responsible for BALIF’s annual event. We 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 last year’s Gala held at SFMOMA by joining our committee. Get in touch by emailing Laura Maechtlen, John Robert Unruh, or Jamie Dupree at dinner@balif.org.
Committee on the State Bar/Conference of Delegates & MCLE
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 Long Beach on The Queen Mary on September 16-18 for the 2011 Conference of Delegates. Please contact committee chair Cara Sherman at statebar@balif.org if you would like to join this committee.
Communications and Technology
Whether it be through the BALIF website, emails, newsletters, or press releases, the Communications and Technology Committee has the important task of keeping BALIF members and the community informed about BALIF events and accomplishments.
It also 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.
Development Committee
Judiciary/Endorsements
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 Susan Bluer at judiciary@balif.org.
Click here to learn about BALIF's Endorsements for the SF District Attorney Race on November 8th
Law Student Representatives
BALIF’s law student representatives 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 September 8 to 10 in Hollywood, California. 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
Over the past two years, the Membership Committee has increased BALIF membership by nearly 60%. We’ve done this through a three-pronged strategy of maintaining current members, aggressively recruiting new members, and reaching-out to former members. We strive to be innovative and cutting-edge, while making sure the needs of our members are met. Here are some of the hallmarks of our year…
- BALIF’s monumental “It Gets Better” Series honored our legacy while instilling hope in today’s youth. Twenty-five of BALIF’s best and brightest -- all ages, all races, all genders -- showed how being bullied inspired them to fight back using the law. Many of our contributors are heroes in our community -- including attorneys that argued against Prop 8 in court; the first lesbian judge in the country; and the first transgender judge in the country. We affirmed not only that “it gets better” but also reinforced what BALIF members are doing to make it better.
- We paired-up with SF’s gay doctors to host the Mid-Autumn Salon for an evening of dynamic dialogue and intellectual discourse. We took our inspiration from Gertrude Stein and Alice Toklas’ home in Paris circa 1934 – an elegant space populated by distinguished ladies and gentlemen discussing the issues of the day.
- The legal job market is still rough. We extended the BALIF Stimulus Package to provide free membership to our non-working attorneys. The Committee also created a job site to post hundreds of insider job opportunities for our members. And to help BALIF members attract more business, we created the online BALIF Referral Directory that enables the public to search for LGBT lawyers.
Over the course of BALIF’s 32–year history, our distinguished membership has numbered in the thousands, and has included nearly every LGBT attorney, judge, in-house counsel, and law student in the San Francisco Bay Area. BALIF is proud to be the nation’s oldest, largest, and most influential LGBT bar association. We're doing a lot, and need all the help we can get. if you're interested in making BALIF a better organization, please contact On Lu at membership@balif.org.
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 Spencer Jones or Michael Wolchansky at outreach@balif.org.
Pride Law Fund Committee
Pride Law Fund promotes the legal rights of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered community, and people living with HIV and AIDS, by funding legal services and projects and by sponsoring education and outreach. Pride Law Fund has assisted innovative academic programs, supported the development and distribution of legal and educational materials, and financed independent and documentary film projects to educate the public. Now in its thirty second year, Pride Law Fund is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, non-profit, charitable organization..
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 Lilah Sutphen at social@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.
