Bar Association of San Francisco

I contacted The Bar Association of San Francisco so that I could contact a lawyer, to pay them to explain questions that I have regarding employment law, references, the risk of soliciting unlisted references for information, and how it all dovetails into academics, having presently found myself in a very tenuous situation, and not of my own making. All of this communication could and would have been electronic with no need for transit.
The person on the other end of the phone at The Bar Association of San Francisco was a pushy, rude individual, who, after cutting me off while answering their questions once or twice, was told to «just hang up» from the background, now that the straining 5 minutes was up, and gave me two phone numbers for other Bar Associations that have not helped. Thank you, sir. After having spoken to you, I doubt I could dislike NorCal anymore than I do now, and I am no fan of SoCal either.
The point that the functionary had trouble with was this:
I am currently in a very unique position as I have been an employee, who became a student at a University (#1), who recently became both a student and employee while trying to finish a graduate program. When I entered as an employee, I provided a list of professional/​character references; but, either before or, in preparation for entering the academic program (outside the expertise of the lawyer most likely), an extra reference was solicited from a previous advisor of mine (University #2) who disliked me immensely, and likely portrayed me as a gross and detrimental abstraction of what I am (I have a mental illness that follows the correct regimen and I am compliant with my Doctor). When I joined University #2, prior and during my previous advisor’s guidance/​malignance (he REALLY did not like me, and I don’t know why), the illness fulminated and I had some breakthrough issues due to misdiagnosis and the prescription of improper, exacerbating pharmacology. No accommodations were made at anytime by University #2 under Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act, and all this information was used out of context as an employment reference for University #1 by the advisor at #2, and it has followed me through employment, being a student, and until now, eroding my academic success as I have transitioned from one advisor to another two years ago. My planned questions were simple: what limitations are there on what can legally be asked of a non-​listed reference, what recourse is there for defamation and fallacy being used for personal reasons to prevent hiring (I had been blacklisted by unsuccessfully getting a job after University #2 for 6 months; during the recession for 2 years, from being admitted into a graduate program, and having oblique references made to what the malignant advisor would most likely have said. Blacklisting and defamation are strong words, but apt and likely true. Finally I wanted to know what if anything could be done to explain the transfer of information from an employer in a lab, who is also an academic, to another academic (i.e. my second boss after the first failed tenure), and which has caused me trouble since.
That was it. That was all for which I needed the reference. It is actually a straightforward request so long as someone’s ability to speak is not hamstrung or a careful reading is undertaken.
If I could rate this outgrowth of the California Bar Association any lower, and I would. This was the least professional treatment I’ve ever experienced; it was more like what I imaging bad speed dating to be like.

The details about what happened are below, but I want to show what this group of duplicitous and frankly immature sleazy people did on FB in response to a less that favorable post from me on their page. It is bizarre!
Here is what they put on their page and then blocked me from posting on their page:
San Francisco Lawyer Referral and Information Service wrote: «Ms. Calvert — I am so sorry to hear that you had such an unfortunate experience. Medical Malpractice cases are extremely hard to place but I hope that you will contact our service directly at (415) 989‑1616. That is our direct intake line rather than the front reception. Please call us today at (415) 989‑1616.» FYI, I’ve been calling this number the entire time. Pure B.S. Again, blocked me from responding.
This is the PM they sent me:
If you would like someone to look over your documents rather than a referral to an attorney I recommend you attend the free Legal Advice and Referral Clinic on Saturday, August 30^th at 1601 McKinnon Avenue from 12pm-1:30pm. You can speak directly with an attorney for 15 minutes of free legal advice. Bring your documents with you so that the attorney can review them. If you are interested in mediation for your claim please contact our Alternative Dispute Resolution Department at (415) 782‑8905 to see if that is an option. Unfortunately we are not able to make referrals every case. We do not represent all San Francisco attorneys. If the Legal Advice and Referral Clinic is not an option for you then I recommend you try contacting attorneys on your own. I am so sorry that we were unable to assist you with your case. Blocked me from responding. You can see one has nothing to do with the other.
These guys are lawyers!!! I guess all the sleazy lawyer jokes are true.
I had nothing but problems since the day I started looking for help from BASF, their referral service. I was simply looking for someone to look a my malpractice suit, one that had to be settle through arbitration, and give an opinion on the validity of my case. I received a message (unfortunately I wasn’t home when they called) saying that they couldn’t find a lawyer who could take my case. And, I quote, «it did mean I didn’t have a good case, just no one had the time right now». Okay, first I didn’t as for a lawyer to be involved with my case and second, that’s exactly what I did want to know, is it a good case. So I call back and man or man I have NEVER encounter such a gatekeeper. Speaking with these kind of people is miserable enough but she has a very strong accent and I had to have her repeat things several times. In addition she didn’t understand what I needed. So some back and forth calling went on. A person named Myra called and she said she would ask the malpractice attorneys if they would be willing to look at the case and just give me a quick yes or no. Myra called me back w/​in an hour or so to tell me they all said not. Later it was confirmed that she never did ask anyone to look at my case again.
Also I’m noticing the 5 star reviews are from people interested in the program, not people who tried to use the program.

I had a very very difficult case against a very powerful opponent and I had exhausted all of my professional and personal contacts for lawyer referrals only to have them refuse to take my case. I was getting frustrated but refused to give up when I contacted the Bar Association of San Francisco for the lawyer referral service. I barely had to wait at all before I was instantly connected to an associate on the phone. I explained with emphasis that I needed a lawyer that was tough and not afraid of a challenge. The Bar Association of San Francisco not only had a referral for me within minutes but they even had an appointment set up for me with said attorney the following day. This referral introduced me to the best lawyer I could have possibly asked for and I was able to fight for my rights. I highly recommend this service. If you don’t get the lawyer your looking for the first time, try try again because these guys have got some real diamonds in their Rolodex.

Lawyer’s referral is completely useless

Continuing education, centered around Arbitration, taught by Ron Kelly. Great professional facility, outstanding service, a value, for continuing education, great instructor, love the location. Close to BART.

I came here for an all-​day seminar and the place does the job. There is a huge room set up classroom style with rows of tables and chairs. The room offers wi-​fi but that didn’t do anything for me since I didn’t have a laptop. Nothing fancy or memorable but I believe it’s a multi-​purpose room so I’m sure it can gussied up for other uses.

My friend participated in a binding fee dispute arbitration — and I attended to support him. I would recommend that you go to the courts (not the BASF) if you have a claim. This is a group of lawyers who will always side with the attorneys.
We had a three person panel arbitration — the non-​lawyer arbitrator was useless. Every time there was a dispute on law, he would turn to the lead attorney for confirmation on the law — and the lead arbitrator would side with the attorney even thought we had case law to support the law. For goodness sake, we had an attorney-​client dispute attorney expert prepare our case.
Breaches of fiduciary duties — at the very beginning of the all day arbitration, the lead arbitrator said, out of hand, we don’t give any relief for breaches of fiduciary duties — regardless of how egregious. If we felt we had such breaches, we should submit a complaint to the CA bar association.
Examples of Breaches — Attorney threatened to sue my friend for fees without advising of arbitration option, Attorney refused to provide my friend with his complete file (we proved this during the arbitration) and was granted no relief. My friend’s attorney refused to proceed on his case while he looked for another attorney to represent him — completely jeopardized my friend’s case unless my friend pre-​paid the overcharged fees. No relief granted.
Malpractice — you can’t get relief in this forum for malpractice. We didn’t ask for any compensation for the malpractice — just that they don’t hold him responsible for the fees incurred while committing malpractice. Our request was denied.
Fee agreement — no fee agreement was signed in our case — yet the arbitrators sided with the attorney honoring the hourly fee billed than the one quoted in an e-​mail.
Inappropriate interaction with the attorney — the attorney was ushered into the conference room with the lead arbitrator — had on-​the-​side conversations with the arbitrators — we were ushered in at the beginning of the arbitration after the two had spent at least 15 mins together with closed doors. Then at the end, when we were ushered out, I could hear them joking together as we left — more unsupervised conversations prior to the ruling being issued.
The attorney used 100% of block billing in their invoices, elastic phrases throughout and greater than 80% high incremental billing — No relief.
There was one small adjustment for punitive billing of about $ 2,000. So my friend prevailed — but still the arbitrators did not award even the arbitration fees to him. These guys are completely biased. They are there to protect their attorney pals.
Fortunately, my friend went after the attorney for malpractice in court — and is getting more in settlement than he was asking for in arbitration.
You can try this route — but never agree to binding arbitration. Perhaps you will get a more impartial panel than my friend got — but leave your option always open (do not do binding arbitration!) to dispute the fees in court.
BTW — the association touts the statistic that 70% of participants are happy with the process. Keep in mind — the winners in arbitration are already 50%. Where the other 20% comes from has to be those that didn’t complete the survey after the arbitration was complete.

Thanks to the lawyers who volunteer their time on every second and fourth Saturday or the month in SF, I got the best 15 minutes of legal advice that helped me prepare and win my case in small claims court. To minimize your time waiting in line, arrive at least 30 minutes before the clinic opens to be seen early by one of the law students, who triage your case, prior to being assigned a relevant attorney to follow up with advice on your issue. There are other social services available for free on the side to check out.
Parking is tough in the street, but public transit is easily accessible. Translation services in Spanish, Chinese, and other languages are available depending on the availability of the volunteers.

I just went today, to the clinic located at the UC Hastings School of Law. I took the Geary bus and had to walk several blocks through the Tenderloin, which was gross and repulsive. Then when I got there at 10:15, there was a line of folks half way down the block waiting for the clinic. I thought «Oh, crap, this is going to be a huge time waster, I might not get in, etc.» But I was so wrong. They opened the doors promptly at 10:30 am, got everyone into a big auditorium room quickly, handed out packets and numbers, explained the system, and got down to business. The lawyer I spoke to was kind, funny, wise, experienced and gave me great advice. I was out by 11:30 and all my legal stress was managed! For free! Could not be better and kudos to the SF Bar Association for a great public service.

VLSP is a great program!

The Bar Association of San Francisco houses the Volunteer Legal Services Program (VLSP), which offers volunteer opportunities for attorneys to work with real clients. Some of these volunteer opportunities are intended for attorneys experienced in their respective fields, but others provide free training, including CLE units.
I have already taken two trainings through VLSP — one was the Family Law Assisted Self-​Help Project (FLASH) training on dissolution basics, and the other was an introduction to landlord-​tenant law. The trainings were very comprehensive and included manuals, and the staff members were very friendly and supportive.
You are expected to volunteer on a certain number of projects with real clients within a certain time frame, and you have malpractice coverage through VLSP for your cases. It’s a great program, whether you are a newly admitted attorney or a seasoned veteran in a particular field looking to diversify your knowledge; and it’s a win-​win for everyone, as you get free training, CLE, and real experience helping low-​income individuals.

While I rather resent the California Bar taking several hundred dollars from me every year simply that I may lawfully do my job, BASF is another matter entirely.
It’s a great collegial association of local attorneys. It offers great resources, such as access to malpractice, disability, and health insurance; continuing education; discounted publications and gym memberships, yada yada yada. They also have a fantastic program to encourage firms and companies to hire minority attorneys.
Best of all, BASF membership is totally voluntary, and for all these great benefits (none of which does the California Bar provide) BASF really doesn’t charge very much for membership.
Additionally — for you non-​lawyers out there, as was already noted, BASF will hook you up with an attorney if you need one.
In sum: California Bar — not so much; BASF — yesssssssssssssss!

Have you ever needed a lawyer? Most people don’t think about it until they do… you can call these guys and for $ 25 bucks they will get you a consultation with a good one for a half hour. If you have no money, you can get a reduced rate for further counsel, or you may qualify for free services from a volunteer lawyer!