Legal Pad

Oakland IP Attorney Harris Zimmerman Dies at 89

Longtime Oakland attorney and mediator Harris Zimmerman died May 20 in Oakland of complications from idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He was 89.

 

Zimmerman prosecuted thousands of patent and trademark cases, served as trial counsel and expert witness both for litigants and for the courts, acted as a special master for federal cases, and served as a private mediator as well as on federal court ADR panels.

"He certainly was a mentor to me, just a wonderful guy," said S.F. IP lawyer Thomas Smegal, a former president of the American Bar Association. "Harris did it all. Did some mediation, did some arbitration and did a lot of litigation, as well as up till the end wrote patent applications."

Thelen Class Action Case Gets a Little Simpler

Two former Thelen employees are throwing in the towel after their attorney was accused of trying to get a piece of the action one too many times.

Attorney Cary Kletter filed three similar complaints against Thelen in two courts, and tried to intervene in a fourth case, all on behalf of Todd Bennet, a librarian at Thelen for 29 years, and Matthew Troup, a clerical worker for a little over a year.

Attorneys for Thelen had threatened to seek sanctions against Kletter for allegedly violating federal court rules, saying he was bogging down the courts just so he could rack up legal fees for himself.

A week after a federal judge told Kletter’s clients they couldn’t intervene in a class action in the Northern District of California brought by former Thelen employees seeking unpaid wages from the firm, Kletter filed a second class action in the district on essentially the same claims.

Early on Friday, Kletter was defending the decision to file the separate class action because it included more claims involving unfair business practices and unjust enrichment.

And then he wasn’t. After the jump.

Associate Aims for Africa (It's the new thing, apparently)

James Williams is a bit envious, and he’s not afraid to admit it.

The fourth-year associate at Davis Wright Tremaine has plans to travel to Rwanda later this year to volunteer on a community project there. He’s hoping to take two weeks off to do it.

That’s compared to the entire three months off Myles Solomon managed to get from his small San Francisco shop to volunteer in Uganda and Tanzania.

“I definitely am envious of him in terms of taking those three months off,” he told Legal Pad. In fact, he admits to being just a wee bit jealous even of some of his friends who’ve been offered two thirds of their salary to leave their firms for a year. They agonize over the decision, he says. He thinks he wouldn’t. “In a perfect world, you take it and you have an adventure,” he said.

Alas, the world is far from perfect.

After the jump: Living in an imperfect world.

Layoffs: Everyone Loses, But Senior Associates Lose Worse?

You always hear that young lawyers—first and second years—who get laid off are going to have a hard time landing new jobs with their skimpy resumes, but what about the lawyers cut from the top of the associate pile?

BETWEEN JOBS An occasional look at how laid-off legal professionals cope with a crisis economy.

Turns out life ain’t a bed of roses for them, either.

Beth Cody, a Silicon Valley recruiter with Law Firm Staff, says it’s not so hard to move an employed senior associate into a new firm, but if the same lawyer is out of work, it’s really tough. She’s been working with about five laid-off senior-level associates since the start of the year. And these are no slackers.

“It’s hard for me to place people who don’t have a job, even if they had a blue-chip resume,” she told Legal Pad. Firms think they were laid off because they were not going to make partner, she said. And even glowing letters of reference blaming the economy don’t seem to diminish that stigma.

The fate of those in that (lack of) position, after the jump.

Alameda Bar Joins Prop 8-inspired Boycott

Add the Alameda County Bar Association to the growing list of groups treating the State Bar’s annual meeting like a pox-ridden village best to be avoided.

In an email issued yesterday, President Charles Bendes notified the association’s members that the ACBA will not be represented because the State Bar is holding its Sept. 10-13 meeting at San Diego’s Manchester Grand Hyatt. It’s not the accommodations that bother ACBA, but the fact that the hotel’s owner, Doug Manchester, donated $125,000 toward the passage of Proposition 8.

Sending a message … after the jump.

Bills Drop Like Flies in Cash-Strapped Assembly

The Senate Appropriations Committee iced SB 377 and roughly 100 other bills that legislators deemed too expensive to pursue this year. Actually, SB 377 wouldn’t have appropriated any money for the new judgeships, it would’ve just created the positions with the hope that the Legislature fund them some time in the future. But committee Chairwoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego, said bills creating new programs or expanding old ones were largely a no-go in this year of mammoth deficits.

“We’re all sacrificing our priorities,” Kehoe said.

A flock of sacrificial lambs, after the jump.

Protesters Dress Up Demands For Bybee's Impeachment

It has been a big week for protests in San Francisco (which those outside the Bay Area will assume is like a big week for gravity — it’s always goin’ on). Tuesday evening, unhappy reaction to the Prop 8 ruling culminated in hundreds of peaceful gay rights protesters marching from Civic Center down to the Metreon. At least, that’s where we peeled off from the crowd to catch a movie.

The political foment fermented some more today, as Evan Hill’s recent post notes (Jeff Adachi, Dennis Herrera, union members: Hell no, we won't furlough).

But wait — there’s more. There was an event outside the Ninth Circuit in downtown SF today to call for the impeachment of Torture Memo King Jay Bybee. Dozens of protesters (we’re posting a photo of one, but trust us, dozens) showed up, a few dressed, like this guy, in orange jumpsuits and black hoods. We’d respectfully submit that running around a court building in prisonwear is just asking for an Unfortunate Misunderstanding, but fortunately this is an appeals court.

The protest drew media attention (hey, we were there) and also some judicial review: Chief Judge Alex Kozinski and Ninth Circuit Executive Clerk Cathy Catterson were seen peeking out at the protest.

Photographic demigod Jason Doiy points out that there was no indication of Bybee being in the building at the time, but the protesters were not to be daunted. He says they were threatening to make the demonstrations a recurring event until Bybee is held accountable for his role in crafting the Bush administration’s torture policies. Also, they talked about following Bybee to his regular haunt, Las Vegas (a.k.a, for the ironically inclined, “Sin City.”)

— Brian McDonough

Herrera, Adachi Rally Crowd Against Court Furloughs

Court workers and union representatives from as far away as Los Angeles gathered in front of the Administrative Office of the Courts headquarters in San Francisco today to voice their complaints about proposed budget cuts that could close courtrooms once a month.

S.F. City Attorney Dennis Herrera, who is sailing unopposed toward re-election in five months, joined Public Defender Jeff Adachi on the picket line. Both could be seen chatting as they ambulated the shaded sidewalk in front the AOC building, which also houses the state Supreme Court and First District Court of Appeal.

Both Herrera and Adachi did their best impersonations of Michael Collins when they took the mic, trying to rouse the crowd of perhaps 100 to 150 placard-wielding protestors.

“Certain issues need to be off the board completely,” Herrera said, referring to the idea, proposed by the AOC, of shutting courthouse doors to save money. “Whether it be criminal courts or civil courts, the courts need to stay open.”

What do want? Adachi’s jokes! When do want ’em? After the jump!

We've Got Competition on the Bombay Beat

Firms with an eye on expanding international legal markets just got some new required reading.

Legally India debuted online last week. It provides news, features and analysis for Indian and international lawyers, and those with interests in India.

Kian Ganz, the publishing editor of Legally India, modeled the venture after The Lawyer in London, where he worked as a reporter for two years. He told Legal Pad that it is pretty tough to get breaking news about India’s young but quickly developing legal market without feet on the ground. He says Legally India is the only publication he knows of doing just that.

“I think that Legally India is complementary to readers of The Lawyer and other international legal publications,” he wrote in an email. “U.S. and UK international firms’ interest in India has been huge in the past years and judging by the buzz on the street, this will only increase.”

Right now, he says, the site is a self-funded startup, but he's in talks with friends and other veteran legal journalists about the future.

Ganz says he’ll focus as much on lateral moves in the country as on the expected influx of international players. “Already, UK and U.S. firms are recruiting the cream of India’s law school talent, and the UK’s magic circle have created strong alliances with local firms, and many, many others are definitely trying to do the same,” he wrote.

Will per partner profits, the reportorial bane of Western firm leaders, be put up for scrutiny? “Yes, but I think it will take a while yet before some of the big Indian family-owned firms are comfortable with the world knowing exactly how much they earn.”

— Petra Pasternak

Rumor Pans Out: Obama Picks John Roos for Tokyo Post

President Obama has tapped Wilson Sonsini CEO John Roos to be ambassador to Japan, according to a late White House announcement Wednesday.

Roos, who was an early supporter and heavy fundraiser for Obama, has been chief executive at Wilson Sonini Goodrich & Rosati since 2005. A Stanford Law School graduate, Roos has been a partner at Wilson Sonsini since 1988.

Last week, the Japanese press reported that Roos would be tapped for the post and lamented Roos’ lack of diplomatic experience, but neither the firm nor the White House were willing to comment.

Roos’ nomination would await Senate confirmation.

Wilson Sonsini spokeswoman Courtney Dorman wouldn’t say too much today, but it sounds like Roos is in a good mood.

“John is deeply honored by the president’s intention to nominate him as the U.S. ambassador to Japan, and he looks forward to the confirmation process. As I’m sure you understand, he is not able to comment further at this time,” Dorman wrote in an email.

Which means we’ll have to wait to see who fills the leadership vacuum at the Valley powerhouse.

— Amanda Royal
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