Fall 2022 USF Lawyer Magazine

THE SIX USF LAW ALUMNI SERVING AS CHIEF PUBLIC DEFENDERS IN CALIFORNIA ARE CHANGING THE SYSTEM FROM THE INSIDE OUT. PAGE 12

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN

As we finalize this issue of USF Lawyer magazine, the faculty, staff, and deans are preparing for the start of another academic year and looking forward to our students’ return to campus. Last year, we were fortunate to resume a fully in-person schedule, and after two years of virtual ceremonies, I was especially thrilled to celebrate commencement in St. Ignatius Church together with our graduates from the classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022. I hope you will enjoy reading about Brendon Woods’ ‘96 inspiring commencement address on page 3 of this issue.

This issue also features Brendon and five of his fellow alumni and California chief public defenders in our cover story, “To Serve and Defend.” These alumni are leading the fight, as well as large staffs, on behalf of some of the most vulnerable and underserved members of our community, and their efforts truly embody the Jesuit values that USF Law champions. We are proud of and deeply grateful for their collective efforts in the pursuit of justice and equity.

We are also profoundly thankful to Professors Peter Jan Honigsberg and Tim Iglesias for their dedicated and invaluable service to our USF Law community. They are retiring after more than 50 years between them on our faculty, and we are delighted to showcase their myriad contributions in these pages. Peter and Tim have generously shared their expertise and passion for justice with thousands of USF lawyers and with the greater community. We will miss them both as we treasure their legacies.

The School of Law continues to innovate in support of our students’ learning and career goals. Our Intellectual Property and Internet Justice Clinic recently added patent work to its caseload and Professor Jessica Fajfar has plans for additional expansion into privacy cases (see page 18). And our Graduate Tax Program enrolls increasing numbers of students each semester and continues to evolve with offerings like our tax law writing program (page 22). We continue to pursue creative ways to educate the next generation of excellent, ethical, skilled lawyers, whom we need more than ever to lead us to a bright future.

As always, I welcome your comments, questions, and concerns and hope to meet with many of you this academic year.

All my best,

Susan Freiwald Dean and Professor of Law

PAUL J. FITZGERALD, S.J. University President

CHINYERE OPARAH Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs

SUSAN FREIWALD Dean and Professor of Law

AMY FLYNN Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

STEPHANIE CARLOS Assistant Dean for Student Affairs

LARA BAZELON Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship

LEA WOOD Senior Director for Development

SHELLI FYFE Editor

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SERVE AND DEFEND

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CONTENTS

• 2022

DEPARTMENTS

IN BRIEF

Documenting War Crimes in Ukraine

No Visa Needed Sophia Abebe ‘24 is One to Watch Students Help Free Wrongfully Convicted Man

FACULTY FOCUS

Tim Iglesias, Housing Expert and Pioneer of Meditation in Law, Retires Educating for Justice

NEWS

Notes

Mountains”

and a Strict Regimen A Mentorship to Last a Lifetime

GO FORTH AND SET THE WORDS ON FIRE

CLOSING ARGUMENT

Paving a Path in Privacy Law: Lorenzo Robleto ‘14

IN BRIEF

Documenting War Crimes in Ukraine

Wendy Betts ’13 is helping people in Ukraine use their smartphones to document Russian attacks, the first step toward prosecuting war crimes in the courts.

Betts is director of eyeWitness to Atrocities, an organization whose mobile app embeds time, date, and location in users’ digital photos and videos. The metadata is one step toward verifying that the footage is genuine, making it admissible as evidence in court. That’s important, because digital video and photos are easy to manipulate and often can’t be used to prosecute human rights violations.

“Without information, you’re not going to be able to pursue justice,” Betts said.

eyeWitness has seen an uptick in its app registrations during the attacks in Ukraine, Betts said. “Now every Ukrainian is a witness to something.”

An App for Activists

The eyeWitness app is used by human rights activists around the world, Betts said. More than 16,000 photos and videos have been certified since the app was developed in 2015. All photos and videos recorded with the eyeWitness app are sent to an encrypted server where they cannot be edited or otherwise manipulated. Then eyeWitness catalogs the recordings and places them into dossiers for secure submission to investigators including the United Nations and the International Criminal Court.

eyeWitness has provided authenticated footage from Ukraine, where Russian artillery attacks have killed many and have left

millions displaced and homeless; from the Democratic Republic of Congo, where two militia leaders were convicted of crimes against humanity in 2018; and from Palestine, where alleged war crimes have taken place.

“Wendy has dedicated her career to the protection and sanctity of human rights,” said Peter Jan Honigsberg, one of Betts’ professors at USF Law. “Her inspiring leadership with eyeWitness has led to the documentation of human rights violations in countries around the globe. Now she is making an enormous contribution to documenting human rights abuses and violence in Ukraine.”

The USF Effect

Betts credits her USF education with setting her up to lead eyeWitness to Atrocities. After her first year in law school, she interned in London with the International Bar Association, which founded eyeWitness, to work on the verification process. She continued the work part time during her second and third years at USF.

The day after she passed the bar exam, she became director of eyeWitness to Atrocities. “It’s been a great opportunity to combine all the threads I’ve pursued and add the legal influence and expertise I got from USF to complete this picture,” Betts said. She appreciates that USF urges its students to have an impact, she added.

“It’s easy to lose sight of what you’re doing and feel like it’s not enough. But seeing what’s happening right now in Ukraine … it feels right to be where I am.” n

It’s been a great opportunity to combine all the threads I’ve pursued and add the legal influence and expertise I got from USF to complete this picture.”

Commencement Ceremony Recognizes Three Graduating Classes

“The pandemic has taught us all to be resilient and to pivot gracefully,” said USF Law Dean Susan Freiwald. “And I thank you graduates of the classes of 2020 and 2021, and also our most recent graduates, for your many graceful pivots in the face of the challenges we have faced together.”

Woods, who was raised by an immigrant single mother, is the first Black chief public defender in Alameda County, and reminisced on his own graduation in his address. While he remembers being excited about the prospect of pursuing justice through public defense, his strongest memory is seeing the looks on the faces of his family members.

“I remember they were proud that there was actually going to be a lawyer in their family,” said Woods. “I was accomplishing my dream, but I was also accomplishing theirs. I would not be here without the love, support, generosity, caring, nurturing of my family. None of us would be here without the support of those people.”

Students, families, recent graduates, faculty and staff came together May 20 at St. Ignatius Church for an unforgettable commencement ceremony celebrating three USF Law graduating classes.

The first in-person USF Law graduation since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic featured a commencement address by Alameda County Chief Public Defender Brendon Woods ‘96. It honored the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022.

No Visa Needed

He encouraged students to nourish the relationships they formed with peers and mentors in law school and at some point in their careers “pay it forward” by becoming mentors to younger ranks.

He also exhorted graduates to confront the problem of racism in America by taking concrete actions in the name of social justice.

“Even if you don’t do that with your career, I ask and beg that you do that with your life choices.” n

Immigration Policy Clinic Students Launch New Podcast

Podcasting can be an impactful tool for advocacy, according to several USF Law students and Immigration Policy Clinic director, Prof. Bill Ong Hing. Last year, Professor Hing challenged clinic students to explore ways that the medium can be used to spread information related to immigration policy, and the “No Visa Needed” podcast was born.

Several of the participating students are especially well-suited to the task. Prior to attending law school, Kirkman Ridd ‘23 owned a recording studio and produced music for record albums, TV shows, and films, and Dani Silva ‘23 produced a criminal justice reform podcast for a small nonprofit.

In the initial episodes, available on Apple and Spotify, students discuss topics such as

green cards and trends in naturalization applications over the years, issues related to lawful permanent resident processes, and the true meaning of advocacy.

In future episodes, Silva says she plans to delve into topics related to current events, noting, “one of the scripts I have in the making examines how the term ‘La Migra’ has become a term of negative cultural significance.” Ridd adds that another future episode will feature an interview with Eric Hill-Tanquist from the humanitarian organization Al Otro Lado and will discuss secondary trauma and humanitarian work.

When asked who they hope will listen to “No Visa Needed,” Silva says the intended audience is broad and includes “immigration advocates or individuals wanting to become immigration advocates.

Advocacy is an interesting intersection. There are people interested in learning more about policies and legal processes but also people who have a deep passion for helping those who are affected by such laws.”

Ultimately, Ridd says he hopes that their efforts will “help shine a light on immigration issues which will eventually lead to action and inspire people to get out there and do something to make a difference.” n

ONE TO WATCH: SOPHIA ABEBE ’24

Growing up, Sophia Abebe didn’t know a single lawyer. Raised in Northern Virginia by parents who immigrated to the United States from Ethiopia, she believes her self-discipline has helped her achieve many goals, including becoming a law student. Abebe also credits her father for providing a solid support system and instilling in her a sense of self-confidence that helped her recognize that she could achieve anything she set her mind to.

A JD/MBA dual degree candidate, Abebe has been a student leader since the beginning. Last year, she served as president of the Black Law Student Association, a Legal Research, Writing, and Analysis tutor for the Academic Support Program, a case counsel for Moot Court, and worked in both the Admissions Office and at the circulation desk in Zief Law Library. The summer after her 1L year, Abebe was a legal intern at Oracle and this past summer, she served as a legal intern at Palo Alto Networks working in the Privacy and Commercial groups. Abebe transitioned to her MBA studies in fall 2022.

What is one of your most memorable experiences at USF?

My most memorable experience at USF would have to be the Black Law Student Association’s Fireside Chat held during my first year of law school. I could immediately feel the love from all of the USF Law alumni, and from that moment, I knew that I was coming into a community that was rooting for me and my success. It was like getting a sneak peek into my future as an attorney and alumna, and I look forward to coming back to support the future BLSA community, especially the 1Ls.

Which class has challenged you the most?

Evidence was by far the most challenging class I have ever taken. Prof. Katie Moran ‘16 is very passionate about the course and would ask us questions that made us think through the nuances of each rule. Our final exam was similar to, but more difficult than, Bar essay questions; she was trying to really test our understanding of the material.

How do you plan on using your JD/MBA degrees?

My goal is to use my degrees in a way that will help organizations with their

corporate development efforts. I think the two degrees are really complementary; a JD helps develop analytical skills and reasoning skills that I think are important for employees focused on growing company revenues. On the other hand, an MBA helps in understanding the ins and outs of what is needed for the day-to-day operations and expansion of corporations. After I gain some work experience, I hope to assist Black business owners and entrepreneurs with growing their companies and providing them with insights on how to manage their operations.

Any specific highlights from your involvement with student orgs?

As the president of the Black Law Student Association, I really enjoyed connecting with new Black students and making sure they felt supported in every way, as well as working to provide them with resources and assistance whenever I could. Also, being a case counsel for Moot Court was very rewarding. Helping the 1Ls develop their research and oral advocacy skills and seeing their thought process adjust into thinking like a lawyer was gratifying, especially seeing as I was in their exact position the year prior. n

PRESS CLIPPINGS

“Before the pandemic, courts frequently denied legal challenges to employer demands for on-site office presence, despite the disparate impact that these policies have on women with significant caregiving responsibilities and some individuals with disabilities, among others.”

Prof. Michelle Travis told MarketWatch in a piece titled: “A lot of people are getting promotions — and most of them are in the office.”

“ I view the ACLU’s hard-left turn with alarm. It smacks of intolerance and choosing sides, precisely what a civilliberties organization designed to defend the Bill of Rights is meant to oppose.”

Prof. Lara Bazelon in an article she authored in The Atlantic , “The ACLU has Lost its Way”

“Courts are becoming more and more open to really forcing employers to move beyond a simple statement of, ‘Well, we couldn’t understand her.’ And asking additional questions such as, ‘What level of communication is required for this job?’ And, ‘How do you evaluate this candidate’s speech?’ ”

Prof. Maria Ontiveros on bias based on accents in the Christian Science Monitor podcast.

“We ought to recognize legal personhood as simply the term we give to those who receive legal protections. Animals unquestionably fit this description.”

Justice for Animals Chair Matthew Liebman in a San Francisco Chronicle op-ed he co-authored titled “Do elephants have habeas corpus rights? No. But they could and should.”

“We really don’t want to replicate the distributional injustice that existed under fossil fuels, where communities of color and marginalized populations are experiencing a disproportionate burden from our fossil fuel economy.”

Prof. Alice Kaswan in a Hill Country News article titled “Wind turbines proposed near a Japanese American incarceration camp prompt outrage”

“As a district attorney, you can achieve the interests of justice without having to incorporate a deportation penalty.”

Prof. Bill Ong Hing told the San Francisco Chronicle in an interview for an article titled “D.A. Brooke Jenkins to review drug cases, may reverse decisions made under Chesa Boudin”

The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lawyers

Because being a great lawyer and a great human have so much in common, those same habits carry over — they increase students’ effectiveness at preparing for the bar exam and law school finals.”

Hawkins added: “Law school isn’t just about getting good grades. It’s about building the foundation for a successful career by fostering strong study, work, and life habits; making professional connections; and living in integrity with one’s values.”

Each session welcomed a different guest lecturer, including several renowned USF Law alumni, who shared with students practical strategies for tackling a habit they believe is crucial for a thriving legal career.

What are the habits shared by some of USF Law’s most distinguished and successful alumni? Associate Professor Katie Moran ‘16 and Adjunct Professor Jerome Hawkins ‘16 have identified seven. This past spring, Moran, co-director of USF’s Academic and Bar Exam Success Program (ABES) and Hawkins, a trial lawyer and civil litigator, led a weekly series for law students called “The Seven Habits of Highly Successful Lawyers.”

In planning the series, Moran said: “Our goal was to help every student develop the skills and mindsets to practice law at a high level.

California Supreme Court Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins ‘80 kicked off the series and inspired students with his personal journey to the state’s highest court. Jenkins offered students sage advice on living your values, saying “If you live a life of the mind where you are curious and whole, you develop common sense and judgement; there is never a better time to start trusting that than now.”

The series also featured guest lectures from Thomas J. Brandi ‘72, Doris Cheng ‘98, Adjunct Prof. Sasha M. Cummings, Cecilia Fierro ‘15, adjunct professor Justice Teri L. Jackson, and Lana Persaud ‘18. n

Law Students Help to Free a Man Wrongfully Convicted of Murder

This past April, a group of USF Law students and their professor helped to exonerate a man — 30 years after he was convicted of a murder he did not commit.

Joaquin Ciria, 61, is the first person exonerated as a result of the work of the San Francisco Innocence Commission, a group chaired by School of Law Professor Lara Bazelon. She was assisted on the case by law students and recent alumni Angela Crivello ’22, Jenny Estevez ’21, Roxann Matthews ’22, Amy Metzgar ’22, Danielle Potestio ’20, Kali Smiley ’23 as well as clinic staff attorney Charlie Nelson Keever.

On April 18, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Brendan Conroy took the recommendation of the Innocence Commission and overturned Ciria’s conviction. Ciria was freed from prison two days later, after serving 30 years.

“I hope Mr. Ciria’s life moving forward involves the opposite of struggle — ease,” Estevez said. “Mr. Ciria fought against the criminal justice system for decades in order to assert his innocence.”

Three Decades of Detention

Ciria was arrested in 1990 and charged with the murder of a friend, Felix “Carlos” Bastarrica, in the South of Market district. For more than three decades, Ciria insisted he did not commit the murder.

A witness came forward after Ciria’s trial and swore the killer was a different man.

The USF team worked on the project for several years, and the students gained hands-on experience. Estevez wrote internal memos

for the legal team regarding the procedural aspects of the Innocence Commission and attended meetings with Bazelon and Ciria’s attorneys to discuss strategy.

Potestio edited the draft of the supplemental return to petition for writ of habeas corpus, a court order demanding that a public official (such as a warden) deliver an imprisoned person to the court and show a valid reason for that person’s detention.

“I also reviewed all the reporter transcripts from Mr. Ciria’s superior court case in 1991,” Potestio said. She made a list of all of the evidence items that were admitted during the trial to make sure the Innocence Commission still had the exhibits in its possession before submitting the supplemental return to petition for writ of habeas corpus.

“This effort would not be possible without the hard work of the students at the USF Racial Justice Clinic,” Bazelon said. “To see an exoneration unfold in real time was an amazing experience for all of us. We are thrilled that Mr. Ciria finally won his freedom after advocating for his innocence for three decades. Now finally he has a chance to take back his life.” n

#USFLAW

@usflaw @usflaw/usflaw

Stay connected with USF School of Law on social media. Tag your posts to share your #USFLaw moments!

APRIL 2022

Rebecca Gonzalez ‘23 says “It warmed my heart to hear of Sal and Leslie’s inspiration and motivation for granting this scholarship and I am honored to be the recipient of the Cesar and Graciela Torres Memorial Scholarship.” #alumni #mentorship #scholarship #futurelawyer

MARCH 2022

Frank C. Newman International Human Rights Law Clinic students, including @avneet_purewal , recently returned from Geneva where they presented on a variety of topics at the United Nations Human Rights Council 49th session. So proud of the important work they do, as well as the work they will undertake in the near future as legal professionals. #USFLaw

FEBRUARY 2022

Associate Prof. Katie Moran ‘16, pictured with Justice Teri L. Jackson and Adjunct Professor Jerome Hawkins ‘16, calls Justice Jackson “the embodiment of growth mindset.”

JANUARY 2022

A nationally recognized leader in contemplative legal education and law practice, #USFLaw Prof. Rhonda V. Magee won the Institute for Well-Being in Law’s (IWIL) inaugural Reed Smith Award for Excellence in Well-Being in Law. The award recognizes “an individual who has made an outstanding contribution toward fostering systemic change in legal professional well-being.”

DECEMBER 2021

Tucker Cottingham ‘11, at age 12, started a business selling motor scooters. Cottingham is the founder of legal technology platform Lawyaw and believes law students have a huge opportunity to lead the way in making legal services higher quality and more accessible by embracing technology.

JUNE 2022

The Intensive Advocacy Program (IAP) celebrated 30 years of teaching students the art of advocacy. IAP would not be possible without the inspiring leadership of alumni and program co-directors

Doris Cheng ‘98 and Elinor Leary ‘03 and the expertise of dedicated volunteer faculty. A huge thank you to the program directors and all of our volunteer judges and instructors.

FACULTY FOCUS

Tim Iglesias, Housing Expert and Pioneer of Meditation in Law, Retires

Prof. Tim Iglesias, a former Jesuit, leader in housing law and pioneer of meditation in lawyering, has retired after 20 years teaching at USF Law.

Iglesias has been a fixture in USF classes on Property, Community Property and Land Use, along with courses he created on Residential Segregation, Eviction Lawyering and Contemplative Lawyering. The latter course integrated concepts of Ignatian spirituality that he learned from 13 years as a Jesuit.

“I am experiencing a fair amount of sadness and grief as I get rid of stuff, particularly my teaching notes, because I’ve spent hundreds of hours trying to improve them,” he says.

Iglesias, who has also served on the California Fair Employment and Housing Council since 2015, says in retirement he is looking to pursue opportunities in four different realms: mindfulness; increasing access to justice; doing personal work with people making life decisions; and affordable housing and anti-discrimination.

“I’ve loved teaching, and it’s been a great privilege,” Iglesias says. “But there’s all kinds of things I’m interested in that I can’t do while I’m teaching, since it’s a full time job.”

USF Law Dean Susan Freiwald praised Iglesias’ scholarly and public service work devoted to improving housing laws and practices, noting that he has inspired students with his passion to achieve greater equity through law.

“Tim also embodies the Ignatian tradition of cura personalis,” Freiwald said. “Because of his care for our community, he has volunteered to lead mindfulness sessions for years that have immeasurably benefitted staff, faculty, and students. We will all miss him dearly.”

Housing Means Flourishing

By 1990, Iglesias had left the Jesuits and decided to go back to school at Stanford Law. Two years after graduating, he got a job at the Nonprofit Housing Association of Northern California, where he worked for seven years dealing with local opposition to affordable housing in the Bay Area. He noted that the more he got into housing law, the more he saw it was a profound realm that “touches so much in people’s lives.”

“I realized that housing is just so important to a human being flourishing, families flourishing, and communities flourishing,” Iglesias says. “And there are so many different

dimensions to it. It is endlessly interesting to me.”

He began teaching full time at USF Law in 2003, focusing on property and land use law. The Eviction Lawyering course has been one of his favorite aspects of teaching, as he would bring in practitioners and have students go to eviction hearings and meet with judges.

Iglesias, who has meditated every day for 15 years, also integrated aspects of Jesuit spirituality into his Contemplative Lawyering class, changing the word “God” to reflect the notion of a person’s “highest value.”

Iglesias noted mindfulness is a practice that can be particularly salient for law students, who have been trained to be reactive to questions asked in the classroom.

“In law, we’re all in our heads all the time,” Iglesias says. “But to be a good lawyer, you can’t just be a big brain. You have to be sensitive to how people are responding, you have to be able to develop rapport with people — your client included — to get information you want to get. You have to be able to anticipate and have a high degree of emotional intelligence. All of those skills are really easily taught and experienced within the context of a mindfulness class, because a lot of it is about slowing down.”

“Because of his care for our community, he has volunteered to lead mindfulness sessions for years that have immeasurably benefitted staff, faculty, and students. We will all miss him dearly.”

Educating for Justice

PROF. PETER JAN HONIGSBERG TO RETIRE

Peter Jan Honigsberg, a professor long known for striking “delightful fear” in his students and instilling a passion for human rights into a generation of mentees, will retire at the end of this year.

Honigsberg, who has taught at USF Law since 1986, is widely known for his efforts to document human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay through his organization, Witness to Guantanamo. But he is also revered among students and alumni for tough classes that have helped “generations of students to transform from students into lawyers,” according to Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Amy Flynn ‘04.

In addition to crafting a first-of-its-kind class on legal issues in terrorism in the aftermath of 9/11 and teaching methods for bar exam writing to countless students, Honigsberg “completely revolutionized” USF Law’s Legal Writing and Research program, according to The Hon. Jeffrey

Brand, who was dean of USF Law from 1999 to 2013 and has known Honigsberg for more than 50 years.

“It would’ve been hard to find someone in the country more dedicated to legal writing and who had developed a more effective program than Peter had,” Judge Brand said. He added: “During my time as dean, we used the phrase ‘educating for justice,’ and Peter was the prime example of that. Peter contributed so much to the mission, the reputation, and the curriculum of the law school.”

Commitment to Justice

As a law student at New York University in the 1960s, Honigsberg became involved in the civil rights movement. In law school, he spent summers and breaks in Louisiana representing civil rights leaders who were working toward desegregation. The experience became the basis for a 2000 memoir called Crossing Border Street: A Civil Rights Memoir.

After graduating, he moved to Berkeley, where he continued working with protest movements against the Vietnam War. The efforts within the civil rights movement were important precursors to his later work documenting human rights violations at Guantanamo Bay.

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, as a national dialogue turned against Muslims and Muslim Americans, Honigsberg created the Legal Issues of Terrorism class, which former student Alexa Koenig ‘03 described as a “milestone moment” and an “act of bravery to take on a topic that was that sensitive and that heated politically in that moment.”

“It was a great opportunity as a student to engage pedagogically with the really big issues and questions of our time as they were unfolding in real time,” said Koenig, who was later hired into the legal writing department by Honigsberg. “I think that takes tremendous guts on the part of a professor. For him it was really like building an airplane while flying it. Every week there

were new stories suggesting that our entire legal framework was beginning to shift in very powerful and profound ways.”

Koenig came out of that class with a new conviction to pursue human rights after graduation. She is now executive director of the Human Rights Center at UC Berkeley.

She noted that mentorship has always been a huge part of Honigsberg’s legacy, as he’s created a “pipeline of people who care deeply about the world” coming from USF Law into human rights work.

Witnessing Injustice

In 2008, Honigsberg approached Koenig, asking her to join him in an effort that would become his career’s defining labor: documenting the abuses of power at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp. The project, which came to be known as Witness to Guantanamo, was partly modeled on the USC Shoah Foundation’s collection of testimonies from more than 50,000 Holocaust survivors, among those Honigsberg’s own father’s testimony of fleeing Nazi Austria.

Honigsberg has described the moment he conceived of the project, saying: “I watched my father being interviewed … and I thought: ‘That’s what we need to do for Guantanamo, so it won’t fade away, it won’t be forgotten.’ We need the stories of the people who were actually there, the first-person accounts, to tell what it was like.”

The project served as the basis for his 2019 book A Place Outside the Law: Forgotten Voices from Guantanamo. He also wrote the 2009 book Our Nation Unhinged: The Human Consequences of the War on Terror and several children’s books.

While history may remember him most for the Guantanamo Bay project, alumnus K.C. Taylor ‘11 remembers him “as a challenging, yet empathic, professor who students delightfully feared. He brought a sense of vitality and liveliness to the classroom and to the law.” n

“It would’ve been hard to find someone in the country more dedicated to legal writing and who had developed a more effective program than Peter had.”

Scholarship for Justice

Through their scholarly activities, USF School of Law professors shed light on some of the world’s most challenging issues and questions. They author articles and books, publish opinion pieces, give lectures at global symposia, and talk to the media; and they are making an impact. In a 2021 study from Sisk, et al., assessing law journal citations, USF Law faculty ranked number 57 out of all U.S. law school faculties. Here are some recent highlights.

Associate Professor Adam Abelkop Co-edited and authored chapters in Chemical Risk Governance: Waste, Soil, and Products, the final book in the Elgar Encyclopedia of Environmental Law series, to be published in February 2023.

Associate Dean for Faculty Scholarship and Professor Lara Bazelon

Published the book Ambitious Like a Mother, on how — contrary to popular opinion — ambitious career-driven mothers benefit their children. Authored numerous opinion pieces in The Atlantic, New York Magazine, The New York Times, and other outlets on a range of topics including prosecutorial misconduct and policing methods. Served for a second year as chair of San Francisco’s Innocence Commission, advising the District Attorney’s Office on resentencing efforts and claims of wrongful conviction.

Associate Professor Luke Boso Lectured on issues related to free speech and LGBTQ rights at Gonzaga University. Interviewed by media extensively on the implications of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court ruling. Published a piece in the Oxford Human Rights Hub titled “LGBTQ Liberty After the Fall of Roe v. Wade.”

Professor Connie de la Vega Co-authored the article “Provisions for Withdrawing from International Human Rights Treaties,” to be published in the ILSA Journal of International and Comparative Law

Professor Reza Dibadj

Named the Marshall P. Madison Chair, awarded to an outstanding professor who has demonstrated a concern for the values that underlie the legal, ethical, and social structures of our society.

Professor Tristin Green

Wrote and published the article “I’ll See You at Work: Spatial Features and Discrimination” in the UC Davis Law Review, arguing that a workplace’s physical structure impacts discrimination and can play a role in devising solutions. Interviewed by national media on an employment discrimination case against Tesla.

Professor Bill Ong Hing Authored book chapters “Attacking Democracy Through Immigration Workplace Raids” in The Cambridge Handbook of Labor and Democracy and “In Defense of Chain Migration” in Christianity and the Law of Migration Published the casebook Immigration Law and Social Justice, Second Edition. Presented at the Belmont College of Law’s Law Review Symposium on the intersection of racial justice and immigrant rights and at fora sponsored by Wolters Kluwer publishing, Morrison Foerster, and the Alameda County Bar Association.

Professor Peter Jan Honigsberg Lectured on human rights initiatives at Duke University in connection with the Human Rights Archive’s exhibit on his Witness to Guantanamo project.

Professor Tim Iglesias

Published The Legal Guide to Affordable Housing Development, a book he co-authored with Rochelle E. Lento and Rigel Oliveri. Interviewed with California media outlets on topics ranging from residential occupancy standards to cities’ use of California’s Housing Accountability Act and CEQA. Continued to serve on California’s Fair Employment and Housing Council.

Professor Alice Kaswan

Presented at national symposia at Stanford Law School, Florida State College of Law, University of Richmond School of Law, and University of Wisconsin School of Law on topics such as climate justice, California’s integrated approach to a clean energy transition, and carbon pricing.

Professor Daniel Lathrope

Published Fundamentals of Federal Income Taxation, 20th ed. (with Stephen A. Lind and Heather M. Field), Selected Sections: United States International Taxation (2022 ed.), and Selected Federal Taxation Statutes and Regulations (2023 ed.).

Professor Richard Leo Co-authored two book chapters, “Interrogation and the Infanticide Suspect: Mechanisms of Vulnerability to False Confession” in Shaken Certainties and “A History of Interrogation and Interrogative Suggestibility” in The Litigator’s Handbook on Forensic Medicine, Psychiatry and Psychology Co-wrote an amicus curaie brief in Carlos Vega v. Terence B. Tekoh, United States Supreme Court and presented on wrongful convictions and policing practices at Notre Dame and the American-Psychology Law Society, among others.

Associate Professor Matthew Liebman Co-authored an amicus brief to the New York Court of Appeals on behalf of 27 law professors in support of the Nonhuman Rights Project’s case seeking habeas corpus on behalf of Happy the elephant and published an op-ed in The San Francisco Chronicle on Happy’s case.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Professor Rhonda Magee Recognized with the 2022 Reed Smith Award from the Institute for Well-Being in Law for her contributions toward fostering systemic change in the legal profession. Extensively interviewed by national media outlets on mindfulness, the law, and racial justice.

Professor Julie Nice

Presented “Mapping the ‘New’ Constitutional Political Economy” at a lecture at George Washington University School of Law and lectured on private law philosophy at the Law School of the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil.

Professor Maria Ontiveros

Moderated a panel for the Employment Law Section of the Bar Association of San Francisco annual conference that focused on challenges and goals for newly appointed administrators at the EEOC, NLRB, and the California Department of Labor. Became a member of the board of directors for the Northern California Employment Round Table, which coordinates educational programming between employers and California’s Department of Fair Employment and Housing.

Professor Michelle Travis

Presented on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and women in the workplace at several conferences and symposia, including the ABA Litigation Section Annual Conference and at the National Association of Women Lawyers. Served as the keynote speaker for RTI International’s International Men’s Day event.

The six USF Law alumni serving as chief public defenders in California are changing the system from the inside out.

BY ANNIE BREEN

USF School of Law has a well-deserved reputation for the number of alumni who serve as judges. What doesn’t get as much publicity is graduates’ leadership in public defense: USF Law produced six of the Golden State’s 48 chief public defenders — more than any other law school.

“We are so privileged to have such dedicated and inspiring leaders in this space,” said USF School of Law Dean Susan Freiwald, “and we are particularly

gratified that they continue to engage with our students and our school, inspiring our students to follow in their footsteps of activism and commitment to social justice and positive change.”

How did USF School of Law produce such a high percentage of public defenders who rose to the top office? Why is it important that these alumni are helming the offices that represent those who stand accused of crimes ranging from misdemeanors to felonies?

Six USF grads-turned-chief-publicdefenders reflect on how USF Law led them to their current offices, share their thoughts about a criminal justice system that overwhelmingly incarcerates people of color, and outline their goals of achieving holistic defense models as they work to correct that system. They also discuss the challenges of leading teams to avoid burnout and stay fresh and ready to battle another day.

AN UPHILL BATTLE

Scrappy underdogs. Overworked courtroom combatants. It used to be that the descriptions of public defenders conjured up images of exhausted Davids fighting uphill battles against the Goliaths in DA offices. And it’s true that even today, the vast majority of public defenders’ offices in California are operating on less than half the allotted budget of their district attorney

counterparts. But public defenders do more than just represent their clients in court and during plea negotiations; today the job also entails obtaining comprehensive services for clients that can ultimately help them break the cycle of reoffending.

Molly O’Neal ’90 has spent her entire career at the County of Santa Clara Public Defender Office (SC PDO). “Once I took my first criminal law class at USF, I was

hooked,” she said. “My goal from then on was to help the people who no one else was helping.” Inspired by a desire to help mitigate the injustices of systemic racism, Molly joined the SC PDO straight out of law school, tackling what she described as a steep learning curve that had her in court every day, handling five to 10 cases a session. “It was thrilling from day one. I was my clients’ voice in the court — the only one they had.”

MOLLY O’NEAL ’90

“IT WAS THRILLING FROM DAY ONE. I WAS MY CLIENTS’ VOICE IN THE COURT — THE ONLY ONE THEY HAD.”

BRIAN MORRIS ’96

TIPPING THE SCALES

It’s a role she approaches with as much fervor more than three decades later, with a broader focus. As chief public defender, she relishes being able to consider the community context in which public defense operates. “Now that I’m not handling cases on a day-to-day basis, I’m making sure that my office has what it needs to get the job done. What getting the job done means to me, besides representation, is holistic defense.” O’Neal refers to the effort of public defense offices to treat the whole person by offering seamless access to services including immigration attorneys, social workers, housing agencies, addiction and mental health services, and more. According to her, it’s the tip of the iceberg when it comes to doing what’s needed to tip the scales of the criminal law system back toward justice.

David Sutton ’08 echoes that sentiment. Recent Racial and Identity Profiling Act (RIPA) data for Marin County saw Black

people making up 18 percent of total drivers pulled over in traffic stops, despite comprising only 2.4 percent of the county’s population. He wants to change statistics like these.

The former Los Angeles trial chief for the federal public defender’s office was grateful for the opportunity to steward the office where he served as a first-year intern, citing his desire to give back both to the place that he said “raised him as an attorney” and to a community in need. Of course, that means securing the resources to do so.

“A big part of my job at the county level is making presentations, justifying the budget. You have to show people 1) what you do, and 2) how you do it, so that they can understand what you need in order to get it done.”

Every dollar his office is allotted goes toward being better able to serve the clients who require its representation. Some of that helps to fund Marin County’s Clean Slate program, which connects people who need to clear their record or terminate

their probation with the public defender’s office and also links them with Marin’s Department of Health and Human Services, to assist with public benefits ranging from Medi-Cal to COVID-19 vaccinations.

“It’s about meeting people where they are, sometimes in the literal sense,” he said. That means considering clients’ most basic needs, like transportation to work and to meet the terms of their probation. “We have a grant-funded DMV liaison just to help clients get their licenses back. That could be the difference between them being sent back to jail or staying out of the system, because they didn’t have to violate probation.”

JOINING FORCES

What Martin Schwarz ’96, chief public defender of Orange County, calls the “inhumanity of the criminal justice system” is what drove his singularly focused path straight through law school. “I knew I wanted to be a lawyer who focused on

DAVID SUTTON ’08

“IT’S ABOUT MEETING PEOPLE WHERE THEY ARE, SOMETIMES IN THE LITERAL SENSE.”

social justice, and I tailored my law school courses specifically to become a public defender. Thanks to Sharon Meadows’ criminal law clinic, I was able to handle arraignments, motions, and hearings — getting that hands-on experience while still in law school just confirmed for me that I was heading in the right direction.”

Having applied “all over” for sought-after public defender roles, he jumped at the first opportunity: Orange County. It’s where he’s been ever since, and it’s the office he helms today.

He faces unique challenges there. Orange County is a conservative zone, and that often means less favorable results for clients and fewer resources for the public defender’s office. But after almost 25 years in that office, Schwarz refuses to give up now. His goal is to expand the systems his office touches — partnering with the foster care system to reunite families, with the probate system to establish secure and beneficial conservatorships, and

finding ways to partner with social services to implement quicker interventions for people who suffer from mental illness.

Schwarz is realizing one of his goals right now: the establishment of a Recidivism Reduction Unit, composed of immigration lawyers, social workers, and paralegals all doing post-conviction work. It’s a joint effort with several other agencies because, as Schwartz noted, “Outcomes for clients are better if I can get other stakeholders in the criminal justice system on board. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing: better outcomes that lead to reduced justice involvement.”

A COMMON GOAL

Collaboration is also key for Sonoma County Chief Public Defender Brian Morris ’96.

The attorney credits the many hands-on opportunities he had as a law student at USF — at the San Francisco Public Defender’s Office, the Office of the Federal Public Defender, and teaching “street law”

to high school students — with fueling his desire to represent those most in need. He strives to maintain a good relationship with both the county’s sheriff’s department and district attorney’s office, and recognizes that he’s fortunate to do so (mostly) successfully. At the same time, he faces the same challenges as his fellow alumni: an overrepresentation of people of color in the system and a budget disparity of less than half that of his office’s district attorney counterpart.

Like his colleagues, Morris is pursuing a comprehensive solution to his clients’ problems and notes, “We recently received a grant and hired our first social worker, a step on our path to achieving a holistic defense model and a continuum of care.” He went on to note that his bigger goal is “to get people the help they need — mental health, substance abuse, housing assistance, immigration services — to keep them from being caught in the criminal justice vortex.”

MARTIN SCHWARZ ’96

COMMUNITY PRESENCE

Escaping that vortex is what Brendon Woods ’96 wants for all his clients, too. Alameda County’s first Black chief public defender (and for too many years the only Black chief public defender in California) realized that he wanted to effect policy change as well as defend clients in court when he took office: “I became more politically active, more vocal, more strategic. It’s my job to be visible in both the community and on the political stage.”

“I’d study the models of offices I thought were effective throughout the nation. They were being proactive,” Woods said. On his agenda was increasing staffing and resources, creating a Clean Slate Unit, and shifting the structure of his office’s representation from horizontal to vertical.

“Horizontal means different attorneys at each stage of a case — it’s assembly-line justice,” Woods said. “Our goal was to be vertical, to have the same attorney take you from your arraignment through the trial and possible sentencing.”

His goal list is long. Woods would love to hire three times the number of current social workers, to expand his immigration unit, and hire incarcerated persons to work as peer mentors. Adding a prosecution, judicial, and police accountability unit is also essential. While he strives for those things, though, he’s appreciating one dream that recently became a reality.

The Alameda Public Defender’s Office is the first in California to sponsor a Partners for Justice cohort. The program selects recent college graduates and trains them as advocates who then work for two years in a host public defender’s office, supporting clients by connecting them with services and working with public defenders to reduce jail time and improve case outcomes. The program worked so well for Woods’ office that the fourth cohort began this past summer. “Anything we do to build our presence in the community serves our purpose.”

LAEL KAYFETZ ’92

FUELED BY PASSION

Connection with her community is also what propels Siskiyou County Chief Public Defender Lael Kayfetz ’92. Something of a legal wunderkind, she was 19 when she started law school, the youngest-ever chief public defender in California, and is now the state’s longest-serving current chief public defender. Kayfetz is passionate about serving her clients, remarking that she “would rather go back to waiting tables than do any other kind of law.” Her attorneys, who she says can sometimes be found in thrift stores buying clothes for clients to wear in court, are just as fervent.

“I’m lucky that everyone in my office is a cause person. You need to assess not just the alleged crime, but all the circumstances in their lives that brought them to that point.”

Like her colleagues, Kayfetz’s ambitions for her office center around connecting her clients with the services that combine to serve as a stay-out-of-jail safety net. She said, “I’d love there to be more collaboration between departments — for us all to work together in such a way that a client is more likely to get out of the system, rather than stay in it.”

She acknowledges that not all clients come back through the system, though. “It’s the success stories that keep me going,” she said.

FIT FOR BATTLE

And “keeping going” is the name of the game for all public defenders. Each of USF’s six chiefs approaches the issue of burnout differently, but each recognizes it as an office priority.

“There was too much burnout in this profession — drinking, divorce, you name it,” said Molly O’Neal. She started a mindfulness group in her office called Wise Warrior, which is now an official program in the Office of the Santa Clara Public Defender.

Intense exercise is a common antidote to professional burnout, it seems. Brian Morris plays soccer and mountain bikes up to six days a week: “You can’t check emails when you’re riding.” Molly O’Neal swims, Brendon Woods hits the gym, and Lael Kayfetz skis, cycles, kayaks, and gardens to keep a sense of balance. “You have to seize the life you have as best you can.” Keeping themselves in the best shape possible, mentally and physically, is just another way the six chiefs serve their clients.

And that’s what their careers, lives even, have been based on: serving those unable to serve themselves. Dean Freiwald noted, “What chief public defenders do is central to the Jesuit values of providing for those most in need and to our work of addressing racism and inequality in society.” That work is far from over, something O’Neal, Sutton, Schwarz, Morris, Woods, and Kayfetz know all too well. But being up against the odds never stopped them. It’s why they joined the fight. Tellingly, when asked where they envision their careers going from here, to a person they responded that they were already in exactly the role they’d always wanted. n

BRENDON WOODS ’96

“ANYTHING WE DO TO BUILD OUR PRESENCE IN THE COMMUNITY SERVES OUR PURPOSE.”

IP SUPPORT NETWORK

Students in USF’s IP Clinic help clients elevate their business

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOUR DREAMS ARE BIG BUT YOUR BUDGET IS SMALL?

By Samantha Bronson

When Heroic Girls, a nonprofit based in Sacramento that seeks to improve representation of women and girls in popular culture, wanted to trademark its brand but couldn’t afford legal fees, it turned to USF School of Law. Students in the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic worked with Heroic Girls to submit the paperwork required to protect its brand and identity.

“If it weren’t for the clinic, we wouldn’t have been able to file our trademark applications for years, potentially losing the name Heroic Girls,” says Sarah Phillips, member of Heroic Girls board of directors. “For nonprofits like us who have limited resources and people power, to be the recipient of such legal services is a gift.”

Since 2001, the Internet and Intellectual Property Justice Clinic, known simply as the IP clinic among students, has served hundreds of clients across a range of industries, representing them before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Through the clinic, nonprofits, individuals, and startups get pro bono IP legal assistance. In exchange, students gain hands-on experience that helps them land jobs after law school.

In fall 2021, the clinic added patent services to its offerings when USF became the first accredited law school in Northern California to be part of both the USPTO’s patent program and its trademark program. Students can now file patent applications on behalf of clients and be listed as attorneys on the patent documents, under the direction of adjunct professors Paul Tomita and Amir Adibi.

At the same time, the clinic’s popularity among students has surged. Enrollment reached a record high during the spring semester, with a waiting list of more than 10 students.

“IP is a very interesting and applicable area of the law, especially given our location,” says Jessica Fajfar, clinic director, assistant professor, and a trademark attorney. “On top of that, it’s a type of law that addresses social justice, but in a way that’s different than what many people might think of social justice work. We’re working with clients who are doing good for the world, or working with owners who are underrepresented, including BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and women, working with talented (yet struggling) artists, and working with businesses that are benefiting their communities. For these people, this is their livelihood.”

A Patent for Amelia

Mark Langer wanted to patent his invention, a delivery drone he calls the Amelia. Unlike other delivery drones, Amelia is all-electric and uses standard warehouse equipment so there’s no need to repackage goods into specialized sizes, he says. He and his cofounder spent about 18 months creating the drone, but outside investment for the industry as a whole — and, as a result, for his company — is hard to come by.

“I wanted to protect what we had built,” Langer says. “We would not have been able to apply for a patent without the law clinic. It’s really a public service for people like me who are looking to take something novel and protect it.”

Last fall, three students worked with Langer to submit a patent application for the drone technology. Under faculty supervision, the students met with Langer, ensured they fully understood the invention, researched similar technologies, created drawings, wrote detailed descriptions of it, and ultimately drafted claims for the patent.

One of the three students, Aaron Posner ’23, says that the Amelia patent project helped solidify legal concepts he learned in the classroom and also bolstered his technical understanding of the invention. That was largely because of the diverse group of students he worked with, he says.

“Working in a group forced me to fully understand some really technical concepts enough that I could explain them to others,” Posner says. He has a science background, with a degree in engineering and experience in heavy industrial engineering. “We all wrote a claim for the invention and while my claim was more technical, it may have been too rigid. Other claims were broader but may have been too broad. As a group, we had a lot of back and forth to help us hone the patent to what is patentable and offer the broadest protection possible that would still be acceptable to the patent office.”

Langer’s patent application has been filed, but it can take three years or more for a patent application to be fully reviewed and potentially approved.

Stephanie Moser ’23 worked on a patent application for a mobile internet-of-things security device. “It’s an amazing experience interfacing with new clients, going to meetings, having deliverables that you need to get done to either submit to the USPTO or report to your adviser or your client,” Moser says. “It’s different than in class where you just have your professor to answer to. This is real-world experience.”

A Trademark for NurseBrain

Like all students who work on patent applications, Moser also worked with trademark clients. She helped an entrepreneur trademark the name NurseBrain, an app for nurses to keep track of their tasks. She and another student also worked with Scientella, a nonprofit that supports the next generation of women in STEM fields, to seek trademark protection.

“We had a great experience working with the students,” says Ricardo dos Santos, Scientella’s founder. “They guided us through the entire process. That encompassed conducting an interview to get background information on the mark, conducting a clearance search and memo so that there are no similar registered marks and, lastly, filing the application with the trademark office.”

In short, the work students do with trademark clients is the same work they would do as attorneys working in trademark law. As with the patent cases, students are the primary contact for clients. In many cases, it’s more direct client work than most first-year associates get.

Jordan Hameen ’21 worked with a variety of clients, including a nonprofit that provides resources to marginalized women and a local rap group that needed a coexisting agreement with another local, well-known Bay Area rapper. “The artists couldn’t really afford legal representation,” Hameen says. “They were so thankful since they were just going to give up if they hadn’t had the clinic’s help.”

She saw the impact the clinic’s work had on other clients as well.

“They’re entrepreneurs. They’re making it from the ground up, and if somebody else is able to use their trademark and dilute their brand, that could end their source of income,” she says.

“We would not have been able to apply for a patent without the law clinic. It’s really a public service for people like me who are looking to take something novel and protect it.”

“This is especially important in spaces with individuals of color. Some may have gone through the prison system and have limited options for where they can work. Some may not have a traditional four-year degree. They are creating their own businesses to have an income and they need these trademark resources to continue to thrive in the market.”

Experience That Takes You Places

Hameen currently works for Gap Inc. as a law clerk in brand services. In November she’ll join Perkins Coie as an associate in the firm’s Trademark, Copyright, Internet & Advertising Group. She credits the IP clinic with giving her trademark experience and tangible examples of her work.

Carlo Bustillos ’22 says that his experience crafting a patent helped him to land a position at Nixon Peabody in San Francisco. “They told me they really liked my clinic experience.”

After helping to draft a patent application in the IP clinic, twins Alexis Ramsey ‘21 and Jessica Ramsey ‘21 chose to work in patent litigation. Knowing what goes into drafting a patent has been critical in understanding how to litigate one, they say.

“IP rights are extremely important for small and large businesses,” says Alexis Ramsey, now at Ropes & Gray LLP, who helped obtain trademarks for Afatasi The Artist, whose art focuses on her Afro-Polynesian heritage. Alexis explains, “with Afatasi, interesting legal issues came up with respect to the trademark

“(Tapa)stry,” used with Afatasi’s tapestry art pieces made of tapa (the bark of a mulberry tree), which required significant back and forth with the trademark examiner.” But “Without a trademark, it’s hard to brand your business. And, of course, without a patent you can’t stop others from taking your invention for themselves. All of this takes capital and doing it right, with an attorney, is just far outside the budget for most individuals.”

Adds Jessica Ramsey, now at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, “In a lot of ways, the law can prevent people from reaching for their dreams of invention. The IP clinic aims to clear some of those legal challenges for folks. That equality in what people get to do with their lives? That’s what the IP clinic aims for.”

And under Professor Fajfar’s leadership, the clinic continues to expand and extend its efforts. Fajfar says that given new privacy laws in California such as the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the upcoming California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), “privacy is a hot topic these days.” While the clinic already handles one to two privacy cases each year, Fajfar plans to build out a more robust track in the coming year, saying “Many businesses need help navigating these complicated laws’ and the clinic is well-positioned to support them.” She adds that she gets her inspiration from former clinic director Prof. Bob Talbot, noting “he sought to meet a need in the market and fill that gap, while giving students a hands-on experience. Bob passed away earlier this year, but his passion for supporting our students and community in this way lives on in our clinics.”  n

Prof. Jessica Fajfar and IP clinic client Afatasi The Artist

IN A BOLD NEW PROGRAM, THE PRESTIGIOUS USF LAW BRINGS A BETTER WRITING TO THE RESPECTED FIELD OF TAX LAW

AND SET THE WORDS ON FIRE

BY EVAN ELLIOT

Quick. What sounds like the most boring subject on campus? Then name the most demanding subject in school. Now combine them.

“Yep! You’ve got it. Tax and writing,” says Nate Wadlinger. “That’s what I teach.”

So why is he smiling?

USF TAKES WRITING TO SCHOOL

Here, in two passages on the same subject, watch what happens when a lawyer — or an accountant — attends the new tax writing program. THE WRITING BEFORE A USF EXPERIENCE

Section 2(b) of the Internal Revenue Code provides in relevant part:

For purposes of this subtitle, an individual shall be considered a head of a household if, and only if, such individual is not married at the close of his taxable year, is not a surviving spouse (as defined in subsection [a]), and either—

(A) maintains as his home a household which constitutes for more than one-half of such taxable year the principal place of abode, as a member of such household, of—

(i) a qualifying child of the individual (as defined in section 152[c], determined without regard to section 152[e]), but not if such child—

(I) is married at the close of the taxpayer’s taxable year, and (II) is not a dependent of such individual by reason of section 152(b)(2) or 152(b)(3), or both, or (ii) any other person who is a dependent of the taxpayer, if the taxpayer is entitled to a deduction for the taxable year for such person under section 151, or . . . .

A surviving spouse is defined under section 2(a). That definition is not at issue. In fact, Mr. Thompson was not only not a surviving spouse, but also not married by the end of 2016. Also, he has two minor children who were his dependents, because they were not married and are qualifying children within the meaning of section 152[c], but without regard to section 152(e).

The real issue is whether one rented room at one street address can be considered a household for purposes of the head of household filing status. That street address has four bedrooms, each rented to unrelated families.

AFTER USF

Mr. Thompson is entitled to the head-of-household filing status for the 2016 taxable year. For a person to qualify for this filing status, there are a number of requirements under section 2(b). But only one is at issue: Can a room in a house be considered a “household”?

Here, Mr. Thompson is a single parent of two minor children. In 2016, he rented a room in a four-bedroom house to live with his two children. For this room, Mr. Thompson paid the rent for the entire year. People unrelated to Mr. Thompson lived in the other rooms. They all had equal access to common areas such as the kitchen, living room, and bathroom. But consistent with Treas. Reg. § 1.2-2(c), Mr. Thompson’s rented room “actually constitute[d] the home of the taxpayer for his taxable year” of 2016.

HOUSEHOLD WHICH CONSTITUTES FOR MORE THAN ONE-HALF OF SUCH TAXABLE YEAR THE PRINCIPAL PLACE OF ABODE, AS A MEMBER OF SUCH HOUSEHOLD, OF—(I)A QUALIFYINGCHILD OF THE INDIVIDUAL (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 152(C), DETERMINED WITHOUT REGARD TO SEC TION 152(E)), BUT NOT IF SUCHCHILD— (I) IS MARRIED AT THECLOSE OF THE TAXPAYER’S TAX ABLE YEAR, AND (II) IS NOT A DEPENDENT OF SUCH INDIVIDUAL BY REASON OF SECTION 152(B)(2) OR152(B)(3), OR BOTH, OR (II) ANYOTHER PERSON WHO IS A DEPEN DENT OF THE TAXPAYER, IF THE TAX PAYER IS ENTITLED TO A DEDUCTION FOR THE TAXABLE YEAR FOR SUCH

Wadlinger, adjunct professor at the USF School of Law, is smiling because he loves tax, because he loves writing, and because he has helped to develop a forthcoming professional certificate program that’s one of only a few of its kind in the United States.

In the Advanced Tax Research and Writing program, USF convenes three courses — Tax Research, Tax Writing I, and Tax Writing II — that teach the three skills that lawyers and accountants need the most, says Wadlinger: “Critical thinking, keeping up with new technology, and clear writing and communication.”

THE ROAD TO SUCCESS

In the world of tax law, critical thinking, keeping up with technology, and clear communication can mean the difference between a happy client and a former client, says Wadlinger.

“I’ve known many CPAs at Big 4 accounting firms who want to keep doing the same tax returns year after year,” he says. “They don’t want to think critically about new tax issues. They don’t want to learn new technology needed for new projects. They don’t want to develop their writing through new research and writing assignments. And in the end, their clients are the ones who lose out. ”

In USF’s new program, the road to success starts with Tax Writing I, Wadlinger says. “In that class you learn how to write a tax memo. You learn how to structure it. It’s an approach, and a way of thinking, that you can use for the rest of your career.”

LEARN BY DOING

So what’s it like in one of Wadlinger’s classes?

“It’s engaging,” he says. “In Tax Writing I, you watch me write a tax memo, from scratch, right there on the screen. Instead of me just giving you a sample memo and leaving you to figure it out, I actually write the memo and walk you through the process, step by step, so you can see how I do it. And then you write your own memo.”

Students in USF’s graduate tax programs are accountants and lawyers from firms large and small. They attend class online from not only the Bay Area but from all over North America, plus four other continents. They attend lectures asynchronously, whenever it’s convenient for them.

He now works part time in the tax services group of a CPA firm in Florida. But he spends most of his time doing what he likes to do most: teach.

Because he knows that some people assume they will be bored by tax writing courses, he tries to enliven his lectures.

“I wear a Sherlock Holmes costume to introduce research methods. I wear a tuxedo to present awards for the top 100 code sections, top 50 tax cases, and top 40 tax doctrines of all time. I wear a judge’s robe and carry a gavel to introduce how a tax case makes its way through the U.S. court system,” he says.

in Legal Studies in Taxation (MLST) program to meet the demand for a tax law education among professionals who do not have a legal background. Over the next five years, says Lathrope, USF added writing classes to its tax research curriculum.

Today, Andersen sends about 30 new employees to USF each semester for tax classes. Once the Advanced Tax Research and Writing certificate program is approved by the American Bar Association and by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (approval is expected by spring 2023), Andersen plans to require all of its senior managers to take and pass the program.

DAVIS YEE | ADJUNCT PROFESSOR | SPECIAL TRIAL ATTORNEY, OFFICE OF CHIEF COUNSEL FOR THE IRS

“This whole program is truly designed to serve the working professional,” says Olivera Jovanovic, director of LLM and master’s programs at USF School of Law. “Our classes even avoid the busy tax season.”

After each assignment, Wadlinger first sends each student written feedback and then meets with each student over Zoom. He also teaches them how to use artificial intelligence software in their tax law research. “This is cutting-edge tech,” he says.

HAVE ROBE, WILL GAVEL

Wadlinger is well qualified to teach tax writing. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting and worked for Ernst & Young for three years. Then he earned a JD at the University of Florida and an LLM in taxation at Boston University.

“Nate makes class fun — and he makes his lessons stick,” says Kate Rogers, a senior manager in the Los Angeles office of Andersen, the global accounting firm. “I was surprised to learn so much in just one of his classes at USF, and possibly more than in the relevant equivalent in my LLM program at another school, plus in my job.”

MEETING A NEED IN THE MARKETPLACE

The seeds for the Advanced Tax Research and Writing program were planted in the fall of 2014, says Daniel Lathrope, E. L. Wiegand Professor of Taxation Law and academic director of Graduate Tax programs at USF. That semester, USF launched its LLM in Tax program, and Lathrope started teaching tax law to USF students and Andersen employees at their headquarters in San Francisco.

Soon the classes moved to USF’s Downtown Campus at 101 Howard Street. In the fall of 2015, USF launched its Master

“That Andersen sends its people to our program is a testament to the importance of elevating legal taxation skills — and a testament to our program,” says Lathrope. “But we don’t just teach people from Andersen. Far from it. We have nearly 200 students from law firms and accounting firms including EY, Deloitte, and KPMG, among many other places. And our newest program meets a need in the marketplace — a need for tax professionals who write well.”

Davis Yee knows the need for clear writing. In his years working as a CPA, as an attorneyadviser for the United States Tax Court, as an associate at a law firm, and as an adjunct professor in the USF School of Law who has twice won the Warren E. Burger Prize for legal writing, he has noted one skill that all successful accountants and lawyers possess.

“The people who are really good leaders? They know how to communicate, both in writing and in speaking,” says Yee.

Carissa von Koch, a senior manager at the Andersen office in Seattle, says, “Professor Wadlinger helped me take the training wheels off my technical writing skills. I appreciated the way I could immediately apply what I was learning to my work at Andersen.”

“Tax touches every part of our lives,” adds Lathrope. “Our graduates make sure their clients are treated fairly and in accordance with the law, so taxes affect us all and impact the world.” n

“THE TALENTED PEOPLE WHO ARE REALLY GOOD AT BEING LEADERS? THEY REALLY KNOW HOW TO COMMUNICATE, BOTH IN THE REALMS OF WRITING AND ALSO IN SPEAKING.”

CLASS NOTES ALUMNI NEWS

’74

Judge Daniel Foley (ret.), was appointed chair of a commission established by the Hawaii House of Representatives to boost the effectiveness of state ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance laws.

’77 Marc Lampe retired from the University of San Diego School of Business after a 31-year career as a professor of business law and social responsibility and internship program director.

’79 Richard DalBello was appointed to lead NOAA’s Space Commerce Office, which operates within the U.S. Department of Commerce.

Marcia Gonzales-Kimbrough and her family were featured on the PBS program “The Legacy List With Matt Paxton.”

’83

Julie Kane has been nominated to join Heliogen Inc. board of directors. Ms. Kane has served as a director of SIGA Technologies Inc. since May 2019.

’84

Aileen Casanave was appointed general counsel at EarnUp, a San Francisco–based fintech company. Casanave received the Leader of the Year Award at the 2022 Silicon Valley Juneteenth Festival in San Jose, California.

’85

Doug Mark was named a top music lawyer for 2022 by The Hollywood Reporter

Vern Norviel, a partner with Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, opened the firm’s new Boulder, Colorado, office. Norviel works in the firm’s Patent and Innovation Practice Group.

Alan Wilhelmy retired from the practice of law after 36 years, the last 12 with Rogers Joseph O’Donnell in San Francisco. He will continue to serve as an arbitrator and mediator in construction, real property, and commercial disputes through the American Arbitration Association.

’86

Vanessa Lee received the Outstanding Defense Trial Lawyer Award for 2021 from the Washington Defense Trial Lawyers for civil litigation.

’88

Gonzalo Rafael Torres co-founded and leads Equinix GenteConnect, an employee resource group that encourages, develops, and advances the talents of all Latino and Hispanic employees at Equinix Inc.

’91

Kristine M. Cirby received the Marin Trial Lawyers Association’s 2021 President’s Award for her commitment to assisting families and children in need of critical legal services.

“Moving Mountains”

Alumni win fraud case against negligent nursing home

After Jennifer Fiore ’99 and Susan Kang Gordon ’09 discovered widespread neglect at a Hayward, California, nursing home, the two attorneys had to move mountains to get justice for 10 elderly clients and their families.

Fiore and Kang Gordon asked for an expedited civil trial date, taking and defending close to 100 depositions in less than four months, before heading straight into trial against Parkview Operating Company, LP, the licensee, and Mariner Health Central Inc., the management company.

“It was crazy; we just kept going,” Fiore says.

But amid that chaos, Fiore and Kang Gordon did not cut corners: Following a four-and-a-half month virtual trial, an Alameda County civil jury found the companies guilty of fraud and neglect and awarded the plaintiffs $13.5 million dollars in damages, plus attorney’s fees and costs.

But for Fiore and Kang Gordon, who see issues with staffing shortages and neglect as a “systemic” problem that results from profit-driven incentives in chain nursing homes, the biggest win came from the judge’s decision to impose an independent monitor who will scrutinize the care being given to the 200 residents at Parkview.

“A big issue with nursing homes that are run by this group — as well as nursing homes throughout the country — is that they are understaffed,” Fiore says. “And a primary goal of the monitor is to right the ship to prevent ongoing understaffing, because understaffing leads to the falls and the wounds and the malnutrition and the inadequate hygiene that our residents experienced.”

“It wasn’t about the money for anybody,” Kang Gordon added. “It was: ‘What can we do for these 10 people, and then the remaining residents?’” n

Susan Kang Gordon ’09

Jennifer

’92

Yale Kofman joined BMO Family Office as a director of investment advisory services. Kofman previously served as a managing director with BNY Mellon Wealth Management.

The Hon. Benjamin T. Reyes II was recognized with the AlamedaContra Costa Trial Lawyers’ Association (ACCTLA) Trial Judge of the Year Award.

’93

Janet Loduca was elevated to senior vice president external affairs, chief legal and sustainability officer with Pembina Pipeline Corporation.

Amer Moorhead was appointed senior vice president and general counsel with Legion Technologies. Moorhead is responsible for leading Legion’s global legal, intellectual property, and corporate functions.

’94

B. Otis Felder was elevated to partner with Wilson Elser in the firm’s Los Angeles office.

Stephanie Shimazu has been appointed general counsel at the California Natural Resources Agency. Shimazu has been acting assistant chief of the division of law enforcement at the California Department of Justice since 2021.

’95

Gary Jemal Anderson was promoted to assistant city attorney for the Long Beach City Attorney’s Office in Long Beach, California.

Tamara F. Lawson has been named dean of the University of Washington’s School of Law.

’96

Charles J. Kovats has been named the acting United States attorney for the District of Minnesota. Mr. Kovats previously served as the office’s criminal division chief since 2018.

’98

Joshua Eaton joined Binance, the global blockchain ecosystem, as deputy general counsel. Eaton previously served as a deputy U.S. attorney in the Northern District of California.

Lydia Flocchini, chief marketing officer of SurePoint Technologies, has been named a winner of Demand Gen Report’s 2021 B2B Innovator Awards. The awards recognize some of the most progressive marketing and sales practitioners.

’99

Cassidy Chivers joined Barron & Newburger, P.C., as a shareholder, leading the newly established Attorneys Risk Management Practice Group that serves the needs of law firms and attorneys in need of guidance in today’s regulatory environment.

’00

Katherine Hansen was sworn in as a court commissioner for the Santa Cruz County Superior Court.

’01

Joshua Binder was named a 2022 top music lawyer by Billboard.

Kirsten Daru was appointed General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer of Life360 Inc.

’02

Heidi Mayon joined Simpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLP as a partner in the firm’s Palo Alto office, focusing on corporate finance transactions.

Grit and a Strict Regimen Judge Stephen Murphy ’81 Pens Third Novel

The Hon. Stephen Murphy ’81 has spent nearly every Thursday night for more than 30 years at a local cafe in the Richmond District.

Murphy, a former plaintiff’s employment attorney, now a judge on the San Francisco Superior Court since 2017, moonlights as the author of a series of legal thriller novels. It’s been because of a strict regimen — four hours weekly at Simple Pleasures Cafe on Balboa Street, since 1989 — that Murphy’s third novel in the series, Abiding Conviction, was released in hardcover in July.

Partly inspired by the novel Gone Girl , Murphy’s new novel has the fictional attorney and series protagonist Dutch Francis defending a judge accused of killing his wife, during which Francis’s own wife gets kidnapped. The series, which details Francis’s transition from a corporate lawyer in Boston to handling criminal cases in Manchester, New Hampshire, has served as a nice “what if” scenario for Murphy, who practiced as a civil attorney for his entire career.

“It was kind of fun to see how a civil lawyer would go through the procedure of a criminal trial,” Murphy says.

An Interest in Writing

After graduating from USF Law, Murphy worked for several years with Bianco, Brandi & Jones, a partnership of USF alumni that originally focused on personal injury and gradually transitioned into employment law.

“I enjoyed representing people who were at a low point in their lives, who needed help,” Murphy said. “Either they had just been fired, or they were discriminated against or harassed. I went into law to help people, and that was a perfect fit.”

Although it wasn’t until 2005 that he released his first novel, Alibi, he said the process of writing itself impacted his legal career.

“When you’re a trial lawyer, you’ve got to learn how to tell a story,” Murphy says. “You think about the same things writers think about in terms of venue, characters, plot, resolution, conflict.”

Doris Cheng ’98, Murphy’s friend and co-director of USF’s Intensive Advocacy Program, says the qualities that made Murphy succeed in law — seeing the world “through a special lens of compassion and wisdom” — have bled over into his writing career.

“He has an incredibly sharp mind that constantly examines the meaning of life and our place in it,” Cheng says. “He embodies a quiet confidence that makes people feel heard, and he knows how to represent people’s stories.” n

A Mentorship to Last a Lifetime

Iris Bradstreet ’15, a first-time mentor in the School of Law Alumni Mentor Program, mentors not one but three USF Law students. Supporting them with academic, professional, and personal advice, Bradstreet believes she has made a meaningful impact on her mentees. “I’m treating this as a lifelong relationship,” says Bradstreet, who hopes to maintain her connections long after the program’s conclusion at the end of the academic year.

Bradstreet began her career in theatre and worked with friends to help run a theatre company in San Francisco. She discovered a great passion for the work but eventually made a career move and found her way to the Hilltop.

“Getting a law degree is empowering,” Bradstreet says. Her law school journey led her to a career with an entertainment union, which she has realized is what she loves doing most. Based in Los Angeles, Bradstreet represents, helps, and protects a wide range of performers while meeting regularly with her three mentees over Zoom.

“I enjoy working with students in any capacity,” Bradstreet says.

Bradstreet remembers what it was like to be in the shoes of her mentees. More importantly, she remembers that she’d wished she had taken advantage of resources offered, such as mentorship, during her own time at USF. Inspired to give back, Bradstreet gladly joined the Alumni Mentor Program.

Each mentee relationship is different for Bradstreet, as each student comes from a different experience, perspective, and educational pursuit. One thing that remains consistent is their need for guidance as they work to navigate school, internships, and planning for their futures.

She lets students know she is present, she hears them, and most importantly she understands what they’re going through.

“And the students have been very upfront with how they want me to assist them, and I think that’s great.” n

Krista Mitzel was interviewed for a Law.com column titled “How I Started My Own Law Firm.”

Daniel S. Sharp joined Jordan Ramis PC as an associate on the firm’s litigation team.

Tiffany Sutton was named chief of Alternative Programs and Initiatives and the Juvenile Division in the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office.

’03

Mark Appelbaum joined Riemer & Braunstein LLP as a managing partner in the firm’s newly opened Newport Beach office.

Conchita Lozano-Batista joined Earthjustice, the nonprofit public interest environmental law organization, as general counsel.

The Hon. Norma Sarti was appointed administrative law judge at the San Diego Insurance Appeals Board.

’04

Thomas Pier has been reappointed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to the California Boating and Waterways Commission, where he has served since 2020.

’05

Joshua de Larios-Heiman, privacy director and senior counsel at Data Law, was sworn in as a board representative for the privacy section of the California Lawyers Association.

Derek T. McDonald was appointed general counsel for the East Bay Municipal Utility District.

Carolyn Nelson Rowan was appointed chief counsel at California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. Rowan previously served as a deputy attorney general in the Natural

Resources Law Section at the Office of the California Attorney General since 2013.

’06

Ayonna Donald joined Enterprise Community Partners as its new vice president and Ohio market leader. Donald previously served as director of Cleveland’s Department of Building and Housing from 2017 to 2021 and most recently served as the chief of Commercial Services and Governmental Affairs for the Department of Port Control.

Jason Fellner cofounded Millstein Fellner, LLP, a full-service litigation and transactional law firm serving individual and corporate clients throughout California.

The Hon. Karlene Navarro was appointed to serve as a judge on the Sonoma County Superior Court by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Rebecca Hoyes joined Polsinelli LLP as a principal focused on healthcare litigation. Hoyes was previously a partner with Nossaman LLP.

’07

Michael A. Caves is a judge-elect in the Kern County Superior Court and recently earned his PhD in rhetoric and communications. Caves published his seventh book, Poetica Lucida: Collected Fragments 2002–2022

Jordan Jaffe has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati’s San Francisco office as a partner. Jaffe has expertise in the emerging technologies sector, especially artificial intelligence and autonomous vehicles.

The Hon. H. Glenn Kim was appointed to serve as a judge on the Contra Costa Superior Court by Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Laura Passaglia, a Sonoma County prosecutor since 2017, has been appointed to serve as a Sonoma County Superior Court Commissioner.

Ketul Patel joined Fox Rothschild LLP in Los Angeles as counsel in the Labor and Employment Department.

of San Francisco, the nonprofit trade association.

Jeff Wilson has joined the Walnut Creek office of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith as a partner.

’08Alex Bastian was named president and CEO of Hotel Council

’09 E. Ryan Coombs joined O’Melveny & Myers LLP in the Capital Markets Practice Group as a partner in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Victor Huang joined Yield Engineering Systems Inc., a manufacturer of process equipment for semiconductor advanced packaging, life sciences, and AR/VR applications, as the company’s vice president of Legal Affairs.

Jenica Maldonado was selected as one of Daily Journal’s Top Labor & Employment Lawyers for 2022.

STAY CONNECTED

We would love to know where your degree has taken you, and share with you the latest news and alumni activities at USF. usfca.edu/law/alumni

Claire Solot ’92 and Justice Charles E. Wilson ’02 Honored at Annual Reception

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, USF Law graduates, alumni, faculty, and staff came together in person to welcome the Class of 2022 into the alumni community.

The Alumni Graduates Reception, which took place May 18 at the Presidio Golf Course Clubhouse, honored alumni Claire Solot ’92, who was awarded the Donald L. Carano ’59 Alumnus of the Year Award and Justice Charles Edward Wilson JD/MBA ’02, who won this year’s John J. Meehan Alumni Fellow Award for Mentorship, as well as several student and faculty award winners.

USF Law Board of Governors President Gonzalo “Sal” Torres ’88 said Justice Wilson “lends himself to the school whenever possible” and has “continually supported the school through hiring and mentoring students.”

Wilson, who worked as an Alameda County deputy district attorney before being appointed to the California Superior Court in Santa Clara County in 2014 and the Sixth District Court of Appeal in 2021, said in his acceptance speech that hiring and working with young lawyers has been a “labor of love.”

“As someone who has benefited greatly from mentorship and opportunities provided by USF alums, I have always felt compelled to pay it forward,” Wilson said. “To see these law students and young lawyers grow personally and professionally has been one of the joys of my life.”

Alumnus of the Year Solot noted that her career has been full of pivots: from switching to part-time law school after having a child to getting a job as a research attorney at San Francisco Superior Court even though she originally wanted to work in family law, and finally pivoting to work in philanthropy. She is now a managing director of the Bigglesworth Family Foundation and co-founder of the Legal Services Funders Network, which works with Bay Area legal service organizations and funds fellowships with a focus on alleviating poverty.

“My parting words for all of you: Have an open mindset and a willingness to be imperfect,” Solot said. “Lean into the turns and opportunities to pivot.” Other notable awards and their winners included: Prof. Jonathan Chu, Professor John Adler Distinguished Professor Award; Prof. Karren Shorofsky, Innovation in Teaching Award; Prof. Roy Eisenhardt, The Hon. Ira A. Brown Jr. Distinguished Adjunct Professor Award; and Alegna Gomez, Student Bar Association Award. n

Noah J. Woods has been elevated to shareholder in the San Diego office of Littler Mendelson P.C.

’10

Christine Start started a new role as special deputy attorney general for the Office of California Attorney General Rob Bonta.

’11

Thomas Appel was announced as a partner at Appel Law Firm LLP, a personal injury and workers compensation law firm in Walnut Creek.

Eli Flushman was elevated to partner at Burke, Williams & Sorensen LLP.

Travis Manfredi joined Joseph Saveri Law Firm LLP as an attorney specializing in class action litigation, antitrust, IP, business litigation, securities litigation, and privacy.

Carlos F. Romero started a new role as content policy global lead, Intellectual Property at Meta.

Megan Somogyi joined Downey Brand LLP as a partner in the firm’s Natural Resource Department. Somogyi was also invited to join Ballet22’s inaugural board of directors.

Heidi Urness joined McGlinchey Stafford in the firm’s Seattle office. Urness is a cannabis litigator and represents clients from the broad range of the cannabis industry including business owners and operators, investors, banks and financial institutions, insurers, and industry and trade organizations.

Chelsea Whelan joined Fisher Phillips, a labor and employment law firm representing employers, as an associate in the San Francisco office.

’12

Kimberly Shane Hochradel was promoted to vice president, chief privacy officer of Premier Inc., a healthcare improvement company.

Derek Turbin has been elevated to partner with workers compensation defense firm Gilson Daub in the firm’s Honolulu office.

’13

Yaniv Newman has been named a 2022 Rising Star by Super Lawyers. Newman has been selected to the Rising Stars list in the area of construction litigation.

Tessa (Maria-Theresa) Peralta ’13 joined Asana as commercial counsel.

’14

Shauna Madison was recognized as a 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association. Madison was also selected as a recipient of the National Black Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 Award.

Lorenzo Robleto joined the board of directors at Juma, a nonprofit social enterprise that aims to expand access and employment opportunities for young people around the country. Robleto is a legal director with DoorDash.

’15

Yuki Cruse joined Adobe as employment legal counsel for the Americas. Cruse previously worked as an attorney with Jackson Lewis PC.

Nicole “Nicki” E. Griffin has been recognized as one of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.

Raymond R. Rollan was recognized as one of the 40 Best LGBTQ+ Lawyers Under 40 by the National LGBTQ+ Bar Association.

’16

Brittany Curtis was elevated to senior corporate counsel with Ziff Davis, a digital media and internet company.

Katy Tang was appointed executive director of the San Francisco Office of Small Businesses.

’17

Victor Ng joined Atheria Law PC as an associate in the professional liability practice.

Laila Rahimi-Keshari joined Skane Mills LLP as an associate attorney.

Blair Reed joined Weintraub Tobin as an associate in the firm’s Litigation Practice Group, where her practice is focused on complex business litigation and employment-related litigation.

’18

Justin Hannan LLM has been promoted to partner at Day Pitney LLP. Based in the firm’s Boston office, Hannan advises businesses and individuals in the areas of federal, state, and international tax planning and compliance.

Lauren G. Nikkhah joined Lyft as employment counsel. Nikkhah previously worked as an associate with Morgan, Lewis, Bockius LLP.

’19

Nicole Fuller joined Wilson Elser as a defense litigation specialist in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Ryan Louie Manuel joined Lewis Brisbois as an attorney in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Zalman Robles joined Roseman Law APC in the firm’s Los Angeles office as an associate attorney. Robles recently published an article in the UCLA Women’s Law Journal titled “Women As an Identity and Its Intersection with the Law: Gender Justice and the Law and Theoretical Practices of Intersectional Identity.”

’20

Ali Mousavi joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP as an associate attorney in the firm’s San Francisco office.

Taghrid Samak, PhD, joined Meta as an engineering manager.

Celeste Tabares joined Engelman Berger PC in the firm’s Phoenix office as an associate attorney in its Creditor’s Rights and Litigation Practice Groups.

’21 Taylor Knecht joined San Jose Clean Energy as a policy analyst in the regulatory and legislative policy team.

Bianca Velez was promoted to attorney with Kaufman Dolowich & Voluck LLP in the firm’s San Francisco office. Velez practices real estate law and specializes in landlord-tenant litigation.

In Memoriam

Theodore Cominos ’51, April 2022

The Hon. Winton McKibben ’52, July 2021

David A. Norwitt ’62, December 2021

Douglas B. Harvey ’74, November 2021

Richard Scott Rideout ’76, December 2021

Richard “Rick” Nepola ’76, April 2020

Adjunct Professor D. Peter Harvey, May 2022

Professor Emeritus Robert Talbot, June 2022

I give to the law school’s Charles R. Lawrence III Scholarship because I try to be mindful of the needs of others. I am thankful I can help law students in this way.

LINDBERGH PORTER JR. ’81, SPECIAL COUNSEL, LITTLER

Paving a Path in Privacy Law

By Lorenzo Robleto ’14

When I started law school, I had a general idea that I wanted to have a positive impact on a lot of people—and that law was a powerful and respectable way to go about creating change. So, like many of my classmates, I pursued my JD with the intent of finding my fit along the way.

Over the course of my studies, I became increasingly drawn to the field of privacy. Back then people were starting to transition from desktop to mobile web browsing to access the internet via smartphones and laptops, creating a society where people are constantly connected. This led me to become consumed with the notion that we as a society are putting so much data into our phones and computers—and that we often know so little about where it goes.

I decided to dive deeper—starting with a course called “Information Privacy” with now Dean Susan Freiwald. Throughout the class I remember thinking how troubling it was to see these emerging technologies regulated by new interpretations of outdated legislation. For example, did you know that a law passed in 1986 called the Electronic Communications Protection Act is what protects your email communications and search history?!

I started looking outside the law library’s walls to see where I could find some real-world opportunities to hone my craft. Being in San Francisco, a lot of friends were going into tech, and I felt there may be something there for me as well—plenty of tech jobs to go around, right? That desire came to fruition at Yahoo, where I became the company’s first intern on the Public Policy team.

That same week, Edward Snowden leaked a trove of classified documents relating to national security and wide-reaching global surveillance programs. This brought issues around privacy to center stage as people became more conscious of the topic and debated what balance to strike when it comes to privacy and national security. These disclosures drove the remainder of my time at Yahoo to be focused on the laws safeguarding electronic communications and the new legislation being introduced on The Hill to bring those laws up to speed.

The following semester, I secured an internship with the City Attorney of San Francisco where I focused on the implications of launching police worn body cameras. I found the issue fascinating,

challenging, and nuanced. At this point, let’s just say I knew I had picked the right specialization.

Fast forward to today and I work in-house at DoorDash as their Legal Director, Head of Privacy. It’s a completely different experience from what I imagined a career in law would entail. I’m not tucked away drafting memos in anticipation of court imposed deadlines; instead, I’m directly plugged into daily business operations. My team works closely with every department to incorporate privacy into our business processes and initiatives.

More specifically, I work on projects like building features within our software to allow users to manage email or communication preferences, developing standards for how long the company will retain information, or imposing contractual restrictions on vendors who handle the company’s data.

A large part of my job is to be an advocate for our users and help ensure the company is a responsible steward of the information it collects. It’s a moral imperative, but also a fascinating, never-finished analytical problem to ensure privacy is proactively tied into a business while it grows—and not just an afterthought when it’s too late. My favorite part of law has always been problem solving, working on a team and learning from other people with diverse skill sets. At Doordash, I have found a space where I can do that and make a real impact. For example, I often work hand in hand with our engineering and product teams on new products and features. This has given me an opportunity to learn how to help these teams accomplish their business objectives while also ensuring controls exist in these products that protect user privacy.

This upcoming spring, I am excited to return to the place where it all started. I will be teaching a class at USF Law that prepares students to succeed with in-house legal positions. Students will learn about their roles and objectives as in-house counsel, including how to evaluate risk and problem solve. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to work with some of the Bay Area’s most talented future attorneys and help them obtain the skills necessary to become great legal advisers to the businesses that they will work for in the future. n

Lorenzo Robleto ‘14 is Legal Director, Head of Privacy at DoorDash.

The Koret Law Center 2130 Fulton Street San Francisco, CA 94117-1080

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED

Alameda County’s first Black chief public defender, Brendon Woods ‘96, is working to implement a holistic defense model and to effect policy change.