Coblentz congratulates Clifford Yin on being honored with a Minority Bar Coalition 2015 Unity Award. Cliff was selected for this award by the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco for his volunteer work with the organization, including his dedication to coaching the Mock Trial Program for the last 20+ years. Cliff was one of 15 recipients honored at a reception on November 18th, 2015, for his dedication to the cause for diversity in the legal profession.

U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers® ranked Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP among its 2016 list of “Best Law Firms.” Coblentz is ranked in 13 different practice areas in both National rankings and Metropolitan San Francisco rankings. The Firm was awarded  six prestigious “Tier 1” rankings in the highly competitive Metropolitan San Francisco law firm category, in the following practice areas: Commercial Litigation, Land Use & Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use & Zoning, Real Estate Law, Tax Law and Trusts & Estates Law. Coblentz was also awarded a National “Tier 1” ranking in Land Use & Zoning Law.

Best Lawyers® names firms included in the 2016 “Best Law Firms” list as being recognized for “professional excellence with persistently impressive ratings from clients and peers. Achieving a tiered ranking signals a unique combination of quality law practice and breadth of legal expertise.”

Rankings are based on a rigorous evaluation process that includes clients’ and peers’ evaluation of firms based on expertise, professionalism and responsiveness. To be eligible for a ranking, a firm must have a lawyer listed in The Best Lawyers in America©, which recognizes the top 4 percent of practicing attorneys in the U.S. Fifteen Coblentz attorneys are recognized by The Best Lawyers in America©, and name partner Pam Duffy was selected as the Best Lawyers® 2016 Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Francisco.

Coblentz is proud to be a principal sponsor of the Urban Land Institute (ULI) Fall Meeting, taking place over four days in San Francisco. The annual ULI Fall Meeting brings together more than 6,000 attendees to connect with thought leaders in every sector of the real estate industry. The meeting is scheduled for October 5-8 at the Moscone West Center, where attendees range from developers to investors, architects, planners, brokers, academics, attorneys, decision makers, and government. Coblentz partner Harry O’Brien will be among the distinguished conference speakers.

The Urban Land Institute is a global nonprofit education and research institute with more than 35,000 members worldwide. Its mission is to provide leadership in the responsible use of land and in sustaining and creating thriving communities worldwide.

Announced at the 2014 ULI Fall Meeting, Coblentz client project, The Exploratorium, was awarded a ULI Global Award for Excellence.

More information about the Fall Meeting can be found here.

Richard Patch has been selected as a Fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America (LCA) Trial Lawyer Honorary Society, which recognizes the nation’s top trial attorneys. Fellowship in the LCA is by invitation only, and is composed of less than one-half of one percent of American Lawyers.

The LCA is a highly selective membership known for its excellence in trial and appellate work, its integrity in practice, and its commitment to diversity throughout every aspect of the profession of law and the administration of justice. Fellows are selected based upon excellence and accomplishment in litigation, both at the trial and appellate levels, and superior ethical reputation. The LCA is aggressively diverse in its composition. Established as a trial and appellate lawyer honorary society reflecting the American bar in the twenty-first century, the LCA represents the best in law among its membership. The number of Fellowships has been kept at an exclusive limit by design, allowing qualifications, diversity and inclusion to align effectively, with recognition of excellence in litigation across all segments of the bar.

Pamela Duffy has been selected as the Best Lawyers® 2016 Real Estate Law “Lawyer of the Year” in San Francisco. This is the fourth year Pam has received the “Lawyer of the Year” honor, previously being recognized in 2014 and 2011 as the San Francisco “Lawyer of the Year” in the Litigation – Land Use and Zoning category, and in 2010 in the Real Estate Law category.

Pam has continuously been listed among The Best Lawyers in America® since 1989.

The Best Lawyers in America© has honored 15 Coblentz attorneys in its 2016 ranking of the nation’s top legal talent. The annual referral guide is based on peer review and feedback from leading attorneys in the same geographical region. Several of our ranked attorneys have been included annually on The Best Lawyers in America© list for over 15 years.

Congratulations to these Coblentz attorneys for inclusion in the 2016 Best Lawyers in America® guide:

• Jon Bass: Commercial Litigation, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Litigation – Real Estate
• Jeff Bernstein: Litigation and Controversy – Tax, Tax Law
• Pamela Duffy: Environmental Law, Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Environmental, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning, Real Estate Law
• Philip Feldman: Litigation – Trusts and Estates, Trusts and Estates
• Frederick Fields: Bet-the-Company Litigation, Commercial Litigation
• Karen Frank: Litigation – Intellectual Property
• Alan Gennis: Real Estate Law
• William Hutton: Tax Law
• Jeff Knowles: Commercial Litigation
• Danna Kozerski: Real Estate Law
• Barbara Milanovich: Real Estate Law
• Jim Mitchell: Trusts and Estates
• Harry O’Brien: Land Use and Zoning Law, Real Estate Law
• Richard Patch: Litigation – Antitrust
• Tay Via: Land Use and Zoning Law, Litigation – Land Use and Zoning

The National Law Journal has named Coblentz to its 2015 Midsize Hotlist. This is the second consecutive year the Firm has been awarded this elite recognition, and third year overall. The NLJ list recognizes only 20 law firms nationally with between 51 and 150 attorneys “that excel at deal making, litigation, counseling and other legal services,” as well as “have demonstrated creative strategies that keep them competitive against much larger law firms. They build cultures that attract and retain top talent. And they take pains to understand and serve their clients’ needs.”

In its profile of Coblentz, the National Law Journal quotes San Francisco 49ers Director of Legal Affairs, Hannah Gordon, as saying of the Firm, “They are just really good people who give solid advice.” Coblentz Co-Managing Partner, Alan Gennis, notes the Firm “has established itself as one of San Francisco’s premiere real estate and litigation firms in part because it focuses on the future,” recognizing emerging practice groups, managing space and technology with greater efficiency and placing a strong emphasis on pro bono work and Firm diversity.

Coblentz was also named to the Midsize Hotlist in 2014 and 2011. Click here to read more.

Chambers & Partners, publishers of Chambers USA: America’s Leading Lawyers for Business, has again awarded Coblentz a Band 1 ranking in the Real Estate: Zoning/Land Use – California category. The firm was also recognized in the Real Estate California category.

Partners Pam Duffy and Harry O’Brien are once again ranked in Bands 1 and 2, respectively. Of Pam Duffy, one client notes she is regarded as “a land use force in the city,” and another states Harry O’Brien is “very skilled, understands the politics of San Francisco and is deserving of recognition.”

According the Chambers, the Coblentz team “combines capabilities in transactional work with leading expertise in land use and development matters. Provides counsel to prominent commercial real estate developers on areas such as entitlements for major mixed-use development projects.”

Chambers quotes a client: “I appreciate their ability to think outside the box. Land use entitlement is more of an art than a science, and they’re very helpful in presenting options that may not be as obvious.”

London-based Chambers and Partners notes that it conducts intensive, continuous research to identify the world’s leading lawyers and law firms – those who perform best according to the criteria most valued by clients. The process, which extends over several months, includes written submissions, personal interviews, client feedback, and peer assessment. Chambers USA was first introduced in 2003.

The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) of The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) celebrated its most outstanding volunteers at its annual Volunteer Celebration on May 12. Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye was on hand to present awards.

More than 200 people attended the event, held at the Louis B. Mayer Lounge at UC University of California College of Law, San Francisco. JDC honored volunteers of its Legal Services and Diversity Educational programs. Guest of honor Chief Justice of California Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye provided inspirational remarks at the awards ceremony and greeted awardees. JDC Board President Timothy Moppin, Kaufman Dolowich Voluck, also made remarks and congratulated awardees.

JDC honored the top 15 percent of the volunteers in its Pro Bono Legal Services Program, Homeless Advocacy Project and Diversity Educational Programs with Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Certificates.

Coblentz recipients honored with Outstanding Volunteer in Public Service Certificates were Jeff Bernstein, Bejan Fanibanda, Fred Fields, Mark Hejinian, Stephen Lanctot, David Mehretu, Misti Schmidt, Katharine Van Dusen and Clifford Yin.

Read more from JDC here.

Partners Jon Bass and Tim Crudo are quoted in “What New Litigators Can Do To Win Their First Trial,” Law360
April 29, 2015

Law360, New York – “Litigating your first case is terrifying. Are you prepared? Will the judge and jury take you seriously? Will you ask the right questions? Will your witnesses do well on the stand? Will you win?” Jon Bass and Tim Crudo offer their advice:

Jon Bass: “Be scared, but don’t be intimidated. Your opponent may have tried a few cases, but that doesn’t mean she has the better side of this one. Be open about your inexperience, rather than trying to conceal it. The judge is your friend in your first trial, so accept her helping hand with grace. And simplify your case as much as possible, or more so. A good case will benefit from being stripped down to its core. Layers of complexity won’t improve a bad one, and you’ll have made your job harder than it needs to be.”

Tim Crudo: “Two words: short and simple. That goes for opening, direct and cross-exams, and closing. Even — and especially — for long trials, distill your documents and witnesses to what is essential and use those to drive home your (short and simple) theory of the case. Evidence is a two-edged sword, and a good trial lawyer will know how to turn yours against you. And at some point you lose a jury if you keep hitting it over the head with the same point. So figure out what you really need and cut out the rest. Less really is more.”