On March 19, 2014, the Northern District Historical Society honored panelists and guests that began their legal practice in the 1940's and 50's in a program called "Then and Now: a Half-Century of Greatness."
The discussion panel was moderated by William Edlund, and included Allan Brotsky, Harriet Ross, Guido Saveri and the Honorable Charles Renfrew (Ret.). The panelists described changes in the physical landscape of the San Francisco Bay Area, technological advances impacting the legal system (such as e-filings), and the significant increase in number of judges.
Borrowing from their significant and diverse experiences, the panelists shared numerous personal stories beginning with first job interviews. One panelist described his interview with San Francisco-based Pillsbury, Madison & Sutro (now Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP). Starting weekly salaries at firms in that time were in the $250-300 range, there was rarely a lateral move among attorneys, and law firms still bore the names of their living and practicing founders, according to the panelist.
Other topics of discussion included memorable early cases (and the great potential of learning from losing cases), early biases against female practitioners, the impact of mandatory sentencing guidelines, and the increase in workload for federal judges, especially in multidistrict litigations.
While the panelists discussed positive changes in the legal practice, some stressed the unfortunate decline of civility among lawyers in the current "win at all cost" atmosphere. Attorneys previously would work out issues such as delays in document production, whereas today, lateness of just one day often results in threats of "sanctions," according to one panelist. Attorneys today spend too much time on email and should pick up the phone, another panelist suggested as a solution.
About the Northern District Historical Society
For almost 25 years the Northern District Historical Society has been protecting and enlivening the rich judicial history of the court. From the Chinese Exclusion Laws to Patty Hearst to cutting edge technology disputes, the Northern District has been in the thick of the some of the thorniest problems and most interesting events in California history. The goal of the Society is to preserve, share and enliven the court's history with lawyers, educators, scholars and students.
The Historical Society's new book, titled "The Court That Tamed the West: From the Gold Rush to the Tech Boom" (December 2013), is available for purchase at heydaybooks.com and Amazon.com, or by contacting the Society at HistoricalSociety@cand.uscourts.gov. Additional Historical Society books are available for sale through its on-line bookstore.
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