The California Lawyers Association, the statewide voluntary bar association for all California lawyers, has announced that Morrison & Foerster senior of counsel James J. Brosnahan is the recipient of the 2019 Bernard E. Witkin Medal. James recently had the honor of receiving this recognition at the California Lawyers Association's 2019 Annual Meeting.

The medal recognizes attorneys and nonattorneys who have made significant contributions to the quality of justice and legal scholarship in California—aligning with the Association's mission of promoting excellence, diversity, and inclusion in the legal profession, as well as fairness in the administration of justice and the rule of law.

A lion of the trial bar, Jim is one of the most respected and recognized trial lawyers in the United States. Over the course of his 60-year career, he has tried—to conclusion—more than 150 civil and criminal cases, ranging from antitrust to wire fraud, from patent litigation to white-collar crime and murder. Additionally, Jim founded the San Francisco Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyer Service Program (now called The Justice & Diversity Center), and has been an outspoken supporter of the Civil Gideon movement, which seeks to establish a right to counsel in civil matters when basic human needs are at stake.

Jim has received numerous recognitions for his efforts in promoting equal access to the justice system, and for zealously advocating on behalf of low-income and disadvantaged individuals. Most recently, he was honored with the American Bar Association's John H. Pickering Achievement Award, which touted his outstanding legal ability and record of service to the profession in order to improve access to justice for all.