More than 20 years ago, The Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) began to study diversity in the legal profession. As BASF prepares for the 2015 Goals & Timetables report, its Equality Committee is bringing together thought leaders in the Bay Area to go beyond the numbers and discuss the advancement of diversity in the legal profession. The summit will include two panels and seven working group discussions; and the afternoon will conclude with the 2012 Minority Bar Coalition Unity Awards Reception.
Bob Van Nest will serve as a panelist for "Impacting Diversity from Inside the Firm," Quyen Ta will moderate "Impacting Diversity from Outside the Firm," and Chris Kearney will lead a breakout discussion.
Complete details are available here.
Bob Van Nest
Bob Van Nest is a nationally recognized trial lawyer who frequently handles high-stakes cases for clients such as Intel, Google, Medtronic, Broadcom, and American Honda. His practice ranges widely over the field of complex business litigation and intellectual property. He has tried cases involving patent infringement, securities fraud, trademarks, commercial contracts, RICO, partnership disputes, real estate, insurance bad faith and mail and wire fraud.
Quyen Ta
Quyen Ta litigates complex commercial matters. She focuses her practice on intellectual property, securities, and other complex business disputes. She has tried numerous criminal and civil cases in state and federal courts, including five as first-chair. Ms. Ta was a member of a trial team that secured a trial victory and settlement publicly valued at more than $300 million for Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. She serves in numerous leadership positions in minority bar organizations and speaks frequently on diversity in the legal profession.
Chris Kearney
Chris Kearney uses proactive litigation strategies to protect large, publicly traded companies, and privately held organizations in complex trade secrets disputes, as well as accountants and lawyers in high-stakes professional liability matters. Mr. Kearney has represented one of the largest U.S. based accounting firms in more than two dozen actions involving breach of contract, professional negligence and fraud claims throughout the Western United States. His experience at a Big Four accounting firm has given him a sharp understanding of financial and damage issues as they affect legal clients. He has also represented individuals and firms in matters before the Securities and Exchange Commission.