Richard Morris, BASF’s fi rst executive director & general counsel 1971 Historical Moments 1942 to 1976
the separation of powers and the basic principles of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.”
The war was won four months after the longest-serving U.S. president, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, died. Re- turning World War II veterans and lawyer veterans seek- ing to reestablish themselves gave rise to two actions by BASF. First, it requested of the federal government that it relocate its San Francisco offi ces to the Presidio or Treasure Island so that returning veterans who were lawyers could reestablish their law practices.
Second, in 1946, BASF created the Lawyer Reference Service to assist returning World War II veterans, but broadly defi ned its mission to assist any person in need of legal assistance. This commitment to providing ac- cess to legal services to all groups continues to shape the program today. By 1948, approximately one hun- dred panel members participated, “to whom references are made by automatic rotation,” and three hundred fi fty references had been given. Attorneys agreed not to charge an initial conference fee of more than $5, the equivalent of $45 today (LRIS currently charges $35 for consultations). In the minutes from 1948, the board of directors asked whether the program should be “exten-
sively publicized,” not only because it served the public but because it enhanced the reputation of lawyers to the public. The board “wholeheartedly” agreed.
On December 1, 1949, BASF resolved to convert the association into a nonprofi t corporation with the following stated purposes:
“To further the honor, dignity and public useful- ness of the legal profession;
To increase the profession’s effectiveness in promot- ing the sound administration of justice;
To act in the interest of maintaining a skilled, humane and independent judiciary;
To aid in making available a library for the use of San Francisco lawyers;
To cultivate social intercourse among members of the Association.”
Also, it sought “To serve the general welfare of San Francisco lawyers as appropriate and provide an organization for collective action or expression in matters germane to the aforesaid purposes.”
To this end, the Barristers Club’s Civil Assistance THE BAR ASSOCIATION OF SAN FRANCISCO SAN FRANCISCO ATTORNEY 61
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