Alumni in the News

December 2003

Judicial Profile: Donna Hitchens
The Recorder, 12/31/03

About two months before San Francisco Superior Court Judge Donna Hitchens '77 took the reins for a two-year stint as presiding judge, she predicted one of her biggest challenges: finding ways to make the court more efficient while dealing with budget constraints.

Now, many lawyers and judges say the state budget's trickle-down effect on local courts has tested—and proved—her administrative acumen.

And she can't slow down now. …

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Judicial Profile: Edward Jellen
The Recorder, 12/23/03

Edward Jellen '71 never wanted to make a living in bankruptcy law.

After graduating from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1971, he landed a job at Bank of America where he hoped to launch a career as a litigator. But instead of getting placed in the bank's litigation department as he had requested, Jellen was assigned to the dull-sounding credit group.

"My first major disappointment in my legal career turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me," says Jellen.

By just about any measure, Jellen has thrived in the world of bankruptcy. In his 17 years as a judge for the Northern District, Jellen has handled some of the region's biggest cases and garnered fans throughout the bar. …

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Sports Agent Sues Oakland, Police
San Francisco Chronicle, 12/2/03

A high-profile sports agent sued Oakland and its Police Department on Monday, charging that officers violated his civil rights and used excessive force during an encounter a week ago near his home in the Oakland hills.

Aaron Goodwin, whose clients include NBA stars LeBron James and Gary Payton, and named one of the most influential minorities in sports by Sports Illustrated, filed the $1 million lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Oakland hours after a news conference with his high-profile attorney, John Burris ['73].

Goodwin charged that a team of officers acted without proper legal basis or adequate information when they stopped and detained him last Tuesday while ostensibly looking for a residential burglary suspect. …

Legal experts said the allegations in the case suggest there are issues that a jury could debate, although they said the issues were not clear-cut.

Franklin Zimring, a criminal law professor at UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law, said "it's a close case" where the legality of the stop shifts according to how you look at the events.

"It really depends on what spin you put on it," he said. "You could write two descriptions, one would look like profiling, and one would look like minimal intrusions." …

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Tech Executive Builds Upon His In-House Legal Career
Corporate Legal Times, December 2003

Jay A. Jones ['81] once had grand plans to build beautiful cities and improve urban communities. But then he became interested in law.

As an undergraduate at Howard University, Jones pursued a degree in architecture and graduated in 1977; then went on to the University of California, Berkeley, to study city planning and received his master's degree in environmental design in 1981. He soon realized, however, that law was the driving force behind how cities and communities are planned. So, while earning his graduate degree, he attended UC Berkeley's Boalt Hall School of Law and graduated in 1985. After earning his JD, Jones decided to try his hand at helping communities better themselves using technology. He started a non-profit that taught inner city kids basic computer and IT skills. But after a couple of years in the non-profit arena, Jones decided it was time to put his legal skills to use. He briefly worked for a litigation-support firm that specialized in asbestos cases, and then landed a job as the general counsel of WordStar International, which at the time developed the leading word-processing program. That job opened up a wealth of opportunities and took Jones down a path where he eventually would end up as senior vice president and chief administrative officer of Veritas Software Corp._a Mountain View, Calif.-based company that develops data storage and disaster recovery solutions. Among its clients are Ingram Micro, Texas Instruments and Safeway.

A.P. Carlton, immediate past president of the ABA and a partner at Kilpatrick Stockton, recently spoke to Jones about his career moves and advice he would give to in-house lawyers who are more interested in business than law. …

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San Mateo Attorney Named Trial Lawyer of Year
San Mateo County Times, 12/2/03

Terry O'Reilly ['69] says he went into law simply as a back-up plan. What he really wantedto do was report the news.

"I went into it by accident," said the 58-year-old, who long ago had a job at NBC's headquarters in Burbank. "They were all saying, 'In this business, you get fired all the time. You have to get something that backs you up.'"

So O'Reilly, armed with cautionary tales about the fickleness of journalism, entered law school and began working his way toward a 35-year career winning numerous product-liability cases. …

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A Tribute to Spencer Kaitz, TVWeek's Cable TV Executive of the Year: Born to Be Wired
TelevisionWeek, 12/1/03

People who know Spencer Kaitz ['72] might think "Go" is his middle name. He's a man who likes to travel, ride a bicycle and race down snow-covered hills with two narrow boards strapped to his feet. In his spare time, he's done a little work for the cable industry.

TelevisionWeek has named Mr. Kaitz its Cable TV Executive of the Year in recognition of his "outstanding achievement as a pioneer, philanthropist, innovator and inventor in the field of cable television."

Spencer Robert (his real middle name) Kaitz truly grew up in the cable business. His father, the legendary Walter Kaitz ['52], worked for many years to lobby local, state and federal agencies on behalf of California's cable operators. Long before Spencer Kaitz formally followed in his father's footsteps, he, too, was doing cable's business. …

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