Law Offices of Catherine Haley

I sent this letter out yesterday to Mr. Billy C. Hawkins, president of Talladega College in Alabama: Dear President Hawkins: I am writing from my home in Oakland, California where I grew up and attended high school during the 1960s. I am a white woman, sixty-five years old. The years that I was in high school, the civil rights movement was going strong and the Black Panthers were active in my City. The impressions of those years have made a tremendous impact on me and how I...Continue reading

I sent this letter out yesterday to Mr. Billy C. Hawkins, president of Talladega College in Alabama: Dear President Hawkins: I am writing from my home in Oakland, California where I grew up and attended high school during the 1960s. I am a white woman, sixty-five years old. The years that I was in high school, the civil rights movement was going strong and the Black Panthers were active in my City. The impressions of those years have made a tremendous impact on me and how I...Continue reading

I recently read a transcript from a family law custody case in Alameda County Superior Court and the thought behind the Judge's last statement to the litigants is what I believe all of us lawyers want to legal system to represent to the public. At a hearing in a very bitter custody battle, the Judge gave the parties a trial date but the parties were able to reach a temporary agreement to share custody until the trial. The court congratulated the parties on reaching a temporary agreement, and hoped for them they would be able to continue to negotiate but if that was not possible he tole them: "If not, we've got you". I really like that.

Whether you do or don't enjoy the game of football, none of us are enjoying the horrible impact on traffic in San Francisco. Without any prior warning to drivers, the exit to the Embarcadero was closed midday this past Saturday. Drivers that came into the City before midday were forced to head all the way back to Van Ness Avenue to get back onto the Bay Bridge. The delay from the longer route, coupled with all of the re-routed cars was TWO hours.

Recently I joined the ranks of those of us in the group identified as disabled. I broke my ankle requiring my left leg to be confined to a boot with crutches in order to be mobile. Because my disability is temporary and new, I only have had a glimpse of the every day obstacles our disabled community must overcome. Two small but very helpful remedies that require common sense and, of course, some funding, are changing the doors to the "handicap" bathrooms and adjustingthe t...imers for crossing in crosswalks. Although the bathrooms are typically available in most public places, the doors to exit and enter the lavatories are so heavy it is not possible to get into the handicap toilet until some helpful person comes along to assist in letting the disabled person in and out. When crossing a street in a city crosswalk, most often the timing for the green light and then the countdown to complete the crossing ran out before I could get all the way across the street. Timing of the crosswalk lights should match the actual time it takes for an elderly person with a walker or a person on crutches to actually cross. I am sure that there are a myriad of other suggestions out there

Very interesting video on NYC's stop and frisk program, which Ed Lee wanted to use in San Francisco.

I'm currently working on this case. If you're interested in seeing how civil rights cases work, you can follow along by following the Haley Law Group page!

On the anniversary of the Occupy protests, I thought I would share this case which stems from activists who were arrested at a protest, charged with a felony, and had samples of their DNA taken; even though the felony charge was eventually dropped. Many civil rights groups are arguing that this law essentially allows the state to get anyone's DNA - even protesters - following an arrest, even if they aren't convicted of a crime. Victims' rights groups, on the other hand, say that such DNA data can help with cold cases. As always, it's hard to strike a balance between personal liberties and crime prevention; although I personally would err on the side of more civil liberties.

New mural on the building!

Thought I'd share this article about State Supreme Court elections. It appears that big donors, mostly corporations, sway voters for the candidates they want - judges that are PRO-BUSINESS. In those states (California isn't one), rulings are becoming more anti-consumer. http://alturl.com/vefkg

We'll be releasing our first resource video on the new page soon. It'll deal with filing a small claims case. Other videos will deal with landlord-tenant law, car accidents and insurance companies, and more. If you have any topics that you'd like to learn more about, please feel free to submit them! Stay tuned and, if you haven't, stop by the new site :) https://www.facebook.com/TheHaleyLawGroup

Hey everyone! Here's my new facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TheHaleyLawGroup. I hope that you stop by and post comments on there. My brother and I are hoping to make this page as interactive and interesting as possible - and we are definitely looking for your feedback and input.

Hi everyone! Hope that the summer is treating all of you well! I've jumped back into work, taking on several interesting cases. And, based on the very positive experience I've had with all of you on facebook, I will be starting a new facebook page with my brother, Matt Haley. Our hope is that our page will be an online resource for legal news and information, and a place where we can meet and interact with people from around the community. As always, thanks for supporting my campaign. Hopefully you will follow the new page, too :)

Dear friends, As many of you know, we didn't win the campaign. After a couple of days of processing this and thinking about the race, I wanted to share some thoughts with you. I certainly want to express my thanks and appreciation to you for all of the support my campaign received over the past few months. I am so honored to know that so many of you recognized my message and wanted to join in my beliefs about our court system. ... Voting for a judge in your County is very personal and important. But it should not be motivated or influenced by politics, party insiders and money. Each of us deserves a court room where imparitality and carelul attention are promised and realized. Each of us needs to be certain that when we need a decision from a Judge, we can enter a courtroom without concern that politics or any interest group has any effect whatsover, on how our case will be decided. Respect and careful consideration for each and every litigant is what the system is supposed to deliver. Judges are the guardians of that promise. We have a community of varied political parties, racial and religious groups, and various competing interests. All are due the same consideration and respect. That is my message to which you have all overwhelmingly responded. The judicial system is our third branch of govermnment - responsible to be impartial and afford independent reasoning for the determination of controversies in our community. For this promise to be fulfilled our judges cannot be identifed with a political party or special interest. We must feel confident that our courtrooms are without bias. When you voted for me, you voted for these beliefs. I am very proud of you and for what we stand. It is most important that we own our courthouses as independent and unbiased for justice. I personally thank you and am honored by your support. I invite you to stay in touch with your concerns and to visit this page periodically as I hope to continue writing and discussing the judicial system with you. With deep gratitude and thanks, Catherine HALEY

GOOD MORNING!!! I woke up feeling great about today. That's due to all of your support here on Facebook, in person, and on the phone. I've said it before, and I'll keep saying it: THANK YOU!!! As you go out and VOTE, if you run into any friends or co-workers, don't forget to tell them to VOTE HALEY. "Haley like the comet!"