Charity and kindness are not just a December thing for many local attorneys who volunteer at non-legal non-profit groups throughout the county. For example, Steve Wasserman is board president of Drawbridge, an arts program for homeless children. Karen Carrera and Nelson Lee are on the board of Canal Alliance. Wanden Treanor is an honorary board member of 10,000 Degrees, among many other volunteer pursuits. The indefatigable Gary Ragghianti serves on the board of the Marin History Museum and of the San Rafael Public Library Foundation. Also on the Library Foundation board: Charles Litchfield and former Keegin Harrison partner Jeff Schoppert.

Not to be outdone, Tim Nardell is on the board of the Marin Child Care Council. Several members of the Marin Humane Society BOD are lawyers, including retired assistant DA Linda Witong. Lifehouse, which provides support to persons with developmental disabilities, is lucky to have attorney Al Brayton on its board. The Mountain Play board of directors is chock full of lawyers, including Marin practitioners Monty Georgeson and Amy Sherburne.

And the Food from the Bar program! Several Marin firms earned special recognition for their immense contributions to the SF-Marin Food Bank this year, including past MCBA president Jessica Karner and the Keegin Harrison firm, Hanson Bridgett, Chavez & Gertler, and Brayton Purcell. Also earning awards were our very own MCBA and the Marin County Women Lawyers. This year, the campaign raised enough food and cash to provide over two million meals (!) for needy seniors, families, and individuals in our community.

Judge Roy Chernus, Eileen Barker, and Barbara Monty have been taking the message of forgiveness to lawyers and mediators in the Bay Area, through presentations to local law schools, bar associations, and mediator trainings. Learn more about this new and transforming movement.

Cheered on by members of her firm and MCBA colleagues, MCBA Diversity Section chair Jeanne Grove accepted the Minority Bar Coalition’s Unity Award on November 14.

Attorneys David Brown and Juliana Weil, married to one another, now practice criminal defense under the same roof along the Redwood Highway. As of press time, it is unclear whether they will call themselves “Weil and Brown,” or, if so, whether that will draw a cease-and-desist letter from the Rutter Group. Time will tell.

This column is a bit shorter than usual, primarily because my loyal readership (hi, Mom!) has failed to submit gossip or news items. Folks, your correspondent can’t do this alone. Let me know who has a new job, won an award, teaches at a local college, serves on a nonprofit board, ran a marathon, or who (other than Rob Jaret) fosters baby owls.