2008

Sep. 17, 2008

Top 100

This is a season where talk of change is in the air - hot air, or fresh air - depending on where you stand. But change is not just the latest buzzword in political rhetoric. It is essential, and it can also be deeply challenging. The lawyers and judges on our Top 100 are acutely aware of this. Through their work, they are shaping our future: what kind of air we will breathe, how we will define the institutions we share, how we will settle our disputes, how this business of law will operate. We put Chief Justice Ronald George on the cover in recognition of his ongoing leadership of the state's legal community, whether fighting for adequate resources for the courts, better access to justice for those who can't afford it and, this year, his authorship of the state Supreme Court's landmark ruling on same-sex marriage. California was not the first state to legalize such unions, but the high court under Chief Justice George went further than any other in granting sexual orientation the same level of legal protection against bias that was previously reserved for race, religion and gender. The ruling has stirred widespread opposition, as well as admiration. The legal thunderbolt that George and the other justices threw was crafted from their reading of lessons from the past: They were guided by the court's ruling in Perez v. Sharp, which, 60 years ago, legalized interracial marriage in California. George speaks of traveling with his family, as a child, in the American South, where signs prohibiting African-Americans entrance to businesses made a profound impression. While he has a reputation for caution on the court, George said after the ruling: "I think there are times when doing the right thing means not playing it safe." On this year's list, you will find others in our community who have the same penchant for boldness and the skill to draw the right lessons from the past to build a strong foundation for the future.