James and Gale Krause Pledge $1 Million to USD's School of Law

Sound legal advice usually doesn't come cheap, but San Diego's Lawyer Referral & Information Service has been dispensing it free -- at least for the first 30 minutes -- for half a century now.

Got an employee problem, a cranky corporate conundrum, fretting about bankruptcy? Those are among the many areas of the law the service's attorneys are qualified to handle. The nonprofit service, available to consumers as well as businesses, is sponsored by the San Diego County Bar Association.

"All the lawyers are pre-qualified and they have to meet certain standards," said Ronald J. Brahms of the Downtown law firm of Ronald J. Brahms & Associates, and a member of the service's business and corporate panel. "If you want to get on the list, you've got to have malpractice insurance."

The service has about 390 lawyers, who each pay a $50 registration fee, and up to an additional $25, depending on the panel they want to be on. The funds collected go to the Bar Foundation -- about $100,000 accrued this year, according to a spokeswoman.

After the 30 minutes of free advice has expired, the caller has the option of staying on the line and paying that particular lawyer's regular fee. But even if the caller decides to ring off after the gratis gab is bestowed, it's still a good investment for the lawyer, said Brahms.

"It's new business for attorneys," he said, adding that even one more case a month can mean "a lot of money," and some of the more lucrative cases can even morph into a million bucks down the road.

Brahms said he gets all sorts of queries.

"Almost anything can be taken care of," he said. "You can have a mom and pop gas station, and have a leak, and talk with someone who does environmental law. I had someone call me the other day, wanting to start an Internet gambling site."

William M. Moore, who has a practice in Hillcrest and also serves on the business panel, said many of the calls involve startup companies.

"I had one young man who wanted to start a business, wanted to go through the nuts and bolts of it, without stepping on any toes or getting into trouble, what he should do to get up and running," he said. "I get them off on a good foot."

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One In A Million: James C. and Gale Krause have pledged $1 million to the University of San Diego School of Law.

A member of the school's Class of 1975, James Krause, principal in the San Diego law firm of Krause & Kalfayan, specializes in antitrust litigation, class actions, commodities litigation, securities arbitration and securities litigation.

A graduate of Haverford College in Pennsylvania, he earned his law degree from USD School of Law, magna cum laude, and served as an editor of the San Diego Law Review.

Gale Krause, who earned a master's of business administration degree at Tulane University, has been active in several educational organizations.

The couple have three teenage sons.

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On Board: Kendra Hall has joined Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP in San Diego as of counsel -- that's a senior attorney, you know.

Before joining Procopio, she was a partner at the law firm of Klinedinst, PC, where she chaired the appellate department. She also has a wide range of experience in general business and employment litigation.

Hall earned her law degree, cum laude, at the University of San Diego.

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Change Of Address: Casey Gerry Reed & Schenk, the city's oldest plaintiffs law firm, has been renamed Casey Gerry Schenk Francavilla Blatt & Penfield, a combination of the current partners' names and its founders.

"As we near our 60th anniversary, this new name simultaneously signifies our past and future," said David Casey Jr., senior partner, whose late father, David Sr., founded the firm in 1947.

Richard Gerry joined forces with the senior Casey in 1969 and remained active in the firm until his death last year. The other partners are Frederick Schenk, Gayle Blatt, Thomas Penfield and Robert Francavilla.

The firm has played key roles in a number of high-profile cases, including the $5 billion settlement in the Exxon Valdez oil spill; and California's $25 billion settlement with the tobacco companies. The firm also helped launch Trial Lawyers Care, a pro bono program for families of Sept. 11, 2001, victims.

Contact Pat Broderick at pbroderick@sdbj.com or call her at (858) 277-6359, Ext. 3112.