The Loss of a Legal Visionary, An Inspiring Lady and a Friend

I wanted to memorialize the passing of Gail Koff, a long-time client and friend, on August 31st. Gail quietly fought a type of Leukemia for more than 10 years, yet due to her strength and love of life the people around her never thought her final day could be so soon.

Gail was one of the founding partners of Jacoby & Meyers, which started more than 35 years ago as a law firm for the average citizen. Gail had many ups and downs at her firm during that period, but never dropped her focus on trying to improve the world through her legal services. She also spent a great deal of time and energy on the boards of non-profit organizations and educational institutions such as Bank Street College and The Calhoun School.

The New York Times wrote an obituary here. The Wall Street Journal wrote a remembrance piece about Gail here. The Wall Street Journal Law Blog covered her passing here. Death notices in the New York Times are here.

On a personal note, this is the first time I had a client who became a friend pass away and I find myself very saddened by it. Gail was truly an inspiration with her strength, vision, perseverance, commitment to social causes, and love of family, friends and life. I consider myself very fortunate to have known her and will truly miss her.

Rest in peace, Gail.

NASDAQ Closing Bell Ceremony with University of the People

On August 17th, I had a real treat of joining my non-profit, pro bono client, University of the People, for the closing bell ceremony at NASDAQ. UoPeople, the first tuition-free online university, was founded by Israeli education technology entrepreneur, Shai Reshef. You can learn more about this terrific organization that is trying to democratize higher education globally at www.UoPeople.org. You can view the video of the closing ceremony here.

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Hidden Dangers of Independent Contractors – TV Interview with Dorsey Partner Mike Droke

Mike Droke, the head of our Seattle office and the Co-Chair of Dorsey’s Labor & Employment practice, recently spoke on Fox Business News about some of the pitfalls of misclassifying people as independent contractors. Federal tax authorities are increasingly targeting companies that treat people as contractors when they really should be treated as employees. Mike’s interview, linked below, provides a good overview of the topic.

TV interview:  Hidden Dangers of Independent Contractors