​Renée Welze Livingston was unanimously approved for Fellowship in the prestigious International Society of Barristers. The Society is comprised of less than 750 lawyers adjudged by their peers and judges to be “outstanding in the field of advocacy” and to possess “excellent character and integrity of the highest order.” Renée is one of just 75 active Fellows in California to be honored with this distinction. More information about ISOB can be found at www.isob.com.

This week, shareholders Craig A. Livingston and Crystal L. Van Der Putten filed an amicus curiae brief with the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on behalf of LLF client, The National Shooting Sports Foundation, Inc. The brief supports a constitutional challenge by Plaintiffs-Appellants (who include individuals and organizations/businesses) to that portion of Maryland’s Firearms Safety Act of 2013 which requires individuals to obtain special licensing to purchase a handgun. At the trial court level, the United States District Court for the District of Maryland summarily adjudicated the claims against Plaintiffs-Appellants on the basis they lacked legal standing to prosecute their claims – never even reaching the question of whether Maryland’s Handgun License Requirement (“HLR”) passed constitutional muster. The NSSF amicus brief addresses the standing issue but primarily argues the Second Amendment protects the right to sell firearms (either as a freestanding right or an ancillary right) following the seminal opinions of District of Columbia v. Heller and McDonald v. City of Chicago. Second Amendment jurisprudence has historically focused on the right to keep and bear firearms. The brief argues that because the HLR operates as a complete ban on the right to sell handguns to individuals who do not obtain the required license, it severely burdens conduct the Second Amendment protects – lawful commerce in arms – it should therefore be subjected to a strict scrutiny review.

​Livingston Law Firm shareholders Renée Welze Livingston, Craig A. Livingston and Crystal L. Van Der Putten were selected as 2019 Northern California Super Lawyers. No more than five percent of practicing regional attorneys are named to this prestigious list. This year marks Renée's 9th on the Super Lawyer list for her distinguished work in civil litigation defense. Craig has been recognized for 11 years for his product liability defense work. After multiple years as a Rising Star, Crystal has been named a Super Lawyer in recognition of her civil litigation defense work. 

Super Lawyers, a Thomson Reuters-owned rating service, evaluates highly-regarded attorneys from more than 70 practice areas through a multi-phase process. Each year, attorneys are selected for inclusion on regional lists based upon peer nominations, peer evaluations and the service's own independent research. The annual Northern California Super Lawyers list is published in Super Lawyers Magazine (Northern California edition) and is available online at www.superlawyers.com.

​LLF Managing Shareholder Renée Welze Livingston and Shareholder Crystal L. Van Der Putten will be attending the Association of Defense Counsel of Northern California and Nevada 59th Annual Meeting on December 6 and 7, 2018, at the Westin St. Francis on Union Square in San Francisco. 
 
As the Chair of the 59th Annual Meeting – “Elevate Your Trial Presence” – Renée played a major role in developing the meeting’s overall theme, planning and organizing the two-day event, and coordinating the many excellent programs and top flight speakers.  Crystal is one of those speakers; she coordinated the continuing legal education program, “Puttin’ on the Writs: Putting Your Best Foot Forward to a Successful Writ Petition,” and will serve as the program’s moderator.  Her fellow panelists are Hon. Ignazio Ruvolo (1st DCA Ret.) and Susan Horst, Esq.