News

Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation is proud to announce that our client Tracy Letts has won a 2013 Tony Award for his role in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”

Letts took home the award Sunday for best performance by an actor in a play for his portrayal of George in Edward Albee’s famous play. The playwright and actor was up against some tough competition including Tom Hanks, Nathan Lane, David Hyde Pierce and Tom Sturridge.

Letts is an ensemble member of the Steppenwolf Theater Company. He won a Pulitzer Prize for Drama for his play “August: Osage County” in 2008 and received the 2008 Tony Award for Best Play for the same play. He’s also a regular on the upcoming third season of Showtime’s “Homeland.”

Watch Letts’ acceptance speech at the 2013 Tony Awards here.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

OAKLAND CHARTER SCHOOL WINS REPRIEVE TO REMAIN OPEN

Oakland, Calif. — Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation, a business law and business litigation firm, is assisting with the representation of American Indian Model Schools (AIMS), which operates three high-performing, nationally-recognized schools in Oakland, in a lawsuit against the Oakland Unified School District regarding the District’s decision to close the three charter schools. Last week, Judge Evilio Grillo granted AIMS’s application for a temporary restraining order and issued a TRO that prevents the embattled schools from being shut down in the near term, resulting in a huge win for AIMS.

After Judge Grillo issued the TRO, James Kachmar, a shareholder in the firm’s labor & employment and litigation group serving as co-counsel for AIMS, said: “We’re ecstatic. This is about the students.” Furthermore, the ruling means that the school can start its summer session on June 20th and plan for its upcoming fall school year, he said.

The lawsuit follows a 4-3 vote by the Oakland school board on March 20th to revoke the charters for AIMS, claiming the school had not done enough to rectify financial issues that were found in a state audit last year. AIMS has also appealed that decision to the Alameda County Office of Education.

The District’s decision meant that the school – with 1,200 students at three Oakland campuses – would likely lose funding at the end of this month and have to close its doors.

AIMS and the District are to return to Judge Grillo’s courtroom on July 8th for a hearing as to whether the TRO should be extended as a preliminary injunction against the District. In the meantime, the Alameda County Board of Education will likely consider AIMS’s appeal of the District’s decision to revoke its charters at its next meeting on June 25th. If it affirms the District’s decision, AIMS will appeal the decision to the California Department of Education.

About Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin Law Corporation

Weintraub Tobin Chediak Coleman Grodin specializes in corporate transactional work, real estate transactional work and business litigation. Recognized nationally for our expertise, the firm has a strong regional presence and experience representing clients throughout California. Our clients range from national institutional entities to regional businesses and individuals with personal legal needs.

We dedicate ourselves to understanding our clients and helping them with their changing business challenges. We are equally committed to supporting the community where we work and live.

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Four Weintraub Tobin partners, Chris Chediak, Dale Campbell, Kay Brooks and Louis Gonzalez have raised over $16,800 to help the fight against Leukemia, Lymphoma and other blood cancers.

Team Weintraub trained to ride 100 miles around Lake Tahoe in what is known as America’s Most Beautiful Bike Ride on Sunday, June 2nd.

“We all finished strong and enjoyed a beautiful day at Lake Tahoe—from 5:15 a.m. meeting at the starting line, our 6 a.m. departure, through arrivals at the finish line ranging from 12:40 p.m. to 4:30 pm,” says Kay. “It was an exhilarating, worthwhile, fun experience!”

As part of the team’s commitment, Weintraub Tobin contributed $3,000 to the team’s total $16,800 raised by the four bicyclists. Team Weintraub was part of the local corporate group Partners for A Cure that was the #1 corporate fundraiser nationwide, raising $278,000 and counting. All funds go to help find cures and more effective treatment for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma.

To learn more or to make a donation in support of our efforts with Team In Training and help advance the research for cures, visit Weintraub Tobin’s Team-In-Training website.

Weintraub Tobin is making a difference in the lives of children and their families in the Sacramento region and beyond.

Through Chris Chediak’s involvement with the Make-A-Wish Foundation, Weintraub Tobin sponsored the wish of Noah, a 12-year-old boy with Leukemia, whose wish was to travel to New York City with his family. In June, Noah flew to New York, attended a Broadway play and a Yankees game, and took in the sights and sounds of the “City That Never Sleeps.”

Weintraub Tobin honored Noah in the following ways:

Sacramento River Cats Game, Saturday, April 20th, 7:00 p.m., Raley Field

Noah was named the “Walk Ambassador” for Make-A-Wish’s Walk for Wishes in May. As a kick off to the walk, Noah threw out the first pitch (with a little help from Chris Chediak) at the River Cats game on Saturday, April 20th. Noah was alongside Zoe, a 7-year-old survivor of Leukemia, who had her wish of being a princess for a day, be granted last year with help from Weintraub Tobin.

Walk for Wishes, Saturday, May 18th, 9 a.m., Raley Field

Weintraub Tobin walked alongside Noah (and cheer him on!) during this 5k Walk at Raley Field.

A Note on Noah:

Like most 12-year-old boys, Noah loves video games and watching his favorite sports teams, particularly the NY Yankees and the SF Giants. He also enjoys hiking, fishing, traveling, and learning about new places. What’s not typical is what he has had to face since he was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was nine. So when Make-A-Wish® asked him what his one true wish would be, he quickly said he wanted to go to New York City.

Noah has been fascinated with New York as far back as his Mom Amy can remember. Noah will have his wish granted to go to New York this June. His mom says he has been so excited ever since he learned his wish was going to be granted. “The whole Make-A-Wish experience has been fantastic. It has really given us something to look forward to as a family.”

Visit the Make-A-Wish website here for upcoming Walk for Wishes.

Weintraub clients John and Drew Dowdle will co-write the upcoming microbudget thriller: “As Above, So Below” for Legendary Pictures.

According to Variety, the film will be set in the catacombs beneath Paris where two archeologists look for hidden treasure. Sources say the film would be set in the $5-$10 million range, which stretches the boundaries of what constitute a micro-budget picture, a team popularized for films in the under-$1 million budget range.

The Dowdle brothers have also teamed on the following films: Full Moon Rising, The Dry Spell, The Poughkeepsie Tapes, Quarantine and Devil.

Read the full Variety article here.

Weintraub Tobin is a proud supporter of WEAVE and its Walk A Mile In Her Shoes event. Each year, our attorneys strut their Weintraub swagger in high heels around Capitol Mall – all for a very good cause.

Roughly 450 men raised $230,000 for the local nonprofit, which is a support system for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Sacramento County. WEAVE is committed to breaking the cycle of violence by educating the community to better understand the issues of domestic violence and sexual assault.

For more information, visit the WEAVE website.

The San Francisco office of Weintraub Tobin has joined forces with other Bay Area law firms to raise money and collect food donations during the month of May to benefit the San Francisco and Marin Food Banks.

Food from the Bar is the legal community’s largest food and fund raising drive. In its 22nd year, this drive raises critical funds to fight hunger in San Francisco and Marin.

The San Francisco and Marin Food Banks provide vital support to more than 225,000 people in the community who are struggling to make ends meet. This year, they’ll distribute 45 million pounds of food, and more than half of it will be fresh fruit and vegetables direct from the farm.

For every $1 donated, the Food Banks can distribute $6 worth of food thanks to volunteers, farming partners and food donors, and the ability to source quality food for pennies on the dollar.

The San Francisco office will be collecting food donations in their office through the end of May. To donate or learn more learn more about Food from the Bar, visit www.sfmfoodbank.org