Holly Fujie ’78 Joins L.A. County Superior Court >>

California Governor Jerry Brown has appointed Holly Fujie ’78 to a judgeship in the Los Angeles County Superior Court. An equity partner at Buchalter Nemer since 1991 and an expert in insurance and surety industry litigation, Fujie served as president of the State Bar of California from 2008–2009 and president of the Boalt Hall Alumni Association from 2010–2011. Fujie, named a Southern California Super Lawyer every year from 2004–2011, has received numerous service awards from area bar associations. She often writes articles and gives presentations on issues of litigation, insurance coverage, and diversity in the legal profession. (1/6/12)

Karen Tani Wins National Dissertation Award >>

Berkeley Law assistant professor Karen Tani has won the annual John A. Heinz Dissertation Award from the National Academy of Social Insurance. She will receive $2,500 for the award, which honors outstanding research by new scholars addressing social insurance policy questions. Tani’s dissertation, judged by a five-person committee, tracks the evolution of welfare rights. Committee chair Christine Bishop of Brandeis University praised her “use of primary sources encompassing local variations in the administration of public assistance between 1935 and 1965 to provide an elegant and revealing analysis with far-reaching implications.” (1/6/12)

Thomas Klitgaard ’61 Receives Shanghai Award >>

Thomas Klitgaard ’61 has received the Magnolia Silver Award, the highest honor Shanghai’s Foreign Affairs Office bestows upon foreigners. Klitgaard was the only lawyer to receive the annual award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to Shanghai’s social-economic development and international exchange. A partner at Dillingham & Murphy, Klitgaard was recently a guest professor at Shanghai Economic College, where he led a business management training program for specially selected Chinese managers. He is also an international arbitrator and mediator, and serves on major arbitration panels in Beijing, Hong Kong, and New York. (1/6/12)