COVER STORY
Grace J. Bergen is a Sacramento attorney who operates a solo practice at Law Offices of Grace J. Bergen. She serves as a Board Vice-President and the Chair of the Trustee Committee of California Lawyers for the Arts and also participates on CLA’s legal referral panel. She may be contacted at grace@gbergenlaw.com.
Lawyers Who Love Music
by Grace J. Bergen
At
the outset, I thought it would be a difficult task to track down lawyers, like myself, who play music in their “spare” time. I quickly discovered the wealth of talented musical lawyers in the Sacramento community, and the delight they take in playing music as a creative alternative to their busy careers. The following attorneys expressed the importance of music to them and explained that music was key to releasing anxiety and worry. Their universal enthusiasm and love of playing, writing, and performing music is evident. It is said that music soothes the savage beast—and perhaps it soothes the stressed out attorney as well.
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Bob Bale
Robert (Bob) Bale Take for example, Bob Bale, a partner with Dreyer Babich Buccola
SACRAMENTO LAWYER | March/April 2015 | www.sacbar.org
Wood Campora, LLP. Bale’s focus as an attorney is personal injury law, and he and his firm are known for large personal injury verdicts against corporate wrongdoers. Not only does Bale serve on the Board of Directors for the Capitol City Trial Lawyers Association, he is also on the Board of Governors of Consumer Attorneys of California, and is an emeritus Member of the Anthony M. Kennedy Inns of Court. What does Bale do in his “spare” time? He plays music—of course! A talented singer-songwriter, Bale plays acoustic guitar in fine rock and roll style. For years he has led an in-house band of attorneys called “Res Ipsa Loquitur” at Dreyer