Editor's Note

By Martin Lasden

Paul Hoffman, the subject of this month's profile by Miles Corwin ("Hoffman's Law"), is a serious lawyer with an important cause. However, as Corwin discovered one Friday afternoon, being a serious lawyer does not necessarily mean adhering to a rigid dress code. In fact, when Corwin visited Hoffman's beachside Venice office, he found the attorney dressed in sneakers, shorts, and a polo shirt. "Given the groundbreaking work that Hoffman has done over the years, I didn't expect him to look so laid-back," Corwin says.

Still, even dressed casually, Hoffman quickly conveyed a level of commitment that belied Corwin's first impression. "Once Hoffman began talking about his work, he naturally became more intense," Corwin says. "He also showed a remarkable command of the facts behind these cases, and he was able to make it all easily understandable."

Hoffman is best known for his effective use of an obscure, 220-year-old law - the Alien Tort Claims Act (ATCA) - to win civil damages against both companies and individuals who stand accused of committing human rights abuses abroad. It's a controversial line of attack, and one that could be entirely undermined at any time by an adverse ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court. (The last time the high court ruled on this issue was back in 2004, when Hoffman managed to convince six of the nine justices to keep the door at least partially open to such suits.) But, with the new Obama administration in place, history may be - at least for the moment - tilting in Hoffman's favor.

Also in this issue, we celebrate our 13th annual California Lawyer Attorneys of the Year (CLAY) Awards (page 18). There are 43 winners this year, out of more than 200 nominations. We congratulate these lawyers for their impressive achievements.

Finally, I want to mention the next in our series of "Legally Speaking" shows, which feature conversations with the country's most renowned lawyers. Following our standing-room-only program with Robert S. Bennett - aired on C-SPAN in January - our guest on Thursday, March 19, will be Lawrence Lessig, a Stanford and soon-to-be Harvard law professor who is known as the Elvis of Cyberlaw. The San Francisco event will start at 6 p.m. with a wine and cheese reception at UC Hastings College of the Law, and those who attend can earn MCLE credit. If you'd like to join us, contact Nikki Delucchi for ticket information (nikki_delucchi@dailyjournal.com or 415/296-2422).

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