Building Dedication – Bernard E. Witkin

For over twenty-five years, the Alameda County Law Library in downtown Oakland has been proud to carry on the name, memory, and legacy of Bernard E. Witkin, renowned Berkeley-based legal scholar, writer, and educator.

When Mr. Witkin passed away in 1995, the Law Library’s Board of Trustees considered how the Law Library could honor the memory of the author of the acclaimed Witkin series of black letter California legal treatises widely used by judges, attorneys, and Law Library patrons. A mainstay of law library collections since the 1930s, Witkin’s books summarize California law in plain English and have been cited in thousands of decisions by the California Supreme Court and Courts of Appeal.

Recognizing the parallels between Mr. Witkin’s lifelong commitment to making the law understandable to all and the Alameda County Law Library’s mission to facilitate free public access to authoritative legal information, the Law Library’s Board of Trustees sought to establish a lasting tribute to Mr. Witkin.

On October 29, 1996, the County Board of Supervisors approved a Resolution put forth by the Alameda County Law Library Board of Trustees to rename the library building at 125 Twelfth Street the Bernard E. Witkin Alameda County Law Library.

The dedication ceremony took place on May 14, 1997, with Bernard’s wife Alba in attendance, along with many distinguished local judges and members of the Alameda County Bar Association. At the ceremony, a portrait of Mr. Witkin was unveiled, along with an exhibit of Witkin memorabilia containing photographs, newspaper articles, reminiscences, awards and other ephemera from Mr. Witkin’s celebrated life and career. The portrait and memorabilia collection remain on permanent display in the Law Library.

Visitors to the Law Library will note that the Bernard E. Witkin name appears in the window adjacent to the building’s front door, and features in large metal lettering above the entrance leading from the building lobby into the 1^st floor of the library. The Witkin portrait and memorabilia cases are located just inside the library entrance.

More information about Mr. Witkin’s life and legacy can be found at the links below.

Bernard E. Witkin Biography: https://www.library.ca.gov/law/witkin/
Witkin Legal Treatises in the Library: https://acll.bywatersolutions.com/cgi-bin/koha/opac-search.pl?q=au:%22Witkin%20Legal%20Institute.%22
Bernard E. & Alba Witkin Charitable Foundation: https://witkinfoundation.org/index.html

Oil painting of Bernard E. Witkin that hangs inside the Law Library.

External window adjacent to building entrance featuring Bernard E. Witkin Alameda County Law Library spelled out in bold white lettering on the glass.

Rectangular doorway leading from the 125 12th Street building lobby into the Law Library with "Bernard E. Witkin Law Library Alameda County" displayed in large metal letters above the doorway.