Special Reports
Top Real Estate and Development Lawyers 2025
Rebuilding LA:
The Daily Journal's fire coverage portal
Judicial Profile
Judge Lawrence Riff probes with questions and hypotheticals to distill legal principles
MCLE
Don't let an adverse party commit to producing 'relevant' documents
While responses to Requests for Production that promise t...
By Ian PikeState Supreme Court takes on compelled arbitration and elder abuse
The California Supreme Court is poised to clarify when ar...
By Mike Arias, Destiny D. Hooper, Uri H. NivRebuilding after wildfire means knowing the tax rules
Wildfire victims may be able to reduce, delay, or avoid p...
By Alex Z. Brown, Robert W. Wood
Today's News
Immigration
OC attorney says she was detained in ICE raid at Santa Ana park
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
Newport Beach attorney Heidi Plummer says she was handcuffed and taken to an ICE processing center during a weekend operation in Santa Ana, despite her U.S. ...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Senate committee passes labor bill with unclear mediation term
By Malcolm Maclachlan
A Senate committee passed AB 288, a labor bill protecting workers' rights, but there are concerns about the undefined term, "binding mediation."
Judges and Judiciary, Criminal, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
Century-old miscarriage of justice becomes teaching moment for law students, professionals
By David Houston
The 1915 lynching of Leo Frank -- a Jewish man convicted of murder in a trial marred by bias and media frenzy -- is being revisited through the Broadway musi...
Judges and Judiciary
Governor Newsom appoints 16 judges to California superior courts
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
The appointments span Los Angeles, Merced, Orange, San Diego, San Francisco, Santa Clara, San Joaquin, and Tulare Counties.
Securities
Edison seeks delay in shareholder wildfire lawsuit dismissal
By Devon Belcher
Edison International seeks 45-day extension to dismiss shareholders' lawsuit alleging misleading wildfire mitigation claims, causing stock losses after 2025 ...
Constitutional Law
Unions challenge Trump's order stripping federal jobs' bargaining rights
By Wisdom Howell
Six unions seek a preliminary injunction against Trump's order exempting federal jobs from collective bargaining, arguing it is retaliation for their opposit...
Columns
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Words as weapons: Protecting the bench one word at a time
By Wendy L. Patrick
In response to escalating threats and violence against judges, California has proposed amendments to Rules of Professional Con...
Litigation & Arbitration
State Supreme Court takes on compelled arbitration and elder abuse
By Mike Arias, Uri H. Niv
The California Supreme Court is poised to clarify when arbitration agreements signed by nursing home residents can compel thei...
Technology, Intellectual Property
Everything old is new again as voracious GenAI systems turn to 600-year-old texts for training
By Anita Taff-Rice
Generative AI platforms are turning to centuries-old public domain documents to train their systems and sidestep billion-dolla...
Verdicts & Settlements
| Wage and Hour | Patricia Alvarado, as an in... | $625,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Ian Thompson, individually ... | $550,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Bartola Santiago, individua... | $500,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Miqueas Almanza, individual... | $465,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Rodrigo Alvarez, on behalf ... | $300,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Maygree Lindor, an individu... | $290,000 |
| Dangerous Condition of Public Property | Alba Rivera v. Stephen Ruda... | $200,000 |
| Clean Air Act | Settlement Agreement betwee... | $200,000 |
| Dangerous Condition of Public Property | Francisco Hernandez Tello v... | $150,000 |
| Song-Beverly Act | Silvia Natera v. Hyundai Mo... | $49,999 |
On the Move
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP
Christopher T. Hicks joined Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP as an associate in La Jolla. The move was Jun. 9, 2025.
Details
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP has 88 attorneys in 6 offices including San Francisco; Los Angeles; San Diego. Among the law firm’s key practice areas are Insurance Coverage. The firm’s website is nicolaidesllp.com
Address
4225 Executive Square, Suite 1250 , La Jolla California 92037 USA
T:
(858) 257-0700
F:
(858) 257-0701
Featured Content
The art of storytelling at trial requires that we, as trial lawyers, know not just the facts of the case but our clients' hope...
There is a time and place for everything--including a time to mediate an insurance coverage or bad faith claim.
Community News
Judge Allison Westfahl Kong, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and Judge E. Carlos Dominguez
L.A. County Superior Court Criminal Division Supervising judge Yvette Verastegui, Judge Latrice A.G. Byrdsong, Judge Thomas Rubinson, Judge Jessica C. Kronstadt, Judge Wendy Segall and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Judge Drew E. Edwards
Steven M. Sepassi, ADR Services Inc. Mediator, Armenian Bar Association Board of Governors vice chair Steven J. Dadaian of Encino and Lucie Barron, ADR Services Inc. founder and president
Commissioner Kjehl T. Johansen and Commissioner Paul Bruguera
Judge Cathy J. Ostiller and Judge Linda L. Sun
Judge Virginia Keeny and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
(Ret.) Judge Paul A. Bacigalupo of ADR Services Inc. and Judge Connie R. Quiñones
Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong, Judge Mary Ann Murphy and Judge David V. Herriford
Judge Randolph M. Hammock, Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Judge Scott J. Nord and (Ret.) Judge Greg Keosian
Deputy Public Defender Vera Koulian and Judge Victor Avila
Judge Jerry B. Marshak, Commissioner Karin Borzakian and Judge Louis T. Parise Jr.
Judge Lauren A.R. Lofton, Judge Steven P. Pfahler and Judge Brock T. Hammond
Beatriz P. Flores of Santa Barbara and Judge Robert B. Broadbelt
Judge Deborah A. Horowitz and Judge David E. Hizami
2nd District Court Justice Gonzalo Martinez; Leonel Armenta, law student and paralegal at Law Offices of Gerard V. Kassabian; and Commissioner Amir Ahanorov
Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and his wife, Laurrel Montoya Céspedes
Narine Mkrtchyan of Glendale and Marina Samson of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs
Judge Michael D. Weinstein, M. Anthony Brown of Spertus Landes & Josephs LLP, Judge Ryan D. White, Judge Cathy J. Ostiller and Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong
Judge Shelley L. Kaufman and Deputy Public Defender Mary M. Dolmadjian
Orange County Judges Olga Giller and Isabel Apkarian
ADR Services Inc.'s advertising manager Seepan Yekanian and Lucie Barron, founder and president
Commissioner Amir Ahanorov, Judge Michael P. Pulos and Judge Isabel Apkarian
Judge Jerry B. Marshak, Judge Michael R. Amerian and Commissioner Amir Ahanorov
Judge Joel L. Lofton, Gerard V. Kassabian of Sherman Oaks and (Ret.) Judge Stephanie Bowick
2nd District Court Justice Elwood G. Lui, Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins, honorees Associate Justice Joshua P. Groban and Judicial Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes, and Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong
Judge Robert B. Broadbelt, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes, Judge Elizabeth L. Bradley and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, (Ret.) Judge Suzanne G. Bruguera, Judge Lucy Armendariz, Judge Linda L. Sun and Judge Wendy Segall
Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian, Judge Gabriela D. Shapiro and Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian
L.A. Superior Court research attorney Sam G. Bruguera, (Ret.) Judge Suzanne Bruguera, Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian and Commissioner Paul Bruguera
Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian, Golden State Bank’s Elsy Attarian and Janet Vartanian (Relationship Bankers) and Harout Boudoukian (Head of Deposits)
Judge Adan Montalban and Judge Lucy Armendariz
Judge Michael D. Weinstein and Judge Richard S. Kemalyan
Razmig Sarkissian of Los Angeles and (Ret.) Judge Zaven V. Sinanian of Signature Resolution
Storm Palyan LLP’s Darius A. Vosylius, Anthony D. Palyan, Steven V. Matossian, Tigran Palyan and Agnessa Arutunyan (firm administrator)
Carpenter & Zuckerman’s Edward A. Cherkezian and Edward Hovannisian, Hovsep Trdatyan of Trdatyan Law Firm and Michael G. Geragos of Carpenter & Zuckerman
Law school students Hasmik Manucharyan and Fenia Hakobyan
Deputy Public Defenders Gegam P. Petrosyan and Mary M. Dolmadjian, Suzy S. Marjanian of Koletsky Mancini Feldman LLP and Knarik Boyadzhyan of Virtue Recovery Center
Judge Gabriela D. Shapiro, Judge E. Carlos Dominguez, L.A. County Assisting Presiding Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo, Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Judge Jana M. Seng, Judge Terrance T. Lewis, Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian, Judge Jessica C. Kronstadt and Judge Lauren A.R. Lofton
Judge Lucy Armendariz and Judge E. Carlos Dominguez
Gideon Kracov of ADR Services and Kahren Harutyunyan of Balaban & Spielberger LLP
Co-Chair of the Armenian Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee Ara R. Jabagchourian of San Mateo, his wife Lori Jabagchourian, and Judge Mark C. Kim
Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian presenting the honors to California Supreme Court Associate Justice Joshua P. Groban, and Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian (center)
Armenian Board of Governors Armen K. Hovannisian of Sherman Oaks, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes, Judge Martin J. Jenkins and Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian
Judge Ruth A. Kwan and Deputy Judicial Appointments Secretary Adam W. Hoffman
Judge Michael R. Amerian presenting the honors to 2nd District Court of Appeal Justice Helen Zukin, and Armenian Bar Association's Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian
Maro Burunsuzyan of Glendale, Mariya Melkonyan of Glendale, Svetlana Darbinyan of Law Offices of Andrew Zeytuntsyan and Ani Nalbandian of Burbank
Garo Mardirossian of Los Angeles, Sevana Shaverdian, Artin N. Shaverdian and Lloyd W. Pellman of Nossaman LLP
2nd District Court of Appeal Justice and honoree Helen Zukin and Judge Elizabeth L. Bradley
Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and 2nd District Court of Appeals nominated Judge Armen Tamzarian
Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes, California Supreme Court Justice Josh Groban, and 2nd District Court of Appeal Justice Helen Zukin were recognized at the sold-out event.
Daily Appellate Report
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Sinay
Trial court retained jurisdiction to award over $900,000 restitution to victim's family 30 years after defendant's initial sentencing.
Constitutional Law, Employment Discrimination
Damiano v. Grants Pass School District No. 7
Government failed to demonstrate its interests in avoiding disruption outweighed terminated employees' free speech interests as a matter of law, so summary judgment on First Amendment cla...
Prisoners' Rights
Perttu v. Richards
Parties are entitled to a jury trial on Prison Litigation Reform Act exhaustion when that issue is intertwined with the merits of a claim that requires a jury trial under the Seventh Amen...
Constitutional Law, Health Care
U.S. v. Skrmetti
Because Tennessee law's prohibition against transgender minors receiving certain medical treatments was based on age or medical use, it was subject to rational basis rather than heightene...
Environmental Law
Oklahoma v. Environmental Protection Agency
Environmental Protection Agency's disapprovals of Oklahoma and Utah's state implementation plan for ozone standards constituted "locally or regionally applicable" actions, meant for revie...