Judicial Profile
Judge Syna Dennis brings focus and compassion to dependency court
MCLE
Moral rights and the Vaillancourt Fountain
Fifty years after its completion, San Francisco's massive...
By Simon J. FrankelWhen plaintiffs sell their legal claims, who pays taxes and when?
As more plaintiffs look to sell their legal claims, the q...
By Robert W. WoodEthics of preparing legal opinions for third parties
Lawyers asked to prepare evaluations for third-party use ...
By Alanna G. Clair, Shari L. Klevens
The Evening Docket
Five stories you should read before signing off.
Judge questions power to order bar to provide attorneys
Judge OKs LA sex-abuse fund distribution system and trustee
ChatGPT is giving legal advice and getting it catastrophically wrong
The hidden pipeline: How California lawyers can turn internal referrals into revenue
Santa Ana settles zoning dispute with nonprofit medical clinic
Today's News
Los Angeles County won summary judgment against former probation chief Adolfo Gonzales, with a judge ruling his wrongful termination suit was barred for fail...
LA Fires
Edison expands eligibility, finalizes Eaton Fire settlement protocols
By Laurinda Keys
Southern California Edison finalized its Eaton Fire settlement plan, doubling eligible properties to 18,000, expanding coverage beyond the fire perimeter, in...
Intellectual Property
Cameo sues OpenAI over use of its name in Sora video app
By Craig Anderson
Baron App Inc., which operates the celebrity video platform Cameo, sued OpenAI in San Francisco federal court, alleging that OpenAI's Sora app infringes on i...
Government
Essayli barred from acting US attorney title, can perform duties as first assistant
By Craig Anderson
A federal judge has ruled that Acting U.S. Attorney Bilal A. Essayli of Los Angeles is not lawfully serving in his role, but he can continue running the nati...
Antitrust & Trade Reg.
States seek to intervene in Hewlett Packard-Juniper merger review
By Craig Anderson
California and other states are seeking to challenge the Justice Department's approval of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise-Juniper merger, alleging political i...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Judge fines Alston & Bird $10,000 for LinkedIn research on prospective juror
By James Twomey
U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick said the law firm violated a court order that barred LinkedIn research on potential jurors, warning that future violati...
Columns
The driverless ecosystem brings great promise while delivering evolving risks
By Kenneth P. Williams
As autonomous vehicle technologies advance--with investments growing 800% annually and market potential projected at $400 bill...
Technology
ChatGPT is giving legal advice and getting it catastrophically wrong
By Brandon Ortiz
ChatGPT gave wrong legal advice in five of six tests using real California cases, contradicted itself based on who asked, and ...
Labor/Employment
From sick days to safety days: How California's paid leave law keeps growing
By Leslie Wallis
California's paid sick leave has evolved from three days for illness in 2015 to five days covering crime victimization, court ...
Verdicts & Settlements
| Wage and Hour | Yolanda Soto v. MD Hydratio... | $1,894,233 |
| Wage and Hour | Vijay Sheth, as an individu... | $989,940 |
| Wage and Hour | Cristina Calzada-Guido, ind... | $250,000 |
| Wage and Hour | Ernest Gonzales v. Draper a... | $35,000 |
| Code Violation | County of Sonoma v. Lutge | Plaintiff |
| Breach of Contract | Shashikant Jogani v. Haresh... | $10,000,000,000 |
| Premises Liability | Victor Angelo Hipolito, a m... | $30,000,000 |
| Dangerous Condition of Public Property | Jean Yuna Horihata, Mark Ra... | $9,500,000 |
| Excessive Force | Maritza Padilla, individual... | $3,060,000 |
| Intentional Concealment | DJCBP Corporation dba Tier ... | $1,829,000 |
On the Move
Knobbe Martens
Charlene Azema was elected co-chair of trademark and brand protection group of the Irvine office of Knobbe Martens. Her tenure was effective Oct. 22, 2025.
Greg Phillips was elected co-chair of trademark and brand protection group of the Irvine office of Knobbe Martens.
Details
Knobbe Martens has 300 attorneys in 7 offices including Los Angeles, Irvine, San Diego, San Francisco . Among the law firm’s key practice areas are Intellectual Property . The firm’s website is https://www.knobbe.com
Featured Content
No matter how small your business, here's a quick blueprint for strengthening your defense against common cyber threats.
Insights from experienced mediators on preparation, breaking impasses and guiding clients through multifaceted disputes
Complex mediation tactics from veteran mediators
Community News
Maurice Mandell II of Newport Beach, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter and Jeff S. Westerman of Zimmerman Reed LLP
Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP’s Reuben C. Cahn and Steven J. Katzman, U.S. Attorney Jennifer L. Waier, Katherine T. Corrigan of Corrigan Welbourn & Stokke APLC, and John L. Littrell of Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP
N. Yvonne Stoddard Beeler of Kirkland & Ellis LLP and (Ret.) Judge Andrew J. Guilford of Judicate West
Chief District Judge Dolly M. Gee
Chief Magistrate Judge Karen L. Stevenson
OCFBA’s newly installed President Elizabeth M. Weldon of Haynes Boone LLP and Immediate Past President Chase A. Scolnick of Keller Anderle Scolnick LLP
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Erithe A. Smith presenting the “Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler Award” to the late Chief Bankruptcy Judge Theodor C. Albert’s former law clerk Amna R. Chaudhary
Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP’s Morgan H. Williams, Michael B. Mosher and Jason H. Anderson; U.S. District Judge Fred W. Slaughter and Shawn K. Collins of Stradling Yocca Carlson & Rauth LLP
Haynes and Boone LLP’s Kenneth G. Parker, Letitia Johnson-Smith and Elizabeth M. Weldon, OCFBA’s newly installed President
OCFBA’s newly installed President Elizabeth M. Weldon with fellow Haynes and Boone LLP associates Kevin A. Crisp, David B. Clark and Jessica M. Ewert
U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Erithe A. Smith, Bienert Katzman Littrell Williams LLP’s Steven J. Katzman and Reuben C. Cahn
Peter W. Lianides of Winthrop Golubow Hollander LLP, Aaron J. Malo of Sheppard Mullin and U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Mark D. Houle
U.S. Bankruptcy Court attorney Amna R. Chaudhary, U.S. Magistrate Judge Autumn D. Spaeth and OCFBA’s treasurer Robert S. Marticello of Raines Feldman Littrell LLP
Gregory Mikhanjian, summer associate at Best Best & Krieger LLP and Richard Hovsepyan, law clerk at Buchalter
At the Orange County Federal Bar Association's Annual Judges' Night, Chief U.S. District Judge Dolly M. Gee warned of growing threats to judicial independence and urged lawyers to defend the rule of law. The event also honored the late Chief Bankruptcy Judge Theodor C. Albert with the Judge Alicemarie H. Stotler Award and welcomed new OCFBA President Elizabeth M. Weldon.
Podcasts
In the Counsel's Chair: John Nadolenco on leadership
In the first episode of In the Counsel's Chair, John Nadolenco talks career moves, leadership lessons and his advice for young...
Daily Appellate Report
Water Rights
State Water Resources Control Bd. v. Superior Court (Kings County Farm Bureau)
Pursuant to the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, State Water Resources Board actions in designating a probationary basin and implementing related procedures were exempt from the Ad...
Water Rights
Kings County Farm Bureau v. State Water Resources Control Bd.
Remand was appropriate for trial court to reconsider its weighing of relative harm caused by preliminary injunction where its analysis of likelihood of success on the merits was flawed.
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Cervantes
Trial court had inherent authority to correct unauthorized sentence and erred in ruling it lacked jurisdiction to do so.
Civil Procedure
Doe v. Deutsche Lufthansa Aktiengesellschaft
Same-sex couple traveling between California and Saudi Arabia had specific personal jurisdiction in California over defendant airline for its alleged disclosure of their marital status an...