Bench & Bar: Sept. 3

Stories in this week's episode:

Avoiding two common errors on post-trial motions
A favorable verdict can still unravel if post-trial motions go wrong -- and one misstep can be fatal before an appeal even starts. Rex S. Heinke of California Appellate Law Group breaks down the Rule 50(a) trap in federal court and the 75-day JNOV deadline in California state court that catches even experienced litigators.

Courts should stop rescuing unlawful arbitration agreements
Bad-faith arbitration clauses used to get a pass through severance -- courts increasingly aren't buying it. Calahan and Blaine attorney Scott D. Nelson traces a quarter-century of Armendariz case law to argue employers can no longer claim ignorance when their agreements fall short of its fairness minimums.

California courts needed a statewide case management system
A recent critique of California's failed case management system missed the stakes for vulnerable families, according to retired Judge Terry B. Friedman. Drawing on his time presiding over the Los Angeles Juvenile Court, Friedman argues the real cost of 58 disconnected county systems was measured in restraining and visitation orders courts elsewhere couldn't see.