Intellectual Property
Report shows small declines in patent filings in California
By Craig Anderson
The biggest drop -- 20% -- was in the Western District of Texas where a local rule was changed to stop one judge from bogartin...
Judges and Judiciary
Bill aims for statewide $100 a day jury fee, but funding doubtful
By Malcolm Maclachlan
"This has been so successful in San Francisco that we want to roll it out statewide," Assemblyman Phil Ting said, adding "We k...
Government, Constitutional Law
Former US attorney will advise Los Angeles County sheriff on constitutional policing
By Sunidhi Sridhar
Eileen M. Decker will "help us improve public safety and public trust", Sheriff Robert Luna said.
Criminal
Lawyers and former Girardi client tell concerns over 'snitch' rule
By Devon Belcher
“It’s just going to create a big mess and make the State Bar a clearing house for petty claims involving rumored innuendo, cre...
Environmental & Energy, Civil Litigation
PG&E pleads not guilty in Zogg Fire, trial scheduled for June
By Wisdom Howell
The utility stated Wednesday that neither the company nor any of its employees committed any crimes. Among the charges filed a...
The proposed class complaint alleges Sequoia Capital, Thoma Bravo and Paradigm were the biggest backers of FTX and knew FTX wo...
Litigation & Arbitration, Labor/Employment, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
In reversal, 9th Circuit blocks state’s worker arbitration law
By Craig Anderson
While AB 51 does not bar arbitration agreements, it imposes a "severe" burden on the formation of such deals, the circuit said.
Judges and Judiciary, Criminal
Riverside DA blames court for 1,700 case dismissals
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
“Sacramento County also had a backlog when waivers went away. They did not dismiss cases. They worked with different parties, ...
Judges and Judiciary, California Courts of Appeal
Sacramento judge moves closer to Eastern District court seat
By Craig Anderson
Meanwhile, the Senate Judiciary Committee questioned three other California district court nominees earlier on Wednesday.
The goal of San Diego family law Judge Tim Nader is to craft orders to meet children’s needs.
Government
LA utility extends contract with Paul Hastings for water bill case
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
The firm has been representing and advising the board for the past six months in the matters related to the class action settl...
Litigation & Arbitration
Panel skeptical of effort to skirt Coinbase arbitration
By Craig Anderson
A user claims a scammer drained his Coinbase account of more than $31,000. He sought help from the crypto platform but claims ...
Judges and Judiciary, California Courts of Appeal
New 3rd District Court of Appeal justice is sworn in
By Devon Belcher
The Commission on Judicial Appointments unanimously confirmed Shama Mesiwala, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge, to the...
Civil Litigation
Mediation date set for Lyft, passengers who claim sex assault
By Wisdom Howell
This will be Lyft’s second attempt to dispose of the first bellwether case, where trial is set to begin May 3. A hearing date ...
Law Practice, Appellate Practice
Melinda Riechert teams up with her daughters at Orrick
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
Riechert, a lawyer for nearly 50 years, said working with her daughters will be a wonderful experience.
Community News, California Courts of Appeal
LA County Superior Court seeks attorneys to represent indigent defendants in Appellate Division
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
Law Practice, Appellate Practice
Hanson Bridgett opens Orange County office, the firm's sixth in California
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
The Orange County legal community is seeing a growth spurt. Armstrong Teasdale and Reed Smith also expanded into region this y...
Real Estate/Development, Government
Property owners sue San Francisco over vacancy tax
By Wisdom Howell
Janan New, executive director for the San Francisco Apartment Association, said, “By severely penalizing property owners who —...
Civil Litigation
Motion: Lawyer should be fined $75K for calling opponent racist
By Sunidhi Sridhar
The dispute errupted in a trademark dispute over teh Bratz doll line. One attorney used a racial slur quoting rap lyrics.
Environmental & Energy
McKinsey to pay $25M to resolve claims over its advice to PG&E
By Jonathan Lo
"The facts are clear, however, that our past work for PG&E was completely unrelated to the devastating wildfires, and the ...
Researchers looked at a random sample of 2,000 attorneys in California and the District of Columbia.
Law Practice, Labor/Employment, Appellate Practice
The Black Equity at Work Certification Program was launched in 2020 to provide a road map for employers to achieve Black equit...
Land Use, Government
Oakland can’t move homeless from plot targeted for permanent housing
By Wisdom Howell
U.S. District Judge William H. Orrick renewed a previous temporary restraining order against the city moving people from an en...
Judge who served Napa County for 56 years was seen as a 'rock in the foundation of the courthouse.'
Real Estate/Development
Lawmaker wants to make CEQA changes permanent
By Malcolm Maclachlan
“SB 35 has been very successful…It has been absolutely transformational in terms of allowing people to build housing,” Sen. Sc...
Government, Civil Rights
State struggles to defend ban on large capacity gun magazines
By Craig Anderson
Legal experts on both sides of the gun debate say the state is not expecting to persuade Senior U.S. District Judge Roger T. B...
Land Use, Government, Environmental & Energy
LA must redo tree removal plan aimed at even sidewalks
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff sided with the plaintiffs, United Neighborhoods for Los Angeles, who argued that the ci...
Law Practice, Government, Appellate Practice
Lawyers need to fill justice gap, DOJ official says
By Devon Belcher
Rachel Rossi, the director of the Office for Access to Justice, in a meeting with LA based legal aid law firms, said her agenc...
Data Privacy, Class Action
Meta, Gibson Dunn sanctions in scathing ruling
By Sunidhi Sridhar
U.S. District Judge Vince G. Chhabria ordered Meta and Gibson Dunn to pay under $1 million for needlessly obstructing the plai...
State Bar & Bar Associations, Immigration
State Bar, LA County DA jointly investigate immigration scam
By Douglas Saunders Sr.
Nubia Esmeralda Burrier operated for 14 years in an office across from the U.S. Immigration Court in downtown Los Angeles, pro...