State Bar & Bar Associations
The February bar exam is just more evidence of the need for change
By Devin Kinyon
The February bar exam highlighted the deep flaws in California's bar admissions process, underscoring the urgent need for refo...
Torts/Personal Injury, Alternative Dispute Resolution
The case that changed the road ahead: a tire failure and a mediator's insight
By Gary N. Stern
How nuanced judgment and empathy gained through practice - exemplified by the story of an undocumented amputee mother - can pr...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
From disruption to resolution: How mediation protects the bottom line and brand reputation
By Kimberly Taylor
Forward-thinking CEOs are increasingly turning to mediation as a strategic conflict resolution tool to reduce legal costs, pro...
A recently filed class action complaint against SuperShuttle highlights the ongoing battle for wheelchair-accessible transport...
In response to a lawsuit by Wilson Sonsini, Gan Jing World's lawyers accused the firm of advancing the interests of an "author...
Civil Rights
The fight for wheelchair-accessible transportation services
By Rebecca S. Williford
A recently filed class action complaint against SuperShuttle highlights the ongoing battle for wheelchair-accessible transport...
Tax, Civil Litigation
How taxes can apply to Roundup verdicts might surprise you
By Robert W. Wood
Manufacturers of Roundup face a wave of lawsuits over cancer claims, but plaintiffs could face unexpected tax consequences, es...
U.S. Supreme Court, Government, Constitutional Law
Trump's executive orders face a Supreme Court reality check
By Allan Lee Dollison
The Supreme Court cast doubt on the Trump administration's legally untested use of executive orders on birthright citizenship ...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
What it really takes to stand up in court and stand apart as a trial lawyer
By Ronald J. Kohut
A great trial lawyer is part strategist, part storyteller, part student, and always a principled professional--driven not by e...
Immigration
DHS immigration reality show raises legal and ethical concerns
By Shawn Matian
Any attempt to grant citizenship through a competition show would exceed legitimate government authority while trivializing ci...
Real Estate/Development, Land Use, Administrative/Regulatory
Use it right or lose the right: The CUP balancing act
By Tina Wallis
A Conditional Use Permit lets you legally use land for specific purposes but comes with strict conditions and deadlines. Stay ...
Government, Appellate Practice
The failure of the California Legislature to provide access to courts of appeal
By Brian A. Sutherland
In California, most low-income litigants are effectively denied the right to appeal because the Legislature prohibits cost-eff...
Government, Constitutional Law
Executive disorder: How to know, and defeat, presidential power plays
By Dan Jacobson
In an era marked by a flood of executive orders (EO), understanding what gives an EO legal force is essential for both legal p...
Labor/Employment, Alternative Dispute Resolution
10 lessons from an employment mediator: What I wish I knew all along
By Ramit Mizrahi
From evidence gathering to negotiation tactics, these tips could help reshape your approach to case resolution.
Torts/Personal Injury, Immigration
Governor Newsom's death warrant for undocumented immigrants
By Raphael Metzger
Medi-Cal is saving the lives of undocumented workers with silicosis--ending it now would be a death sentence for those who bui...
Civil Procedure
Demurrers on deadline: Goebner clarifies procedural timing in probate litigation
By Scott E. Rahn, Sean D. Muntz
The Court of Appeal's decision in Goebner v. Superior Court clarifies that objections in probate proceedings--includin...
Technology, Data Privacy
How cell carriers cashed in on your location - and may get off the hook
By Anita Taff-Rice
Carriers push federal courts to strip the FCC authority to penalize them for improperly selling customer location data. Major ...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
California ADR quarterly case update: Part 1
By Paul Dubow
California courts reshaped PAGA claim strategies and sexual harassment arbitration rules in the first quarter of 2025, while l...
Judges and Judiciary, Ethics/Professional Responsibility, California Supreme Court
Life off the bench: Judicial participation in the legal community
By Wendy L. Patrick
Draft Opinion 2025-030 seeks input on the extent of judicial engagement in the American Inns of Court.
Technology, Real Estate/Development
Where innovation meets cybersecurity challenges in digital real estate
By Chris Jackson
Real estate's digital evolution promises incredible efficiency gains but requires advanced planning to successfully navigate c...
Real Estate/Development, Law Practice
Redefining workspaces: Law firms' success in hybrid work environments
By Jeff Welch
In response to post-COVID workplace shifts, law firms--long familiar with remote work--are transforming their office spaces to...
Environmental & Energy
How SB 607 threatens California's environmental protection: the dangers of gutting CEQA
By Grecia Orozco, Douglas P. Carstens
Senate Bill 607 poses one of the most serious threats in decades to the California Environmental Quality Act, undermining a 50...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Slaying the litigation dragon: institutional reforms to make mediation the first strike
By Greg Derin
How incentivizing early mediation and restructuring dispute resolution pathways can serve as the sword and shield needed to ta...
Letters
An important yet overlooked issue in the recent Trust & Estate Special Report is the urgent need for accessible estate pla...
The law, linguistics and (not) naming racial bias
By Sam Jacobs
In the courtroom, where speech is the primary currency, understanding how language is perceived, particularly nonstandard or r...
Immigration
Register your huddled masses, yearning to breathe free
By Sergio A. Perez, Delia L. Franco
The Trump administration's enforcement of the long-dormant Alien Registration Act of 1940 presents immigration attorneys with ...
Constitutional Law
Firing blanks at history: How the 9th Circuit misfires on the 2nd Amendment
By Jason A. Davis
The Ninth Circuit's decision in Duarte upheld a lifetime gun ban for non-violent felons, clashing with Bruen's historic...
Criminal, California Supreme Court
The enablement of mass incarceration by the California Supreme Court and the need for a legislative solution
By J. Anthony Kline
California's ongoing prison overcrowding and the erosion of constitutional safeguards in parole decisions demand legislative a...
California Supreme Court
California Supreme Court finds parties cannot contract away liability for willful injury
By Lee S. Brenner, Matthew Raber
In New England Country Foods, LLC v. VanLaw Food Products, Inc., the California Supreme Court held on April 24, 2025, ...
AI tools risk undermining judicial legitimacy by offering conclusions without transparent reasoning--but troubling evidence sh...