Civil Procedure
Can we end discovery abuse? A Kotter-inspired blueprint for reform
By Mel Red Recana
A proposed overhaul of California discovery practice applies John P. Kotter's change-management framework to create a faster, ...
A Justice Department opinion seeks to dismantle decades of employment discrimination protections by making it far harder for w...
Constitutional Law
Proposition 50's gerrymander worked exactly as designed
By James R. Bozajian
Post-primary analysis of Proposition 50's redistricting shows a near-elimination of competitive California congressional distr...
Environmental & Energy
Providing environmental protection or merely performing it
By Nicholas Targ
California's environmental and land use laws have become so focused on process and litigation that they often fail to deliver ...
Letters
Noting women's leadership across the federal and state bench in San Diego
By Timothy G. Williams
San Diego's federal and state courts continue to be led by a strong roster of women judges and justices serving in key chief a...
As California expands CARE Court, meaningful access and communication must remain central to due process.
Wills, Estates & Trusts
Tung decision signals more expansion to fulfilling testator intent
By John Scheerer
In In re Tung Trust, the California Court of Appeal held that a general survivorship clause was insufficient to overrid...
Criminal
When rehabilitation and public safety collide: Lessons from the parole bench
By William M. Paparian
California's elderly parole system has tilted too far toward releasing serious sex offenders, underscoring the need for strict...
Health Care, Pharmaceuticals, Biotech
California must go it alone on universal medical care
By William W. Bruzzo
The United States spends more on healthcare than any other developed nation, yet Americans do not live longer or healthier liv...
Environmental & Energy
Beyond compliance: How atrazine litigation is redefining manufacturer responsibility
By Pedram Esfandiary
Atrazine's growing legal and scientific scrutiny is forcing new questions about manufacturers' duty to warn, environmental exp...
Law Practice
What caregiving taught me about being a better lawyer
By Jessica K. Lomakin
A working mother and law firm partner reflects on the "fourth shift"--the invisible, unbilled labor of caregiving--and argues ...
Civil Procedure, Alternative Dispute Resolution
The 10-day trap in arbitration appeals
By Garret D. Murai
Mind those deadlines! Party loses appeal of arbitration decision by failing to timely file petition to vacate.
At a contentious hearing already governed by a tentative ruling, opposing counsel's "with all due respect" argument became a c...
Repair first, litigate later: How AB 1903 could reshape California's condominium construction defect.
Environmental & Energy
Paper water markets and the future of the Colorado River
By Christine M. Carson
As worsening drought strains the Colorado River, Western states are exploring "paper" water trades--using desalination, recycl...
Constitutional Law
Reed v. Town of Gilbert: Sign regulation 10 years later
By Marco A. Martinez
Two landmark Supreme Court decisions have reshaped how cities regulate signs, giving local governments a roadmap for crafting ...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Small habits that lead to big legal trouble
By Shari L. Klevens, Alanna G. Clair
Common law practice habits such as disorganized email management, weak mobile device security, failure to use engagement lette...
A look back at the painstaking days when appellate briefs were built with legal pads, law libraries, Xerox machines and endles...
The 9th Circuit upheld Arizona's bar admission restrictions and sanctions despite a recent 8-1 U.S. Supreme Court decision rej...
California's new Racial Justice Act decisions deliver an important victory against overt raci...
Criminal, Civil Rights
Badges and bombs: How the 1938 Harry Raymond attack still informs police reform, legal ethics
By William M. Paparian
The Harry Raymond car bombing remains one of the darkest chapters in Los Angeles' legal history, offering a nearly century-old...
Environmental & Energy
Advising developers in the age of data center opposition
By Kelly Black
Vox Populi: From California Environmental Quality Act comments to citywide bans: Why the data center backlash is becoming a le...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
California State Bar's proposed AI ethics rules put attorneys on notice
By Daniel Butler
COPRAC's proposed rule changes would require California attorneys to stay current on AI and take responsibility for AI-generat...
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Quick tip: Visual aids should be used at mediation, not just trial
By Dennis J. Landin
Lawyers should use visual aids and key evidence during mediation to clarify their cases early and increase the likelihood of e...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Ethics and mediation: Communication, honesty and strategic preparation
By Anne Lawlor Goyette
Effective mediation representation requires attorneys to uphold four core ethical duties including competence, diligence, clea...
Technology
Don't obsess about using AI, obsess about having a strategy
By Jennifer O'Donnell, Ioana Good
Don't obsess about using AI, obsess about having a strategy: Leaders gather in New York to discuss how law firms can respond t...
Family
Rethinking custody for the digital age: Why it's time to update Judicial Council Form FL-341(D)
By Anthony Lai
California's child custody form, FL-341(D), should be modernized to address recreational cannabis use, screen time, social med...
Intellectual Property
Federal Circuit ruling significantly clarifies patent subject matter eligibility standard
By Dariush G. Adli
The Federal Circuit's Constellation decision reinforces that abstract "optimization" claims are ineligible ...
A Cybertruck owner drove into Grapevine Lake in "wade mode" and was cited for lacking boat registration, raising the question ...
Corporate
To become a top choice for corporate litigation work, join a boutique
By Kathleen M. Erskine, Talia Nissimyan
As DEI initiatives fade and corporate clients continue to reward the legal establishment, boutique firms are emerging as the b...