Environmental
Environmental due diligence and real property purchases
By Leah Goldberg
Do not skimp on environmental due diligence, as environmental liabilities can be large and insert uncertainty into the redevel...
Perspective
New disability access rules will take effect next month
By Bradley J. Leimkuhler
In September, California enacted Assembly Bill 2093 as part of its latest attempt to address the state's continuing struggle w...
Subdivision (e)(4)'s application to "any other conduct in furtherance of the exercise of the constitutional right of petition ...
Donald Trump ran on a simple platform — Make America Great Again. But the president-elect has offered few clues as to what spe...
Nothing in the Adult Use of Marijuana Act requires an employer to permit or accommodate the use, consumption or possession of ...
Sometimes a lawyer will tell me that she has a smoking gun fact or piece of evidence that will absolutely devastate the other ...
Real Estate/Development
Density Bonus Law could lead to less affordable housing
By Joan S. Smyth
The requirement of replacement of affordable or rent-restricted units on a one-for-one basis in order for a developer to obtai...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Knock-knock-knockin' on your door: the state bar
By Anthony Radogna
Let's say you have a thriving paralegal business. Or perhaps you are a licensed attorney who is just too busy with life to sho...
Civil Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Wells Fargo arbitration denies customers their day in court
By Esfand Y. Nafisi
If the bank successfully compels arbitration, it will deny its customers their right of access not only to the courts but also...
In an important victory for same-sex couples, Wal-Mart has agreed to pay $7.5 million to settle a class action challenging Wal...
GC Email
High court says online travel companies are not hotel operators
By Robert W. Wood
The California Supreme Court has now ruled in favor of the group. It included such household names as Hotels.com, Priceline, E...
Administrative/Regulatory
'Tis the season to give someone a basket of processed meats
By Daniel J. Herling
A Google search of "processed meat holiday gifts" revealed 1,590,000 results in less than a second. According to a citizen's p...
Defend Trade Secret Act practitioners have mostly steered clear of its much-hyped ex parte seizure remedy, opting instead for ...
The Supreme Court appears poised to limit the extraterritorial reach of U.S. patent law in Life Technologies v. Promega
Civil Litigation, Labor/Employment, Entertainment & Sports
Student-athletes bring the heat against NCAA
By David J. Murphy
In the latest of the growing number of legal actions involving student-athletes pursuing compensation for their collegiate ath...
Civil Litigation, Law Practice, Criminal
Social media evidence: admissibility issues
By Mark Jackson
Proponents seeking to admit social media evidence will face three primary hurdles of admissibility: relevance, authentication ...
Law Practice, Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Profile of a legal malpractice claim: 2012-2015
By J. Randolph Evans, Shari L. Klevens
The recently released "Profile of Legal Malpractice Claims: 2012-2015" is chock-full of claims related information that can he...
Entertainment & Sports
Business lawyer heads to the ocean to clear his mind and feed his friends
By Arin Mikailian
Lee Mackay of Nevers, Palazzo, Packard, Wildermuth & Wynner hunts for lobsters, white sea bass, halibut and Yellowtail. ...
Real Estate/Development
Developers can still manage risk in a quickly changing landscape
By Brenda K. Radmacher
The changing social, technological, environmental and economic landscape has led to increased legal exposure for contractors a...
The Federal Circuit recently corrected a flawed regulation which likely subjected patents to covered business method review th...
Perspective
Immigration due diligence in M&A is more important than ever
By Michael Boshnaick
The international movement of employees has never been greater. As such, it is safe to assume that an entity undergoing a corp...
Public Interest
Law firm's pro bono arm trains law professors and students in Myanmar
By Arin Mikailian
This is the second year that DLA Piper partner Andrew Valentine has packed his bags for Myanmar to help jump-start the Southea...
On Dec. 9, President Barack Obama signed the continuing resolution that extends funding of the federal government; this federa...
California Supreme Court
Limited anti-SLAPP defense for public entities
By Jeremy K. Robinson
This past year the California Supreme Court grappled with the tricky question of when a government entity or public employee c...
The recent security breach highlights the need for companies to employ stronger security for their users' credentials. By Davi...
Law Practice
Attorneys: '123456' isn't enough to keep client data safe
By Anita Taff-Rice
The year 2016 should be a wake-up call to recognize that, while state bars and legislatures have not yet imposed specific secu...
U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit
Justices agree with 9th Circuit view in bank fraud case
By E. Martin Estrada
In Shaw v. United States, the U.S. Supreme Court has again unanimously affirmed a 9th Circuit decision expansively co...
LA County Judge Maurice Leiter's eagerness to learn wins praise in his first criminal assignment.
Tax, Banking
IRS sees pushback over attempt to get digital currency data
By Dashiell C. Shapiro
A Coinbase customer filed a motion in federal court seeking to intervene in the federal case and to block the IRS from enforci...
The first of Isaac Asimov's three laws of robotics states that "a robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, all...