Rarely a month goes by without reading about banks and bankers who commit obvious crimes, but who are rarely prosecuted. If an...
The city of Huntington Beach is following the model of Ferguson, Missouri: raising fines on misdemeanors in order to generate ...
LA County Judge Julian Recana spent his life following his father, and now they are both judges.
Among the nearly 900 laws enacted this year was AB 691, which authorizes a decedent's personal representative or trustee to ac...
The jury trial constitutionally ordered in civil and criminal litigation emerged from English common law and exists today in e...
While laws are designed in a republic to be a means of checking the excesses of a tyrannous, biased majority — in reality, get...
Transportation, Government, Administrative/Regulatory
Charging station program makes it affordable for cities
By Karen A. Feld
The Zero Emission Vehicle Program is an affordable way for local governments to jump into the future with both feet. Electric ...
The principal claimed benefit of fee-shifting provisions is deterrence, i.e., discouraging the initiation of doubtful litigati...
Allegations of dirty dealings in the garbage business means it's time for the California Supreme Court to conduct another semi...
U.S. Supreme Court, Government, Constitutional Law, Civil Rights
Post-9/11 arrest case has big implications
By Mark Chenoweth
The U.S. Supreme Court will tackle tort damages against federal officials in their personal capacities and qualified immunity ...
LA County Judge Natalie Stone works to help parents get back on track to keep families together.
In the recent California legislative session, several bills aimed to address perceived abuses of Americans with Disabilities A...
There are many nexus issues, surprising withholding taxes, and tough residency rules. And the procedural oddities are not obvi...
At a federal and state level in California, retaliation claims are more common than harassment and discrimination claims. And ...
Law Practice, Law Office Management
Proceed carefully when partner exits suddenly
By Daniel O'Rielly, Dena Roche
Even unplanned, last-minute partner departures can be handled in such a way as to minimize unnecessary adverse consequences.
For a time, it seemed that 9th Circuit might make the circuit split on ascertainability so stark that the U.S. Supreme Court w...
Perspective
Cert denial leaves in place hostile-to-business decision
By William H. Weissman
What a recent California Supreme Court decision means from a political perspective is that the desire of the state to extract ...
The legislation, motivated in response to the 2015 balcony collapse in Berkeley, passed the Assembly and Senate with bipartisa...
Law Practice
California's uniform parentage laws bear little resemblance to original act
By Deborah H. Wald
Amendments to Family Code Section 7613 clarifies that a man or woman's parenting "intentions" determine whether he or she is a...
GC Email
Decision sharpens the teeth on an insurer's duty to settle
By Benjamin R. Fliegel
Where a primary insurer rejects a reasonable settlement demand within its policy limits, a recent case holds that it can be li...
On Oct. 6, the California Supreme Court heard oral argument in a case that, while seemingly far removed from the insurance fie...
California Supreme Court
Attorneys should support State Bar's special assessment
By Edward J. Mcintyre
Who wants to receive a dues bill? Honestly, none of us. But unless the California Supreme Court grants the State Bar's petitio...
Law Practice, Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Don't let your firm's digital assets walk out the door
By J. Randolph Evans, Shari L. Klevens
Whether it is a laptop, smartphone, tablet or some combination of those, attorneys' use of and dependency on these items raise...
Law Practice, Judges and Judiciary, Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Walking the thin zealous, ethical advocacy line
By Michele Trausch
Although there are fine ethical lines between the competing responsibilities of zealous advocacy and dishonesty -- fortunately...
Perspective
How to take an effective deposition
Deposition taking is a primary skill of most civil-practice lawyers. On the surface it appears simple and straightfor...
If you live or do business in California, state taxes are a big piece of what you pay. When you add the state's notoriously ag...
Photos of Pokémon alongside Mickey Mouse or Marilyn Monroe will create new and interesting trademark and copyright issues for ...
On Sept. 8, 2015, President Obama nominated Clare Connors, who has served as an assistant U.S. attorney for seven yea...
As we approach the November election, we find ourselves compelled to consider the clowns. And no, not either of the candidates...
If the California Supreme Court orders active California lawyers to fund some State Bar activities during the next year, those...