GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, December 12, 2025
California's Senate Bill 440 takes effect Jan. 1, imposing new non-waivable dispute resolution rules on private construction contracts, including mandatory timelines for owner responses and the right to stop work for non-compliance.
Holiday rituals and hard-won lessons in war and peace remind us of what it means to come home.
Wednesday, December 10, 2025
From Halloween to New Year's, America's four major holidays form a deliberate cultural scaffold that lifts a diverse nation from welcoming strangers to honoring survival, strengthening intimate bonds, and finally embracing future possibility.
Liability insurers' use of catch-all language in Intellectual Property and Habitability exclusions -- designed to eliminate coverage for entire mixed lawsuits -- may conflict with California Insurance Code section 530.
Monday, December 8, 2025
California's legal market presents complex risks, and some firms explore international insurers, such as Lloyd's of London, as an alternative to domestic coverage.
Business cases turn on getting documents into evidence, so trial lawyers must beat hearsay objections by knowing what counts as operative documents, party admissions, or admissible business records -- and laying the foundation early.
Friday, December 5, 2025
Military bases previously renamed to remove Confederate associations have been renamed again to their original surnames, now honoring different individuals with the same last names who served in various American conflicts.
The IRS has launched electronic filing for ยงย 83(b) elections via Form 15620, allowing founders and service providers to submit online while keeping the 30-day deadline and employer-copy requirement, though filers should be mindful of technical quirks, save PDF confirmations, and coordinate with their companies to ensure accuracy.
Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Despite equal ability, Black and Latino students are routinely denied early algebra access -- turning a curricular choice into a civil rights problem hiding in plain sight.
California law requires landlords to remediate hidden black mold (Stachybotrys chartarum) and structural decay rather than merely covering it up.
Monday, December 1, 2025
Plans to convert Baldwin Hills from oil production to parks or housing overlook the constitutionally protected property rights of current owners, raising the prospect of regulatory overreach and the need for compensation under established law.
Mismanaging client funds -- through commingling, overdrafts, or poor recordkeeping--is the fastest route to serious State Bar discipline, making proper trust account management, including IOLTA compliance, essential for every lawyer.
Wednesday, November 26, 2025
The QSF regulations give claimants and their counsel broad flexibility -- there's no requirement to use a trust, but rather the opportunity to do so when it suits the situation.
Judges can enhance fairness and public trust by using respectful, clear and compassionate communication to humanize courtroom proceedings and foster a sense of justice for all participants.
Monday, November 24, 2025
*Ramirez v. McCormack* confirms that suing opposing counsel for actions taken while representing their client -- including post-settlement advice -- is barred under California's anti-SLAPP statute, and failing to address both prongs of the motion can forfeit any defense.
Under new federal guidance, more than 3,000 rural tracts now qualify as opportunity zones, opening the door for investment in overlooked areas -- from California's Central Valley to remote corners of the country.
Friday, November 21, 2025
Broken or unstable utility vault covers and exposed wires on sidewalks across the U.S. create predictable, preventable hazards that current inspections and enforcement fail to address.
The Noland decision delivered a sharp warning to lawyers: use generative AI at your own risk, because only human judgment -- not predictive tools -- can ensure competent, ethical legal work.
Wednesday, November 19, 2025
A recent amendment to California's data breach law imposes a firm 30-day notice deadline, limiting companies' discretion to postpone alerting residents to threats.
AI tools are transforming mediation practice, from document analysis to settlement predictions, but the distinctly human elements of trust-building, empathy and reading the room remain irreplaceable in resolving disputes.AI in mediation: The modern Prometheus?
Monday, November 17, 2025
In State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v.
Diblin, the California Court of Appeal reaffirmed that intentional conduct
cannot constitute an "occurrence" under a liability policy, holding that even
when a jury finds negligence, coverage is precluded if the injury stems from
intentional acts.
Plaintiffs' attorneys are increasingly turning to Washington's CEMA to challenge text-based refer-a-friend programs, drawn by its broad liability standards, statutory damages, and fee-shifting provisions.
Friday, November 14, 2025
Five years after Liu v. SEC, courts remain
split on how to apply its limits on disgorgement, leaving the SEC's most potent
remedy in need of Supreme Court clarification.
Trump calls up the National Guard in Illinois, citing "rebellion" and insufficient forces; courts and critics say there's no threat, raising 10th Amendment, federal-overreach and domestic-military concerns.
Judge Samantha P. Jessner
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NEWS
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General News
Friday, December 12, 2025 |
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| California Gov. Gavin Newsom, an all-but-certain candidate for president in 2028, jumped at the chance to address a forum of business executives and other A-list figures last week and burnish his credentials as President Donald Trump's most vocal critic. | |
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General News
Friday, December 12, 2025 |
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| The firm's revamped model embeds attorneys directly with CEOs and leadership teams, offering a more comprehensive alternative to traditional outsourced legal support. | |
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General News
Friday, December 12, 2025 |
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| Compton City Attorney Eric J. Perrodin resigned amid dueling lawsuits with the city over his office's authority, staffing, and alleged misconduct, ending a protracted dispute that included limits on using his official title. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
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| Filed in San Francisco Superior Court, the suit claims landlords outfitted rental units with smart-home devices that log when tenants come and go, track temperature settings, and feed data into analytics tools -- all without meaningful consent. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
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| By denying certiorari, the Supreme Court left intact a 5th District Court of Appeal decision holding that a generic wedding cake is not protected speech and cannot be withheld from same-sex customers under California's civil rights laws. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
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| California has long been at the forefront of employee-protection laws, and compensation transparency is no exception. | |
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General News
Monday, December 8, 2025 |
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| Paul Wieland believed a "smart" garage door should operate only over a local Wi-Fi network to protect a home's privacy, so he started building his own system to plug into his garage door. | |
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General News
Monday, December 8, 2025 |
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| In California's first talc bellwether trial, plaintiffs challenged Johnson & Johnson expert Brooke Howitt over her views on talc migration and cancer grading, prompting evidentiary strikes before closing arguments next week. | |
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General News
Monday, December 8, 2025 |
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| Los Angeles' chief negotiator, Matthew Szabo, testified the city met homelessness settlement reporting duties "to the extent possible," arguing data gaps stem from a separate agency's limits as Judge David Carter considers potential contempt. | |
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General News
Friday, December 5, 2025 |
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| When you retire, one of the biggest expenses you may be confronted with on a regular basis is health care. | |
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General News
Friday, December 5, 2025 |
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| A federal judge dismissed a class action alleging Alaska Airlines illegally reduced Flight Pass benefits, finding the contract allowed program changes and subscribers had already received all credits purchased before termination. | |
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General News
Friday, December 5, 2025 |
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| In a long-running dispute over coastal development, justices pressed attorneys on both sides about jurisdiction, delay, and whether recent amendments to San Luis Obispo County's Local Coastal Program have rendered the case effectively moot. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 |
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| Jurors heard disputed testimony as Los Angeles County Public Works Director Mark Pestrella said Prologis' warehouse runoff caused the 2021 Carson odor event, prompting objections and judicial limits on unadmitted investigative findings. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 |
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| A bot may soon be booking your vacation. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 |
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| The trial set to begin this week would have featured a Who's Who of current and former Court of Appeal justices. Ex-Justice William J. Murray Jr. faced allegations that he chronically delayed issuing decisions in his cases. | |
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General News
Monday, December 1, 2025 |
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| The World Health Organization says air pollution is the biggest global environmental risk factor to human health. | |
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General News
Monday, December 1, 2025 |
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| A federal judge allowed Taylor Swift fans' core antitrust and unfair competition claims against Live Nation and Ticketmaster to proceed, while permanently dismissing negligence and fraud allegations stemming from the "Eras Tour" ticketing chaos. | |
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General News
Monday, December 1, 2025 |
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| Disability advocates claim racial disparities and soaring per-participant costs while supporters say the system fills gaps in mental health care. | |
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General News
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 |
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| The U.S. economy in 2025 is split in two: Everything tied to artificial intelligence is booming. Just about everything else is not. | |
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General News
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 |
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| Close-knit legal and behavioral health networks may be helping rural counties implement California's new mental health court more quickly than major metros. | |
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General News
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 |
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| Plaintiffs' attorneys are increasingly sidestepping arbitration by filing so-called "headless" PAGA cases that omit individual claims -- a strategy that has produced a sharp split among California's appellate courts. Now the state Supreme Court has stepped in on its own motion to resolve whether workers may pursue non-individual PAGA claims without filing on their own behalf. The outcome could reshape labor litigation and invite renewed scrutiny from the U.S. Supreme Court. | |
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General News
Monday, November 24, 2025 |
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| The company's challenge to Wachtell Lipton's fee for enforcing Elon Musk's Twitter purchase ended abruptly Wednesday with a dismissal filed with prejudice. | |
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General News
Monday, November 24, 2025 |
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| San Francisco has, to the surprise of many and the continuing aggravation of a few, become "Waymo-pilled." | |
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General News
Monday, November 24, 2025 |
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| Innovation Technologies Partners sued Hulu, alleging infringement of eight patents covering targeted advertising, data collection, digital rights management, and streaming controls. Hulu defeated similar claims in 2024 in a patent challenge by Piranha Media. | |
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General News
Friday, December 12, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge advanced hearings for Palisades Fire victims seeking permission to file late government claims, rejecting state arguments that emergency action was unnecessary as petitioners warned of expiring noneconomic-damages rights. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 10, 2025 |
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| A federal judge refused to dissolve an injunction governing LAPD's crowd-control weapons, saying the city's challenge to plaintiffs' standing must wait while appellate proceedings and renewed class certification efforts continue. | |
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General News
Monday, December 8, 2025 |
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| Jeffrey Lenkov's unpaid representation of Pete Rose did more than challenge Major League Baseball's ban on its all-time hits leader; it forged the philosophy behind Zelms Erlich Lenkov's rapid growth and his own shift into media, sports ownership and "must-see" cultural projects. | |
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General News
Friday, December 5, 2025 |
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| A Los Angeles judge approved limited firefighter and state parks depositions in the Palisades Fire suit, allowing plaintiffs to probe claims that smoldering Lachman Fire embers persisted due to state wildfire management policies. | |
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General News
Wednesday, December 3, 2025 |
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| Thirty-three law firms deny responsibility for a leak of sealed records in Uber's sexual assault litigation as Judge Ethan Schulman weighs the company's failed bid to halt discovery amid ongoing confidentiality concerns. | |
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General News
Monday, December 1, 2025 |
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| Experts outline how a potential Chapter 9 by Los Angeles, L.A. County or Santa Monica would unfold, highlighting limits on judicial power, pension and creditor battles, and California's pre-filing safeguards. | |
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General News
Wednesday, November 26, 2025 |
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| Los Angeles, Santa Monica and L.A. County face mounting litigation, pension and budget pressures that raise the prospect of Chapter 9 "debt adjustment," recalling earlier California municipal insolvencies and reforms curbing costly filings. | |
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General News
Monday, November 24, 2025 |
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| L.A. County won dismissal of Alex Villanueva's defamation claims after a judge ruled the action arose entirely from protected activity and lacked evidence of actual malice. | |